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Ulcerative Colitis
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Posted 3/22/2014 4:19 AM (GMT 0)
Hi everyone,

Long time lurker, first time poster here! First off, I just wanted to give a huge THANK YOU to the members of this forum..the information I discovered here was so valuable when I was first diagnosed. I had never even heard of UC before I Googled my nasty symptoms a few years ago. Needless to say, there was nowhere else where I could research enemas or poop details, and actually find people experiencing the same thing that I was..Didn't feel quite so alone during the early days because of this.

A little bit about me, started experiencing mild bleeding 6 months after my first son was born. Misdiagnosed with IBS in January 2012 during my first real flare. Severe Pancolitis diagnosis came with a colonoscopy during the terrible flare that inevitably followed in July 2012. Responded pretty quickly to Pred and Asacol and tapered from pred successfully. Was in a solid remission and became pregnant with my second child.

Flared during my second trimester following a stressful family situation. Did not respond to increased 5-ASA, rectal meds, or Pred, and things worsened rapidly. Admitted to the hospital where symptoms became manageable after IV steroids. Tapered pred, but remained in mild flare until my healthy baby boy was born in July 2013. Hormone shift caused things to go downhill shortly after..one more round of Pred and I've been in a decent remission since (That drug is such a crapshoot).

I periodically come across ladies with pregnancy questions on this forum..I joined because I figured the more information and experiences that can be shared surrounding this, the better! I know I had some scary moments when I was pregnant and flaring, and it was comforting to read that people did come out on the other side of a pregnancy with a healthy, beautiful, baby.
Plus, I'm sure I will have plenty of poop questions arise , as they usually do with this crazy awful disease!

Thanks for reading!
Posted 3/22/2014 4:29 AM (GMT 0)
Welcome...sorry you had to find us :/

I, too, experienced something that may have portended UC while pregnant. Maybe 2 weeks before the baby was born, I had AWFUL bleeding and diarrhea. They tested me for CDiff, which was negative. They told me that it would probably go away after the baby came.

Since I had quit smoking during the pregnancy, I can now look back on it as likely to be my first flare. It was so bad, I delayed having an epidural until it was too late because I wanted to be able to get to the bathroom and not be pooping all over the place.

I resumed smoking sometime after the baby came, never had any other instance of such bowel troubles until I quit smoking for good in 2009. Then all hell broke loose.

Everyone here is extremely helpful and supportive. Seems like many of the members know more about UC than some doctors.
Posted 3/22/2014 3:03 PM (GMT 0)
Hi and Welcome!

I am sorry you're dealing with UC but it's great that you've been able to keep things managed with 5ASAs. I was never able to taper off prednisone with 5ASAs alone. We have a few members who have been in flare ups during or after pregnancy. fruitgirl had a similar situation and she's been in a solid remission for years with 5ASAs. Hopefully you can connect with her.
Posted 3/22/2014 3:25 PM (GMT 0)
Welcome to the forum!
Posted 3/22/2014 3:33 PM (GMT 0)
Welcome!...Yes lots of Poop questions get answered here!
Posted 3/22/2014 10:15 PM (GMT 0)
I was diagnosed with UC at age 16 (I'm 63 now). I had a complete colectomy at age 36. The procedure I opted for was a Kock Pouch (the predecessor to the J-Pouch). Still doing well. Interestingly, the only period of remission I had with the disease was a seven year period in my 20s when I smoked marijuana. I was not a heavy user--usually used a little in the evenings 3-4 days a week. I was completely symptom free and slept incredibly well. When I returned to college to get my Ph.D., I stopped using marijuana. All my symptoms immediately returned. I was pretty miserable the next four years. Thankfully, the surgery worked well. Occasionally, I do get an inflammation in the pouch. Often a little marijuana will reduce the time on antibiotics. I do encourage people to try marijuana...it sure worked for me.

Post Edited (indialogue) : 3/22/2014 4:18:35 PM (GMT-6)

Posted 3/22/2014 10:19 PM (GMT 0)
Welcome! Thanks for joining. Like you said, the more people we get on here the more communal experience we get and hopefully more answers/suggestions.
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