Sort of Newly Diagnosed with Colitis- April 2011

Introduction:

It was a year before I was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis but it started even before that… I’m a generally healthy person and I don’t live on take-outs from the local chippy so I wondered what was wrong…

My Colitis Story:

In September 2009, I was 15 years old and I started to get diarrhoea but I ignored it thinking it wasn’t anything. At the time I was studying for my exams for my last year of high school. I’d completed my GCSE’s in July 2010 and went to Spain for a holiday and I started to feel unwell. As soon as I got back to the UK I started to be sick almost every day and have diarrhoea around 8 times. I thought maybe it would go away as it might be food poisoning or something of that sort but it continued. My first doctor’s visit didn’t turn out as expected. I was sent for a blood test and it came back as hmg 7.2 which was pretty low. Believe it or not, no iron tablets… I know this sounds mad but as a girl, I couldn’t even be bothered to put on makeup!!!
It came to August 2010 and I needed to apply for my college course so I chose hairdressing. It came to the end of August and I still didn’t feel well so I went back to the doctor and it was a locum who at last gave me some iron tablets. September 2010 came and I started my course but obviously I was still being sick and I didn’t know why. I was referred to a paediatrician who then put me on Omeprazole and Domperidone (antacid and anti-sickness drugs) then was referred to a gastroenterologist. That appointment wasn’t until December 2010 who did more blood tests and others I won’t mention here! It became so bad that I couldn’t attend college anymore and my teacher didn’t understand why…

How can you explain that you need the loo every half hour?

My next appointment wasn’t until February 2011 where a locum GI wanted to send me for a colonoscopy. “Woah, hang on a minute there mate, I’m not having a camera up my bum” I said… But still, needed to be done. I had my colonoscopy in April 2011 (and may I say, the laxatives tasted like salty walter, BLEH). Walked in the reception and saw an elderly couple looking sympathetically at me. Why? Because they know what it’s like… Anyway – had my innocence taken away and results came back “You have colitis”. “Oh, lovely…” Follow up appointment in 1 months time. Okay… Waited one month, no letter came through for an appointment, got one eventually 2 or 3 months afterwards. It became a little worse and was put on steroids which worked!

All in all, it took 1 year just for a diagnosis and eventually, the right tablets. The things which really upset me were the GP’s not taking me seriously or doing anything to find out the cause, they were just observing me. My advice is to go straight to a GI. The one I have is caring and sorted things out quickly and I am so grateful for everything they’ve done.

It’s now September 2011 (3 years on from the start) and I have quit hairdressing and i’m now a health care assistant aspiring to become a nurse. If there’s on thing i’ve got out of this disease then it’s the need to help others who are suffering.

May anyone who reads this never have health so bad that you can’t do anything. Stay well and God bless.

My Medications:
Prochlorperazine, Omeprazole, Domperidone, Ferrous Gluconate, Ferrous fumarate, ferrous sulphate, Pentasa, Prednisolone, Adcal-D3.

Submitted by “The Moo Bag” in the Colitis Venting Area