Introduction:
I was diagnosed with colitis in July of 2012. My serious symptoms started in January of this year. We all thought it was a stomach virus because my symptoms came and left over a period of a few months. I was referred to a GI specialist who recommended a flexible sigmoidoscopy. It revealed the UC.
Some More about me:
I am a 29 year old single parent. I love to cook and eat so this UC is really taking a toll on me. Reading takes up most of my time. I’d rather be at home than out and about so that is the only thing that is on my side in dealing with this disease.
Colitis Symptoms I’ve Dealt With:
The symptoms that I have experienced so far are stomach aches, cramps, nausea, fatigue, headache, muscle aches, joint aches, gas, and bloody diarrhea.
My Colitis:
SOME DAYS ARE BETTER THAN OTHERS. Good days are manageable but the bad days are sometimes indescribable. The bad days have me running to the bathroom at least 10 times a day and about 5 times during the night when I should be asleep. I can feel when it’s time for me to go during the night and I try to just go back to sleep and ignore it but that doesn’t work at all. I haven’t had any severe abdominal pains since I was diagnosed in July. But prior to that my pains would get so unbearable that I would have to visit the ER for pain relief. At the time I wasn’t officially diagnosed yet so the doctors at the ER didn’t really know how to treat it.
The pains would get so bad that I could do nothing but cry out. I was on Asacol and Prednisone for about 6 weeks after my diagnosis. It worked really well and sent me into remission. After that I was placed on Lialda and it completely reversed it. My symptoms returned with a vengeance. I had to have blood work done to check my blood levels. It showed that they were dangerously low and I was put on pure iron tablets and vitamin C to help the iron absorb. I am so sick of going through this. I am still learning about UC so it’s kind of hard to explain it to someone. I just tell them to google it. If I have plans to go out somewhere the only way to be sure I won’t have to run to the bathroom is if I don’t eat much. Other than the constant bloody diarrhea and fatigue, the worse part is missing out on important engagements. I have been late dropping my son off at school a few times because I was unable to leave my toilet. One of my biggest concerns is that I will miss out on my son’s sporting events because I am afraid of leaving my bathroom. It’s not fair and I can’t wait til they find a cure.
Medications:
In my opinion, the Asacol and Prednisone mix has worked the best for me. They say that Prednisone is not good to take for a long period of time, but in my past experience with it, more is better than a little bit. I read somewhere that red meat can aggravate a flare up so lately I have been avoiding it.
written by “Single Parent”
submitted in the colitis venting area
I was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis in July of 2012. My serious symptoms started in January of this year. We all thought it was a stomach virus because my symptoms came and left over a period of a few months. I was referred to a GI specialist who recommended a flexible sigmoidoscopy. It revealed the UC.
