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Ulcerative Colitis
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Posted 6/5/2013 5:34 PM (GMT 0)
Hi,

New member here. I been dealing with colitis for 2 years. I have tried diet changes and probiotics and have had some success. Some days good some days bad. some days I feel like im normal then I get a "flare" I guess is what is called. Anyway just looking for others who are dealing with the same and hope to find some encouragement/advise. thanks.
Posted 6/5/2013 5:54 PM (GMT 0)
Welcome to the forum. I'm glad you feel better using diet changes and probiotics. You can probably end the flares you're experiencing by also using meds, rectal mesalamine most likely. Oral meds would be helpful too if your inflammation extends beyond the sigmoid colon.
Posted 6/5/2013 6:06 PM (GMT 0)
Doctors don't seem to think or care to check if I have colitis, it is more of a self diagnosis, but ive read a lot of the symptoms and I know that is why I have. Since mine is accompanied with gas,dont know if thats the case with everyone, the only medication I get is prilozec and the doctors assume I simply have gas.

Ive always been leary of medications for anything so that is part of the reason I don't push the issue with my doctors. On my non flare days that I feel normal I get so much hope that I can overcome this and the opposite is true for the flare days.
Posted 6/5/2013 6:14 PM (GMT 0)
Ah, so you have diagnosed yourself with ulcerative colitis?

I'm not sure this forum is the right place for you. People here have serious disease for which they are taking serious meds and struggling with very serious health issues. I realize that you are probably unhappy about the way your gut is working (or not working) and I hope that you will find relief somewhere.

What have you struggled with and what tests have you had?
Posted 6/5/2013 6:16 PM (GMT 0)
There are a lot of things that can cause symptoms very similar to UC. IBS being the main one. If you just have a few "flare days" in a row, you likely don't have UC. Flares don't resolve that quickly.
Posted 6/5/2013 6:26 PM (GMT 0)
actually flares last on the average 3 days. I noticed the worst day of the flare up is the last day of the flare up if that makes sense. I had weight loss, loss of appetite, some discomfort in lower left side of my stomach close to the colon. Never had diarhea just sometimes the stool will be smaller, or more gushy lumps. loss of energy.

Post Edited (phenomone) : 6/5/2013 12:30:26 PM (GMT-6)

Posted 6/5/2013 6:28 PM (GMT 0)

kazbern said...
Ah, so you have diagnosed yourself with ulcerative colitis?

I'm not sure this forum is the right place for you. People here have serious disease for which they are taking serious meds and struggling with very serious health issues. I realize that you are probably unhappy about the way your gut is working (or not working) and I hope that you will find relief somewhere.

What have you struggled with and what tests have you had?

This is exactly the kind of encouragement I was looking for, minimizing my symptoms/disease. My symptoms/disease are not serious? That is why I've had emotional problems due to this, that is why I joined a forum to seek encouragement from perfect strangers? I've joined a lot of forums and condescending people are always expected but I didn't expect that here for some reason, I was wrong. Thanks a lot. eyes

Post Edited (phenomone) : 6/5/2013 12:32:24 PM (GMT-6)

Posted 6/5/2013 6:33 PM (GMT 0)
Flare ups also don't just last three days. When I was diagnosed, I'd been flaring for over 2 months and it took another 2 months (after being diagnosed and starting meds) to get the flare under control. Many people flare for even longer periods of time.

Honestly, based on what you're saying, it really doesn't sound like UC.
Posted 6/5/2013 6:35 PM (GMT 0)
Good luck to you all, my apologies.
Posted 6/5/2013 6:37 PM (GMT 0)
"Good luck to you all, my apologies."

Dude, go get a colonoscopy and have biopsies. You'll know for sure what you have. You wanna know what you're dealing with, it's important. Maybe you do have colitis. Colitis acts differently in everybody.
Posted 6/5/2013 6:51 PM (GMT 0)
The gut is an extremely complicated part of our bodies and does not give up its secrets easily. If you are struggling with maintaining your body weight and functioning at your job or school, you need to go to the doctor and pursue a diagnosis.

DRs are not going to scope you because of complaints like "I have some discomfort in the lower left quadrant." Poop blood for a week and see how their attention gets focused.

Fatigue and belly pain are hardly focused complaint that point to colitis. Your DR should do bloodwork to eliminate things like infection, anemia, vitamin deficiencies, look for inflammatory markers. Then you would have a stool test to look for occult blood, maybe inflammatory markers. It is a process that we have all been through. If you are "leary of medications," I'm not sure avoiding a diagnosis is related. Go ahead and get a diagnosis, you can still say no to the drugs your DR advises you take.

You certainly can have a lot of emotional problems because of issues in your gut. Most of us here struggle with the depressing nature of our chronic illness. Those struggling the most are dealing with it by talk therapy, antidepressants or both.

When I say serious illness, phenomone, I'm talking about the kind of disease that means you can't eat solid food for weeks, or that you have diarrhea 20 times a day. I'm sorry that you are having pain and I hope that we can help you find the right avenue for resolving your issues.
Posted 6/5/2013 7:07 PM (GMT 0)
Nobody here is trying to be rude or minimize your problems. It is a simple fact that UC flares last longer than 3 days. What you are dealing with sounds more like IBS or maybe even some sort of food allergy. If you want to know for sure, push the doctors to run more tests. Even if you don't want to take the meds, at least you will know what is really wrong with you.
Posted 6/5/2013 7:09 PM (GMT 0)
Welcome to the forum!
Posted 6/5/2013 9:27 PM (GMT 0)
I wish my flares only lasted 3 days!

Like Somedude said you really need to get a colonoscopy to determine exactly what you're dealing with. It could be colitis it could be IBS it could be something else. You can't really self-diagnose UC.

If it's only lasting 3 days it doesn't sound like any UC symptoms I've had. Also blood, mucus, urgency, tenesmus are all fairly common. You don't mention those...which is a good thing by the way!

So for encouragement - it doesn't sound like UC to me (that's a definite positive by the way)!
Advice - push your doctor for a colonoscopy to get a correct diagnosis.

Welcome to the forum !
Posted 6/5/2013 9:43 PM (GMT 0)
i wholeheartedly encourage you and your uc !

welcome :-)

Posted 6/5/2013 9:45 PM (GMT 0)
I was so confused and scared by my sympoms, mucus and blood that I thought I had cancer! The minute i told doc he made me scope. Its that scary you cannot avoid it and pray meds are all you need. When it gets bad you will want meds! I hope it is just IBS phenom! Good luck, whatever it is, you need to meet it head on.
Posted 6/5/2013 11:43 PM (GMT 0)
Yup...I would agree. You should go to your doc and asked to have a colonoscopy. You may have proctitus. That is how mine started. My bm's were smaller with blood and mucus. And I don't think they lasted too long. But longer than 3 days.

I think you need to just insist on getting a scope done. It's not as bad as what people say.

Welcome to the forum. Hope you can find some answers here.
Posted 6/6/2013 12:01 PM (GMT 0)
HAHAHAH you sounded just like me when I was flaring, hate the world!

But seriously, if you believe you have colitis, which is the case here cause you're shi!tting blood, go try some mesalamines. Ask your doc for sfRowasa and/Canasa and try alternating them.

Have you taken Accutane before?

Get tested for C. diff

Find a doctor that YOU trust in YOUR LIFE. Do your own research on the suggestions the doctor makes, if you agree YAY, if not move on.

I am very fortunate to have the finest doctor in the world living only 12.5 miles away from me :)

Post Edited (fightUC) : 6/6/2013 6:05:38 AM (GMT-6)

Posted 6/6/2013 12:02 PM (GMT 0)

kazbern said...
Ah, so you have diagnosed yourself with ulcerative colitis?

I'm not sure this forum is the right place for you. People here have serious disease for which they are taking serious meds and struggling with very serious health issues. I realize that you are probably unhappy about the way your gut is working (or not working) and I hope that you will find relief somewhere.

What have you struggled with and what tests have you had?

I trust my gut more than some docs.
Posted 6/18/2013 7:49 PM (GMT 0)
blood appeared this week, going for a colonoscopy next week. can someone tell me how amazing the procedure is?
Posted 6/18/2013 7:56 PM (GMT 0)
it is not amazing.
Posted 6/18/2013 8:05 PM (GMT 0)
i always enjoy going into la-la land for 20 minutes - especially if my insurance pays for it -
Posted 6/18/2013 8:10 PM (GMT 0)
What will happen for a colonoscopy is the night before you will not be able to eat solid food and you will have to take some laxative substance. You will be in the bathroom most of the night. I suggest you get flushable wipes. This is the worst part of the process. The next day you will go to the center. You need a driver. They will give you an iv. You will be put under sedation and a camera will be inserted rectally. They will visually examine as well as take biopsies.

Do you know what prep you are using?
Getting the prep really cold usually helps get it down.
Posted 6/18/2013 8:10 PM (GMT 0)
The scope itself is really NBD. The prep isn't all that fun, but it isn't horrible, either. My first c-scope was when I was in the middle of a pretty horrid flare, so the prep really didn't make me poop that much more than what I was already. My second scope was when I was in remission and it really wasn't all that bad. At least it was just one evening of pooping like mad instead of days and days on end.
Posted 6/18/2013 8:16 PM (GMT 0)
It is amazing given the fact that you don't remember any of it! The prep is another story.. I would take the prep for a colonoscopy over a flex sig anyday though. Good luck. Hope you get some answers.
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