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Specific Carbohydrate Diet







United Kingdom

Personal Stories of UC from the United Kingdom

Story #1 is from Kim who writes from the United Kingdom who answered a whole bunch of questions from the homepage:

Q:  How did you get diagnosed? Do others in your family have the same thing?

A: “Its taken 5 episodes last one lasting 8 weeks with no respite before finally getting results of biopsy which confirmed this. Worried about eldest son as he is starting to get sensitive stomach. My father had a very rare one kronkite-candida which took sometime to find and a while to sort out. Sadly he passed away last year nothing to do with that though”

Q: What was life like for you when after you were diagnosed? Did you see doctors afterwards, and what was the treatment plan? What type of medications have you tried, did they work? Any other thoughts you have feel free to put them down.

A: “pleased that there was a name for what I have so could find more about it rather than vagually terming it IBS sort of Just started medication so not able to say much yet”

Q: What has been the hardest part of your life with relation to your disease?

A: “The pain the lack of understanding and not being able to enjoy christmas dinner this year…”

Q: What else from your experience would you like to share with others who visit this site?

A: “keep going drive everyone mad until your happy with your treatment etc”

Kim and I later emailed a bit more and she just recently sent in this extra bit of information:

thanks for getting back to me.. No I have no problem you using my info on the site.
I think its a great idea and am glad to help in anyway.
As I mentioned only just found out suffering from UC the specialist put me on Asacol 3tabs 2x daily    prednisalone 5mg start at 6 per day for a week reducing by 1 tab per week until no tabs.  However these have caused great problems with sleep feel wide awake all the time but no energy not a good mix.  So was only only on them for 2 days and stopped  will go to drs tomorrow to discuss this problem.  However must have been toward the end of this attack anyway so the asacol seem to help a little. He also gave me liquid iron as so anemiac what a shock lol
Anway in a better place than last week when had no idea of what the problem was and of course  had no help.  Have put myself on omega 3,6 and 9 and starflower oil to help with the healing.

Here is another Story from Dan who resides in London, England:

Q: First off, do you have UC or Crohn’s Disease?

A:  I have UC

Q:  How did you get diagnosed?  Do others in your family have the same thing?

A:  I was diagnosed after a colonoscopy. My granmother said on of her brothers suffered from the same desease

Q:  What was life like for you when after you were diagnosed? Did you see doctors afterwards, and what was the treatment plan? What type of medications have you tried, did they work? Any other thoughts you have feel free to put them down.

A:  I was imediatley put on asecol. I felt a 99% difference on the first day. However after two weeks I began to feel very weak again which is part of the problem. It did however get rid of the blood and constant movement of the bowls. I only go one a day and is normal

Q:  What has been the hardest part of your life with relation to your disease? What has been the best part? Have there been any strange things that have happened to you on the medical side, or any questions that have gone un-answered?

A:  The questions have been the same with the same answers from doctors. Does my diet affect my desease? The answer form doctors is allways, NO.  The hardest part would be the change of social life. I constantly feel very week and have no energy to go out and socialize laike a normal 29 year old

Q:  What else from your experience would you like to share with others who visit this site?

A:  There is hope and your not alone…

Q:  How much money have you spent in UC or Crohn’s related healthcare costs since being diagnosed? For me it is well over $10,000 and way more from the insurance company side of things!

A:  I live in the U.K. So I it is covered by the NHS.

Here is some more information below from Dan about his up to the moment situation, let’s all wish him good luck with a speedy recovery getting out of the current flare!

Back ground of health:
Very, very  healthy. Some times had traces of blood in stools (once or twice a year ) but most of the family suffers from hemoroids and I put it down to that. Allways have eaten like crazy but never gained weight.
December 2008
I had an episode of  2 weeks of stomach cramps, loose stools and generaly ill. I assumed it was a virus and did not bother going to the doctor’s.
The next 6 months was a combination of the odd stomach cramp, colics, nausias,  head aches, some blood in my stools,loss of weight and genaraly weak. But I could carry on my daily routine
After visiting the doctor several times he came to the conclusion that I had hemoroids and the weaknes and head aches could be a separate problem and refered me to the nerologist for several tests.
Augost 2009
At this point my wife was more concerned than me and began doing her own research on the internet and by Augost 2009 she came to the conclusion that I must have colitis. But the doctor disagreed and did not bother following it up and I continued with the same sypmtoms.
November 2009
I had another episode of severe bloody stools, nausia and colics,(which I now know was a flare up) and ended up in hospital and I was finally referred to a gastroenterologist. By this time I had lost 7 kilos and it was disrupting my social and daily life as  the pain became more intense.

Decemebr 2009

I finally got a flexible (Not full) colonoscopy and was diagnosed with ulcarative colitis and was put on mdeication ASECOL.

January 2010
I began  this mediaction on January and to my suprise I felt the dirfference within a day.  I could not beleive that medicine could be so good. I was free from the aches and pain including bloody stools. The nausias was still a problem but I was told this could be the side effects of the ASECOL and it would weare off with time.
February 3rdth 2010
I was told to cut down the ASECOL from 3 tablets a day to 1 a day. This was to find out whether it would improve the nausia.
February 9th 2010
6 weeks and still reacting quite good to the ASECOL. The only problem is the nausias and weakness, just feel really tiered. Had blood tests to check for anenimia but all checks out fine. Went in for a full colonscopy and the results just confirms what the previous colonscopy found Ulceritive Colitis .
February 12th 2010
I have had a terrible flare ups for the last 3 days and I feel like im gonna die, have not been out of the house.
Not quite sure what has brought it on.. May be the preperation of the colonscopy, or the cut down of the ASECOL, may be the tablets where just a temporary effect and no good in the long term? Or may be some thing I eat within the last 3 days?
Ill keep you updated…
Danny

Thanks Dan from London for sharing your story!.

Here is another Story from Sadaf who is in the UK now:

He has UC.

Hi my name is Sadaf, I’m from Canada and moved to U.K in 2006, got married was living a very happy life, travelled to so many places like Australia, Singapore, Mexico, Spain and many other after year of my marriage ws diagnose with ulcerative colitis and since then been suffering, in and out of the hospital getting blood transfusion, being on steroids for months and months, putting on weight, looking like chipmunk face, mood swings, bloody dirreaha pain in my tummy. It’s been 2 years now of suffering and now I’m sick and tired, thinking of surgery but it’s big step, now u tell me how u can help me, can we control it by diet.

Here is another story from a wife of a UC person in the UK:

Hi,

My husband was diagnosed with UC about 9 months ago. He has had 3 flares up since and is in the throws of one right now. It is so hard watching him suffer. He was a very fit man before, loved the gym and rugby. But the UC is really stuffing that up for him! I worry constantly about him, he still always tries to be upbeat when i can see he is really suffering. I wanted to say good luck to all other UC sufferers, you all have my respect as i witness just what you all go through Xx

Here is Ed who has UC and is a believer in diet too:

I avoid: wheat, gluten, dairy, refined sugar, insoluble fibre (where possible), acidic foods (oranges, tomatoes), fatty fried foods, mystery foods (all processed foods), chilli, caffeine, red meat, abrasive foods (wholes seeds and nuts), pork,
I eat more: fish, alkalising foods, follow the rules of food combining, raw vegetable juices, anti-inflammatories such as cinnamon, coconut milk, turmeric, herbal teas (e.g. yarrow, peppermint, chamomile), organic produce, flax oil,
He has started a website forum UC group at:  this link here

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