Colitis questions...

vic1

I had colitis at 14. luckily our local drs at time knew it was on both sides of the family . i have learned to live with it luckily,. daughter has also had similar pains but because i have had no need for medications for many years and we have a totoally different Drs we have never had it diagonised. i get the bubbles and the constipation ( rabbit pellets which don't always really want to move and diarohea (!) in cycles . i am exceedingly lucky in being able to control it howeve i cannot eat lots of fiber or it starts up daughter is opposite . when i was really having it badly i used to curl up and alternatively throw up then have to sit on loo till there was literally nothing left .if you are experience the symptoms and BLOOD is appearing even if it is on the tissue when you wipe PLEASE Go to the doctor.OH refused to as he had piles a and nearly died because he didn't go. try keeping a food diary and seeing when the bubbly felling appears -vic

shaz2806

choccycat wrote: »

ok thanks for all that info. Went and had a scope but was pregnant at time and felt it too uncomfortable so re booked for after had baby but missed that as was already in hospital with post natal complications When doc sent another request for the 2nd scope i recieved a letter from the hospital querying why i wanted it.odd.still get symptoms but felt hospital thought i was wasting time?.

Natashasprite

I am only 27 its rubbish isnt it!

I was diagnosed with UC at the age of 27 just like you. I felt much better after i had my large bowel and rectum removed which is where the ulcer was. I had an ileostomy and later a "reverse" surgery where i now have an ileoanal pouch, an ileoanal pouch is a pouch formed from the small intestine ,i still have to empty my pouch as anyone would go to toilet to pass stool, but the difference is i go like 15 times in 24 hours,could be more, but i must admit quality of life after having my pouch is much better than suffering from UC. So anyone who is passing blood from the back passage i would say go to your GP ASAP . I know its an embarassing illness but do get it checked out. I hope my post helps the readers suffering what might be Ulcerative Colitis.
If anyone needs to ask something personal i would be happy to pass my email address and try my best to help as much as i can.
I would also like to say if you have any unusual beleeding from any part of your body please go and see your GP for it.

tuggy

Yes when I'm having a flare up i get a lot of blood/mucus. Not very pleasant but once its under control again the blood goes away. You need to tell your Dr you have blood, its very common with colitis but he needs to know. I'm 22, had colitis for years so any questions PM me (that goes for anyone reading this!)
Laura

blushingbride_3

hi guys, i went to the drs about my tummy.

he thinks maybe just intergestion, didnt know you could get it so bad!

He took my blood because of my family history of colitis. they are clear.
he has offered for me 2 go to the full tests but i dont know if i want to!:o

what are the exact symptoms? cause at the moment i just get bad cramps/ bubbles in tummy/chest and varying stools but thats it.

i'm also waiting to be tested for H pylori

GavB79

Symptoms vary from person to person. I think most people realise there is a more serious problem when they have diarrhoea which just doesn't go away, maybe with blood etc. NACC is a good source of information.
It does tend to have onset at a younger age (I was 18).

Just to talk a little of my own experience (because it's cathartic for me to do so), in the last ten years I've had two 'accidents' (not in public thankfully) and one 3-week hospital stay. Whilst in hospital I wasn't recovering well and they wanted to perform surgery - having a 'pouch' in my early 20s was my worst nightmare, and is still the thing I dread most about this condition for the future. Psychologically I don't think I could cope with this. I refused and refused and eventually recovered after a course of Cyclosporin, and ever since (this was 2002) my symptoms have been 'manageable'.

My stools are loose 90% of the time and I use the toilet 4 or 5 times a day; sometimes there is blood but it is fresh blood caused by rupture of blood vessels due to the repeated abuse (!) my backside goes through with the frequency of movements. Aloe Vera, or even better the newer Andrex Shea Butter toilet roll is great to ease discomfort. I agree that blood in the stool suggests a more serious problem and should be investigated.

My consultant wouldn't be happy with my health as it is, but I don't medicate (should be on Azathioprine and Asacol [Mesalazine]) as I just, well, can't get into the routine sadly. Sometimes due to the blood loss I can feel lethargic, and after my last blood test the emergency doctor called me at 7pm worried I was about to collapse as the blood count was 5.6! Which apparently is rather low and most people would pass out, but as it was a gradual loss over a period of time I had adjusted to it. I try to take iron tablets now though...

Dietary-wise I do think some people can benefit from eliminating certain foods although I haven't found any advantage in this. I do minimise insoluble fibre as this can irritate the gut. It annoys me when I'm told by various people to eat wholemeal bread, rice, pasta etc. because it's good for me - no, it isn't! The same rules don't apply for everyone!

I think my day-to-day life is affected by the condition, which is a shame. I would never go camping, or hiking on long walks, festivals, safaris, even long cycle rides. I just tell people I like my creature comforts (i.e. a toilet!). If I go somewhere without nearby facilities, I start to worry about it which invariably means you end up needing to go!

I do resent having colitis, but at the same time I am grateful it is not too debilitating or limiting on my life and there are plenty of people coping with worse. As said above though, talking about bodily functions is still taboo and it is a very isolating condition in this respect and difficult to talk about. Hence my long and rambling post on an old thread! Apologies about that, but it's just beneficial to get the words down even if nobody reads them.

If any feels the need to discuss their own experiences or chat to a fellow sufferer, feel free to PM.

shopaholic2

My daughter is 12 abd has just been diagnoised with ulcerative colitis,nightmare.
She has been on a heavy dose of steroids but they have had no effect, so back to hospital tomorrow to see about differnet meds.
She has been in severe pain, toilet 5-8 times a day,bleeding,tired, nausea and genrally feeling very depressed.
We are members of NACC, but i still feel lost and not sure how to help her.

My GP said that she would probably need surgery if the steroids didnt work, but she wouldn't cope with that right now, I know that!

anyone with any advice, dietry ideas etc, PLEASE PLEASE get in touch, as I am desperate.
We are at the mo doing a food diary, to see if anything particular triggers it, but if anyone has any ideas i would be dead grateful!!

Thanks
x

shopaholic2

Also, been turned down for DLA for her, so any suggestions there???

soolin

I am mindful of the no medical advice on these boards however it is worth ruling out other conditions that give similar symptons like coeliac disease.

The gP an do a blood test which is about 90% reliable if that blood test suggests that coeliac is a possibility then you will be asked to eat gluten for a couple of weeks and have a biopsy as an out patient to check the villi.

blushingbride_3

hi there,
sorry to post again.
I am a bit worried but dont know if i am just stressing.

I've been feeling unwell since the weekend and had diarrhea since Monday. Was worse monday/ tuesday and is stil happening. Also had tummy ache and headache etc

Was thinking it was just a bug but hasnt seemed to have cleared up.
As previous posts my mum and bro's (x2) have colitis. Am i just worrying or should i go back to my dr? he offered to run tests but i was a bit werey of having them! he tested my blood and it was clear

just dont want to go to drs if nothing,

Ballymackeonan

Hi all -

I had UC for a number of years in my 20s/30s. I was in a highly stressful job, including quite a bit of travelling/staying away, and had the blood/mucus problem a lot, together with bloating, frequency etc. The stress of the UC was adding to the stress of the job, a downward spiral.

It also deemed to be triggered by emotional upheavals outside the job, and by some high-fibre foods (like overdoing foods with seeds in..)

My GP tried a number of treatments, the only one that was really effective for me was peppermint oil capsules - Colpermin I think. It worked slowly, but was effective for me. I've since gone into self-employment, and while there is still stress, it's different from working for the boss from hell! So now, as long as I'm careful about what I eat I only get colitis occasionally, with no bleeding any more.