Just Diagnosed and Still Wanting To Play Basketball

Introduction:

My name is Keegan and I just turned 20 years old, I live in Canada and I am an athlete in training. I love to play sports and lift weights, also cardio (gasp!)

Colitis Symptoms:

I have had diarrhea for about two months, with no blood at all.

My Story:

I was diagnosed with Mild UC at the beginning of October after I had my colonoscopy. I feel like I am a lucky one because I only started having symptoms (diarrhea only) since mid August.
Before I knew what I was dealing with, I went so hard in the gym, I lifted weights, ran and played sports. I am a student athlete in a university in Canada.

Before I knew what I was dealing with, I ate all the foods that I wasn`t really supposed to eat, but I still ate super healthy, I just had lots of bread and milk. I also had Subway sandwiches a LOT. Also I drank a lot of protein shakes, but the whey protein was cheap. Those things above are the reason I think I ended up having Ulcerative Colitis.

Anyway, I started getting absolutely ridiculous cramps in the beginning of August, so bad I would have to sit down on the toilet and push like my life depended on it to relieve the pain. But after I finished, about 5 minutes later the cramping would come back and I would head back to the toilet just to poop out minuscule, soft stool. This went on for about a week and after that it seemed like I was back to myself, I was pooping again normally until… Chili night.

I had a lot of it, and the next day i started getting softer and softer poops, then diarrhea through September til my scope.

By the way through out all of my watery dukes I was still playing basketball and lifting weights a lot.

When I was diagnosed I started crying. Right when my GI doc said it I started to get so sad, I cried for about a week every night, worrying that I may not be able to play basketball or lift weights ever again, or to the extent of what I do. The only thing he said after was to stay away from processed meat and spicy stuff.

I was prescribed Pentasa 4 times daily (2 breakfast, 2 dinner).

When I went home again (my residence in university) I IMMEDIATELY started to do homework on how I could suppress my UC.

I started finding these scary and very sad stories about people with UC I started to freak out thinking I wouldn`t be normal anymore. I called my parents every night and I ended up calling my family doctor about the whole thing. They both told me to stay calm.

I eventually found this website and have been grateful because of it. I`m really starting to understand that I was lucky to be diagnosed as a mild sufferer and to only have mild symptoms.

Anyway, I changed my diet where I eat gluten, lactose, processed meat free. and I stay away from candies and foods with sharp edges. I also bought a probiotic which I have been testing out.

SO anyway, it had been a whole week (Thursday to next Thursday) of seeing improvements: less and less diarrhea, on Wednesday I started to have solid pieces! but it was mucousy, it felt like it was slipping out of my butt (lol) as opposed to slowly coming out like normal. they were small to medium sized solid pieces.

Then Thursday came along and my first movement was the best one yet, I was so excited! But two hours later, it all went to shit. (no pun intended) I had a diarrhea episode, literally out of no where. I FREAKED OUT, called my parents crying and then to my family doctor. They said that I should remember it has only been a week since I was on meds and a diet switch and that diarrhea is bound to happen once or twice. They were right… the next movement was pleasant… darker( like no mucous darker) pebbly-like movements followed that night, but it was back to recovery.

today (October 15th, 2012) I had a movement that was on the edge of being classified as diarrhea.

I think it may have been because I ate some gluten free sweets which might have been a trigger. Or maybe it was because I got into an argument with my friend? or both?

For the past week, I have eaten

boiled eggs( a lot), white rice ( a lot), cooked veggies, potatoes, chicken, turkey, gluten free bread( only once), and some fruit.

when I had my Thursday scare, the day before I ate some gluten free deserts before I ate almost a whole chicken (not in one sitting, but throughout the evening)
and yesterday, the 14th, I ate Turkey and eggs. some veggies and gluten free sweets throughout the day.

And today has been the worst, I am back to diarrhea again. after another week of recovery it just came again. I am feeling really sad, what the hell am I doing wrong?

——
The thing I am MOST concerned about is if I can play basketball daily again, I have tried to play consecutively and it was going well. But when I got diarrhea I got scared, but more importantly I have been swamped with school work so I had to study a lot. I guess the latter might be why I have’t been more active.

Is it too many eggs? too much rice? I live on campus so I don’t have good access to foods I need so I buy them. But still its tough.

I just don’t understand what I am doing wrong here, I do well for a week then the diarrhea comes back, then I do well again and then it comes back a week later… Is this going to continue to happen?

 

Why did it come back? could it have been the sweets? Maybe just the argument with my friend?

Also, how long do flares typically last? I don’t go to the bathroom as much as I used to, maybe like 3-4 times daily now a days and never any blood.

I do keep record of my movements along with what I eat.

I need some advice here, please help me…

Colitis Medications:

Pentasa 4 times daily
Webber’s probiotic

written by Keegan