Ulcerative Colitis in Saskatchewan

Meet Graham:

Recently diagnosed.I am 28 years old from Regina, Saskatchewan Canada. I work in politics and am compete in rodeos as well as other sports like slopitch. I like being in the country, riding horses, and having fun.

AND…

I miss drinking beer.

Current Colitis Symptoms:

I am currently experiencing bloody diarrhea although only 3 or so of my 7-10 bowel movements/day will have blood. Other symptoms include cramping and the dirty old sweats when i am sleeping! Any suggestions how to deal with the sweats?

Colitis in Saskatchewan

I started noticing small traces of blood in hard stool about 2 months ago. After about a week it turned to bloody diarrhea and has been ever since. I haven’t had a solid sh*t for over two months. I went to the doctor after the blood didn’t go away for a week or so and they started me on some different pills and took a stool sample. I was on 250mg metro a day for a week and saw no change, then they put me on Cipro and did more stool samples to no avail. The third week they doubled the Metro dose but it obviously didn’t do any good. Finally after about a week the Dr referred me to a specialist that does the colonoscopies and I was scheduled for a Flex-sigmoid.

When they did that they knew immediately that it was UC. Biopsies have confirmed. I wasn’t under any anesthesia or anything for pain when I had the sigmoid and because I was so inflamed it was incredibly painful. The doc wasn’t able to go as deep as he would have liked so I am going back in about 3 weeks for a full colonscopy. I dread it very much. I hope it is easier when they sedate you?!?

I lost about 20 lbs the week before the sigmoid until now but for 2 weeks I wasn’t able to eat much because it would cause so much pain to digest. I would have a yogurt or a little bit of soup each day. I look like a different person. Tough way to lose weight but I wouldn’t mind keeping it off now.

I saw the Gastro specialist right after the flex procedure and he started me on 50mg a day of Pred going down by 5 mg a day each week. I am now 3 weeks since the diagnosis and am starting to feel better. The Pred took a while to start working but is working very well now. I have 2 or 3 bowel movements in the morning and then go to work. I have a few after supper and through the night but i am able to function fairly normally right now. You are still always searching out the facilities but i usually don’t have to use them. I have been going to work a little later to miss rush hour. I dread being stuck in traffic and having to go. I have even been able to make it through whole work days without having to go sometimes which has been a positive change.

I am trying to stay positive and deal with this disease on a day to day basis. My girlfriend has been a great help and I seem to feel a little better each day even with less Pred each week.

I have a few questions for fellow UCers out there.

• Should i be concerned that I still haven’t had a solid movement after 3 weeks of Pred?

• The majority of the diarrhea i have during the day has no traces of blood, usually just the morning and evening movements. Does the blood eventually go away all together?

• Will the colonoscopy be easier with sedation and reduced inflammation? I don’t know if i can handle pain like the flex again.

• Anything to combat waking up soaking wet at night and anything to help the cramps in the evening after supper?

• I have been trying to “eat healthy” as the GI told me but I don’t seem to feel different no matter what I eat. Anything thing to avoid or is it more a try and see type process?

I have had lots of pain at times (not for the last week or so thank goodness). I don’t know when the appropriate time to go back to the dr is. I just chalk it up to “having a bad day”. I don’t want to keep going to the doctor for nothing but also don’t want to be stubborn and stay home and fight pain and do more damage.

Thanks UC’ers.
KCCO

Medications:

On Predisone now (35mg a day for this week) and down by 5 mg a week. I start an anti-inflammatory Jan 1. I can’t remember what it is called.

written by Graham

submitted in the colitis venting area