What was your first year with UC like?

I was diagnosed in February 2012 and given 4.8 grams of lialda and nightly rowasa. The blood and diarrhea went away within a few months and my bm frequency went to 4 bms a day with some early am urgency. I thought that i was a bit better but perhaps that's as good as it gets, so i lived that way with a slight impact on my quality of life. Unknown to me (at that time) i still had lingering/ simmering inflammation and my uc was spreading. I had the flareup from heck January 2013 that gave me 20+ bms a day and that took prednisone +remicade +6mp +lialda +rowasa and over a year to beat. I did enter a full remission as a result. It did take me 2+ years to reach my first remission with Ulcerative Colitis.

I had blood in my stool for a long time before being diagnosed with UC. Eventually the amount of blood alarmed me and I went to my doctor and he scheduled a colonoscopy confirming the UC diagnosis. It was a long time ago but I believe my first medication was sulfasalazine which worked well, for a while.

I've had UC a very long time but my first year is still very much clear in my mind. First of all, I've never been on pred for my UC...ever. But my first year was mostly rectal meds and oral meds. It controlled it to certain point but I was stupid and didn't follow the medication guidelines. Which resulted in in future severe flares and unable to control them.

But usually the first year is trying to find the right medication that works for you. We all respond differently to medications. So trying to find that balance can take some time. Hopefully eventually the right med combo will take hold and you can achieve remission.

Ulcerative colitis can be quite tricky to get under control when it's first diagnosed. There's lots of trial-and-error in treating uc. Not even the best gasteroenterologists get it right the first time, second time, or sometimes even the third time. They try the mildest medications first and up doses and try stronger medications and different combinations of them until the right ones for your uc disease severity are found. So your first year is likely going to be a bumpy ride and require a lot of patience when we all want is the instant gratification of an easy solution. The reality is there is no easy, one size fits all solution with uc. Rather it's extremely individual what does or does not work for each of us.

Some of us have a very mild mannered uc that is stable for decades on the very mildest anti-inflammatory medications, some have more difficult cases that require stronger immunosuppressive medications, and for some with the most aggressive cases nothing works and surgery quickly finds them.

Uc is particularly aggressive within the first 5 years after diagnosis. If it's going to spread in extent or severity then it likely will then. So it's not unusual to flare a few times and go onto stronger medications during that time.

Remission is the aim, without any uc symptoms. Many of us have achieved remission and it is something to fight for.

I saw blood in stool first time in 2010 and went to primary doctor and was referred to GI. Had a colonoscopy and was diagnosed with mild chronic colitis. It was only one biopsy in sigmoid so my GI thought it was crohn's colitis. He stated me on Asacol 3X3 but blood was still there so he gave me quick 30mg pridnisone for 3 weeks with 10mg taper and it went in remission for 2 years. I was taking Asacol but then decided to stop Asacol. Worst decision ever. I started having symptoms in 2012. Tried Predisone but would not work so then started 6mp.

I was diagnosed with mild colitis in sigmoid and in 2013 I had sever pancolitis(up to traverse colon). That's why I always tell people who are doing fine on 5ASA to stay on it as it is the safest medicine and colitis is so unpredictable.

If you still don't feel better, go on next step. Try to get off prednisone. I was for almost year on it and now I have diabetes too.

Wish you quick and loong remission.

I started having symptoms at the end of April 2015, they were out of hand by May. I was having 20-25 bloody bm's/day and vomiting almost daily. I hid the illness due to fear, went to the hospital in August, diagnosed in September. I'd lost 1/5th of my body weight, so was weak for many months after. Prednisolone kicked in within a week (started in sept), and my bm's were down to about 8 and life was a lot more bearable, took about 6 weeks on it to get down to 2bms/day. Thought I was over it within a month of finishing pred I started flaring again, albeit a lot minor than before (6bm/day, no blood) and I was put back on steroids. My GI deemed me as steroid dependent, that worried me. I made changes with my diet and had cbt to lower my stress and anxiety. For me I had success, I've been in remission since April this year, and have had my calprotectin checked every 4 weeks and all is good, although I still need to gain a couple of pounds. My GI is very happy with my progress, he told me from my initial scope he would never believe I would just be on Asacol at this point.