Meet Nancy:
I am 50 years old. I was diagnosed with UC back in July of 2011. I had the one colonoscopy that diagnosed me but may need another one if current treatment doesn’t work.
Some More About Me:
I like crafts and country decor. I am from New Jersey and have 2 daughters. My oldest daughter actually found this site for me. I am widowed, however, I do have a wonderful boyfriend who really deals with a lot due to my illness. We loved going to the islands, but we haven’t done that now for 2 years because of the UC. IBD’s run in my family. My grandfather and Mom both have UC. My brother had Crohn’s disease which eventually led into cancer and he passed in 2006. My niece has some kind of IBD and my youngest daughter is developing bowel problems.
Current Symptoms:
Blood and mucus in my stool. I am very fatigued and have frequent accidents. My weight is back up again due to the bloat. I feel like I am on a roller-coaster of emotions.
Nancy’s Colitis Story:
I was diagnosed with UC back in July of 2011. I am allergic to all of the usual medications since they contain sulfites. (Found this out the hard way) Prednisone and daily enemas had put me in remission for about 4 months. My doctor put me on Humira in March of this year along with the prednisone again. After a few months I again went into remission and stayed on the Humira injections every 15 days. After 4 months again I began with the flare-ups.
My symptoms are the usual blood and mucus but my stool is mostly pellets. I am now on Humira every 7 days. I refuse to go back on the prednisone since the side effects get worse every time. Last time I lost clumps of hair, very similar to a chemo patient. My doc also put me back on the enemas daily. I have to give this a few weeks and call him with my results. I have a very supportive family, since many suffer from IBD’s also. However, they respond well to the usual medication. I am very frightened that this latest course of action won’t help.
Another colonoscopy will be ordered if I do not get any better, just to make sure nothing else is going on. I am kinda on the lazy side when it comes to exercise and was wondering if any of you have found exercise beneficial to UC. I am aware of how good it is for you to be healthy, but was curious about the benefits to this disease. As you all will agree, feeling better is our main objective. If exercise is the key I will do it. My oldest daughter had Lymes disease very bad which caused her to have focal seizures. She was on all sorts of medication and decided to exercise on a daily basis. She has become quite a fitness junky, but is off all her meds. Her blood work shows negative for the lymes and she no longer suffers from seizures. She attributes this all to her healthy lifestyle which includes daily exercise. I try not to let UC get the better of me, but truly wonder if my life will ever be normal a gain. This site reassures me that I am not alone. Thank you for listening.
written by Nancy
submitted in the colitis venting area
I am 50 years old and was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis back in July of 2011.
