Introduction:
I am 41 years old and live in East Yorkshire, England. I have been suffering with UC symptoms for 20 years but only recently had a confirmed diagnosis. When I am symptom free I enjoy an active lifestyle which includes running half marathons amongst many other outdoor activities. My current flare-up has been with me since Christmas 2011 and there appears to be no let-up at the moment. The medication I have been given (Pentasa) is useless apart from exacerbating my symptoms.
Symptoms Are:
Very bloody mucus.
An instant need to visit the toilet.
Stomach cramps.
Passing much, much more mucus than actual stools.
Unable to lose weight.
My Story:
There seems to be no pattern to my flare ups and as I mentioned above, my current flare up has been with me for over 9 months. When i first saw my docotr 20 years ago I was told I had gastroenteritis. However, having returned with the same symptoms regularly it was decided that there was more to my problems.
I was referred to a specialist consultant but the problem I had was that by the time I saw him my symptoms cleared up.
This was the case for many years until my current flare-up. As I have now turned 40 years old I could be referred to the colon cancer clinic and be seen sooner and while my symptoms were still present. This proved to be the Eureka moment as when I had my sigmoidoscopy the inflammation was clear to see immediately.
It was a great relief to finally have a confirmed diagnosis after all of these years.
UC has made me feel very restricted and lonely although I have an amazingly supportive wife and son. Flare ups have led to cancellation of holidays but they are unbelievably understanding. We manage to laugh about my problems but deep down I am devastated that every time I step out of the house I need to know where the nearest public toilet is incase of emergency. I feel recently that UC is starting to affect my mental health wellbeing as I cannot exercise as I used to. Running and rugby were my major passions but I cannot do either of them at the moment.
Questions I have for the UC community are:
Does anyone else pass lots of very bloody mucus at least 5 times-a-day?
Has anyone else struggled to lose weight?
Can anyone recommend a good diet or is it more down to the individual.
Are there any runners out ther who have UC? If so how did you overcome the problem to continue with your training?
It was great to find this website to share my story and read that I am not alone. Heartfelt thanks and best wishes to anyone reading this. If you can help with any of my questions that would be fantastic.
Where I’d like to be in 1 year:
Symptom free and ready to complete the Great North Run once again.
Colitis Medications:
Pentasa – rubbish!!
Can anyone recommend another alternative medication
written by Jeetee
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I am 41 years old and live in East Yorkshire, England. I have been suffering with UC symptoms for 20 years but only recently had a confirmed diagnosis. When I am symptom free I enjoy an active lifestyle which includes running half marathons amongst many other outdoor activities. My current flare-up has been with me since Christmas 2011 and there appears to be no let-up at the moment. The medication I have been given (Pentasa) is useless apart from exacerbating my symptoms.
