UC Found During Pregnancy

I’m a female 36 years old. I was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis 7/2002. Married w/ 3 sons. Also have GERD & IBS. Currently in flare-up. Suffering w/stomach problems for the last 25yrs. (H. Pyloria & peptic ulcers)Vegetarian

Some more about me:

Own business. Published writer. Ordained minister (Hindu). From NYC. Recently relocated to South Jersey. Survived a car accident-totaled new car(90days ago). Recovering from broken bones and head laceration w/staples.

Symptoms of my Colitis Right Now:

There is just so much blood! It’s disgusting and the pain is almost unbearable at times. I’m not sure if I can go on like this much longer. I’m becoming incontinent. I’m disgusted with the whole situation. I have no support. All my husband says to me is “is there any day that your not sick?”

UC Found During Pregnancy

It took doctors from February until July of 2002 to figure out what was wrong with me! It all happened around the time I was expecting my first son. Doctors and hospitals kept dismissing my symptoms as pregnancy related and possibly just a nervous new mother. What nonsense!

Frustrated beyond belief because I knew something was wrong I kept asking the doctors that I knew and trusted for years to recommend other doctors. Finally I found an amazing gastroenterologist who BELIEVED me! Out of desperation I collected a “sample” to bring to my first visit with yet another doctor.

Immediately the doctor called the nurse to show her. He asked “does this look like stool to you?” She said “no!” There was about an inch of horrid blood that I had collected in a plastic container the day before. The crazy thing is that I thought nothing had happened at that time and was shocked to see the “evidence” collected.

So many people in the medical profession had simply dismissed my complaints as neurosis. Their indifference made me feel hopeless and alone. I knew it was really happening. I was not exaggerating nor imagining things. I was determined to get someone to listen to me.

I’m so grateful that my primary care physician directed me to an awesome ob/gyn who sent me to that gastro! My gyn disproved the existence of hemmoroids that the ER claimed were causing the problem. She was concerned but it was out of her field so she sent me to Dr. Emmanuel.

Dr. E performed the sigmoidoscopy, colonoscopy and endoscopy. He determined that I have left-sided UC.

A couple of years ago at an ER visit (rushed there from my first clinic visit with new Dr. in my new town) is where it was determined that I also have IBS and GERD. That was depressing news! Since May of 2012 I’ve been taking the following medicine-on and off:

Apriso 4caps once daily
Promethazine for nausea
Dicyclomine for pain
Protonix ppi

Medications:

I have tried some alternative remedies too. For example a macrobiotic diet-I hated it for the most part and was too exhausted to maintain it! The best thing has been this Japanese organic macrobiotic Uma boshi bancha twig tea. I don’t use it anymore-long story.

written by “TH”

submitted in the colitis venting area