My name’s Tom.
I’m 23 from Northampton, UK and was diagnosed with left sided UC in May 2011 after experiencing symptoms for a number of years prior. Hobbies include, biking, walking and photography
My Symptoms:
Currently have no symptoms and am still taking 2400mg of mezavant daily since being diagnosed
My Story:
After being diagnosed in May 2011 I was prescribed 2400mg of Mezavant daily and for 10 months this seemed to keep everything “in check”. No symptoms apart from gurgling belly and wind but I think these had more to do with the Mezavant rather than UC itself. Around March time I began to experience my
Tom on his trip to Egypt
usual symptoms, 20+BM movements a day, severe diarrhea, urgency, lots and lots of blood, fatigue and generally feeling down. These symptoms started 2 weeks before I was due to fly out to Egypt. My girlfriend was happy to cancel the holiday but I was hoping it wasn’t going to come to that. I slowly started getting better after speaking with my Doctor and upping my dose to 4800mg and using Colifoam enemas for a week. I got better and decided I would be fine to go on holiday to Egypt providing I didn’t indulge in any spicy food or anything uncooked not washed with mineral water from a sealed bottle. Anyway, went on holiday and apart from about 5-10 watery BM a day (without blood) I got through it OK and didn’t experience anything nasty. Came home and in May went to see my Consultant Gastroenterologist who wanted me to go for a colonoscopy for further investigation and if I experienced any further flare ups to take 40mg a day of Prednisolone for 5 days.
While at the hospital I asked the Doc about giving up smoking and whether I would experience any problems as I have read some stories about people using cigarettes to stay in remission. He said I may have a flare up but I would get through it. Two weeks later after I had run out of duty free cigarettes I embarked on kicking the habit. Two days after having my last cigarette I experienced one of the worst flare ups I had ever experienced. I got prescribed Prednisolone and after taking it, within 4 days I was on the mend. Haven’t touched a cigarette since (5 weeks now) and am petrified that if i start smoking again, at some point I would have to go through another awful flare up (which i would have caused without a doubt).
Went for colonoscopy which was an interesting(not in a bad way) experience. Will have to write about it another time.
Letter dropped through the letterbox today which was addressed to my Doctor as it was CC’d for my info. It said the colonoscopy showed “moderately active colitis in the rectum and sigmoid and mild colitis from the descending to the caecum. Kindly start him on a course of Prednisolone 40mb o.d/2wks reducing by 5mg/wk and i’ll see him in the clinic soon”
Has anybody been prescribed steroids even if they aren’t currently experiencing any symptoms?
Where I’d Like to be in one year:
In remission and without having to take too many drugs and not having to worry what the future might bring.
Colitis Medications:
Mezavant seemed to work for me for a time but for past 4 months have had a number of flare ups. Quick 4 day dose of prednisolone seemed to sort out my latest flare pretty sharpish
written by Tom
submitted in the colitis venting area
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My story is i was diagnosed at 22, put on 5ASA meds. Didn’t really do much to maintain remission, massive flare at 23 requiring 11 day hospital stay with IV steroids, IV ciclosporine, 6MP and more. Basically I couldn’t taper off the steroids at all as my UC had become steroid dependant. long story short along with bad reactions to all the meds i was on, my steroid dependancy and my fear of what the future would hold with regards to cancer, i chose to have surgery at age 24.
