Ulcerative colitis & trying to cope

Hey all!

I'm new to the forums. I got diagnosed with UC in March of this year.

I actually started taking Lialda 4 grams a day to get the bleeding under control. I'm really struggling lately because my body seems to want to switch up how it works. D one week C the next week. I'm constantly bloated and have belly pain and cramps and everything I eat makes me sick and nausea.

Please someone tell me this is normal atleast. I have another colonoscopy in October to see how things are going. But so far I feel like my body is dying and I can't seem to get the symptoms under control. (Sucky!)

Let me know some of yall symptoms your facing. I really am new to this and don't know what's "normal" and what's not. At this point I feel pregnant again and I doubt that's the cause. Lol

Nice to get to know yall and thanks in advance for the advice and support 😃

Thank you very much. I will definately keep all that in mind. Your probably right also. It is most likely a huge mix.

Welcome to the forum. Coping with uc is a struggle that we all face. There's no easy button, and some times it's just darn hard. At times we all want to (and sometimes do) scream out in anger, cry in frustration, and get in dark depressed places. It's best to find an escape, something to forget about uc and your worries when they get at their worst. It can be meditation, yoga, practicing mildfulness, listening to music, jogging, weight lifting, knitting, crafts or hobbies. Pretty much anything you love and enjoy. And some of us seek out therapy, counseling, even antidepressants when it's all just too much to handle.

What's normal for us is remission (a total absence of uc symptoms) as that gives us the best possible quality of life. It sounds like your uc symptoms are not well controlled and that your quality of life is suffering as a consequence. You likely still have some inflammation remaining that's giving you trouble.

I'd recommend keeping 4.8 grams of lialda a day and also adding a 4 gram nightly Rowasa enema (prescription, the same active ingredient as in lialda). The oral pills aren't that good at treating our rectums, enemas go directly there. Our rectums are the first to get inflamed, have the worst inflammation, and are always the last to heal. Our rectums produce our worst symptoms, frequency bms, urgency, and the feeling that we always need to empty. So, treat from both ends for the quickest and best results.

The constipation and diarrhea alternating and bloating sounds more like IBS or a food intolerance. Do you have any known food intolerances? IBDers like us are more prone to lactose intolerances, gluten intolerance, or other similar troubles. You might consider going lactose free for a few weeks, or gluten free for a few weeks and see if it helps any. I eat those things without trouble, but some do have troubles. Food diaries help, track what you ate and your symptoms the next day. See if you can draw any correlations.

Thanks all so much. I will look into all of these options! I will definately try the no dairy or gluten also. I noticed after eating chicken alfredo I feel like I'm dying (ugh). No know food in tolerances though.