You have only one disease.
There's Ulcerative Colitis, there's Crohn's disease, and there's a variety of shades of gray between the two when we have features of both diseases (Indeterminite-Colitis and Crohn's-Colitis). In the end, it does not matter which you have as they use the same medications and treatments for the most-part. Over time, it will become clear whether you have UC or Crohn's although a majority of indeterminite-cases ultimately are/become Crohn's.
Many of us were 100% healthy, never took any medications, and then *wham* UC. It's a story that many of us share. At first it is quite a head-trip, there's all this new stuff you need to learn about
UC and coping with the thought of dealing with a chronic-illness isn't any easy thing to wrap your head-around. We can all relate, have been there, and can empathize. In the beginning we worry that everything new is a sign of doom, our anxiety is high and we worry a lot. It gets easier with time. After a while, UC becomes like an annoying sibling you grew up with, you know it well and know when and how it will act up. You do what you can to do to avoid or at least mitigate potential trouble-spots (i.e., high-stress, certain spicy foods, alcohol might aggravate your UC symptoms, etc. ), etc. You take precautions, etc.
First, you'll be fine, we all live mostly normal lives (aside from the occasional flareup) with successful careers, families, pursue our hobbies and dreams. The goal of treating UC is to put us into a remission (which means a total absence of symptoms) during which you'd never know we had an illness, we go about
our days without a care, thought, or worry of being ill. We all do eventually flare again, remission can last years but it is not forever. You just get used to the warning signs, act promptly, and do your best to return to a remission as quickly as is possible.
Right now, expect some trial-and-error over a series of months. No instant-gratification with internal healing and UC. Our doctors start with the mildest medications and lowest doses and see if we respond. If we do not, then doses are upped and additional medications are added until they find our ideal treatment. It can be frustrating, we expect instant solutions but unfortunately everyone is different in what they respond to and need to be well controlled.
Ask lots of questions, read up on UC and its various treatments and when they are appropriate, and be vocal with your doctor about
what you need to be well. Settle for nothing less than a remission, and don't limp by with a crappy quality-of-life. Being your own best advocate is what is essential with UC. Your doctor doesn't know all of the answers, and doesn't suffer day-to-day with UC symptoms. If you don't feel well then keep pushing your doctor, be
open to trying new treatments, etc.
Post Edited (iPoop) : 2/15/2018 7:12:40 AM (GMT-7)