Introduction:
Hello everyone. I am 26 years old, and was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis in May of 2010. The diagnosis came just weeks before i moved back home after graduating college. I was prescribed Asacol which i took off and on for maybe a couple of months, but never saw another doctor at home, and have completely ignored the UC since. Well…..about a month ago i began to have my first “real” flare-up and I am completely miserable.
My Colitis Story:
It all began about two months ago when i got a promotion at work and quit smoking. I was starting to use the bathroom more and more, but more than anything i was just EXTREMELY tired all of the time. I was randomly getting a fever for a day or two here and there, and saw my GP twice for what we thought were abscesses in my throat. Long story short, I was diagnosed with mono. I was happy to have an explanation for all of my symptoms, and took a few days off to recover. All the while, ignoring the fact that my UC symptoms are getting worse. Around the middle of July, I was now pooping 15+ times a day and decided it was time to see a Gastroenterologist.
July 25th I saw a doctor for the first time since I was diagnosed with UC with my colonoscopy results from 2010 in hand. The visit was relatively quick, and i left with a prescription for Apriso and Prednisone (30mg a day) and instructions to take probiotics and fish oil. I was told that i should see some improvements in 2-3 days.
July 29th came around, and i was heading out of town for a family reunion. Not only had i not seen any improvements, but I was now pooping 20+ times a day, waking up numerous times in the night, bleeding more than ever, and developing pain in my abdomen. I called the doctor to let them know my situation, and was told to bump up the prednisone to 40mg a day and prescribed me Flagyl (an antibiotic). As a last ditch effort, I picked up some nicotine patches for the trip. Well the trip was an experience to say the least! Between the security checkpoints, airplanes, layovers, drives, 1 year old daughter, and pregnant wife…..I was now beginning to experience UC for what it is.
My next appointment was not until Monday, August 8th. So once we returned from the reunion I called the doctor again to give them the news. I was told to bump up the prednisone again to 60mg a day and hold out until my appointment. The following week at work was miserable….bathroom trips, cramping, super fatigue, etc. Thursday I decided it would be a good idea to start running a fever (~102). Keep in mind, I just got a promotion and started at a new office. Not only did i have to take off time for the mono debacle, now I am dealing with this….and I am NOT the guy who calls in sick. On top of all of this, 90% of the office is going to a convention from 8/8-8/10 and i was given a hefty amount of projects that needed to be done before they left. This being the case, I made the decision to go in Friday morning despite the fever, and joint pain that i started to develop.
Friday, August 5th was intense…In addition to all of the regular symptoms, I was now DRENCHED in sweat and coughing uncontrollably (which is awesome when you’re leaking….) After finishing the projects, I called it a day. The weekend was uneventful, but offered no relief whatsoever from my symptoms.
Yesterday, August 8th was finally my follow up appointment! The entire day at work i felt like i was going to pass out or drown in sweat, but powered through it knowing that i might have some relief once i get to see the doctor. The doctor says that I am not responding to the Apriso, and prescribes me Pentasa and Cipro (another antibiotic). He also ordered a stool sample which i turned in this morning.
Today, I feel like i am on my deathbed….bathroom issues are unchanged, fever is coming back, I am SOOOOOOO tired. Despite going to bed at 7 last night, I was nearly falling asleep on my drive into work. Once i got to the office i was as pale as i have ever been, sweating profusely, aching, urging, and just freaking miserable. I called the doc for a timeframe on the lab results with the hopes that it is something bacterial or viral that is causing all of this. The results won’t be in until Thursday, and my next appointment is on Monday.
Hopefully the Pentasa will give me some relief, but what if it doesn’t? How much worse can this get? Am I just being a wimp?
I have tried to vent to my wife about all of this, but she is understandably not sympathetic since i ignored it for so long….and she is 4 months pregnant! I don’t really know what i am looking for here, but it makes me feel good just to type this all out. Thanks for reading!
Medications I want people to know about you with regards to my colitis:
Submitted by “This Guy” in the Colitis Venting Area
On August 14, 2011, there is an update to this story, read it HERE!
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Ulcerative Colitis and Joint Pains
Hey Colitis People. It’s 2011 and I’m 26 years old. I was diagnosed May of 2010 with ulcerative colitis. It all happened just weeks before I moved back home before graduating college.
