Introduction to Tam:
I was going through a very stressful moment in my life recently and attributed the constant diarrhea to stress. However, going 15-20 times a day is not normal at all.
My Colitis Symptoms:
I now do not have diarrhea but have severe upper abdominal pain and vomiting for the past 3 days…unsure if this is related to UC??? I am very bloated it looks like I am 6 months pregnant and I have always been very thin so with just my belly sticking out i am getting questioned “when are you due??” So embarrassing!
This all began after a stressful time in my life then getting a “stomach bug” that my whole family had.
Well theirs went away and mine didn’t. So for 3 weeks I was going to the bathroom 15-20 times a day sometimes not making it there in time… :-( Had colonoscopy which confirmed UC and CT scan was negative for Crohn’s Disease. They did find a 3.2cm cyst on left ovary which is interesting as my ovary was removed 5 years ago…. I had a follow up u/s showed cyst they rec MRI pelvis with and w/o gad, The results from that were that it burst however the sigmoid colon was full of stool and there was bowels blocking view..so to have a follow up. How would they know that it burst then if it was being blocked by poop?? So I am so overly bloated look 6 months pregnant as the rest of my body is thin. It is really embarrassing. How do i get rid of it?! Is it from the “cyst” or UC (the swelling)….
I would like to know if anyone else has had similar symptoms of the bloating and if so, is there anything i can do to reduce the swelling? It seems as though with this disease if it’s not one end it’s the other. It is very frustrating as I have never had stomach issues in the past. I am thankful that the constant out of control diarrhea has subsided but now I am sick to my stomach and puking..
I am currently prescribed Sulfasalazine 500mg 8 times a day.. I can’t get myself to take that many pills so I usually only take 3 a day.
Will I have to be on medicine for the rest of my life? Or is this a disease that can go into remission and be maintained?
Where I’d like to be in a year:
I was going through a very stressful moment in my life recently and attributed the constant diarrhea to stress. However, going 15-20 times a day is not normal at all. I saw a gastroenterologist and he did a colonoscopy and from the biopsy determined I had ulcerative colitis. He started me on Sulfasalazine 500 mg 3 x a day then increased to 4 times a day. He did not want to put me on steroids (prednisone) as too many harsh side affects.
