Diagnosed with UC 5 days ago...

[Loop of Poop]

I don't have much of a story yet.
I've pooped my pants a few times since April, and I started having blood in my poop in June. I went to my doctor and she didn't know what was wrong, so she referred me to a gastroenterologist. I had to wait until the 15th of this month for colonoscopy, because my dad still pays for everything for me & he didn't have enough money for it in June.
So far I'm diagnosed with UC, but I go tomorrow back to the gastroenterologist to see what was found from the biopsied stuff. Because of what I've read so far, I'm hoping "Please don't be Crohn's..."
Some specific stuff I'm wondering about is this-
Is UC caused by diarrhea or is the diarrhea I'm having right now caused by UC?
Why is there so much gas???
Since I know so little, I'll appreciate learning /anything/.

 

[troydanielbecker]

Diarrhea is a common symptom of UC. Diarrhea itself doesn't cause ulcers. Gas problems come up because of digestive/absorption issues. Inflamed intestines are not an ideal place for our gut microbes to do their work.

Loop of Poop, Houston, like us! I might suggest you attend a CCFA meeting if that might be your thing. Lots of info, stories, and contacts to be made.... http://www.ccfa.org/chapters/houston/

 

[littlefreebird]

Some specific stuff I'm wondering about is this-
Is UC caused by diarrhea or is the diarrhea I'm having right now caused by UC?
Why is there so much gas???
Since I know so little, I'll appreciate learning /anything/.

welcome to the forum!! tough time going through diagnosis, i completley understand, until you get your definate answers you are going to be worrying but try not to!

firstly, crohn's and ulcerative colitis are very similar, they are both inflammatory bowel disease. the main differences i suppose are that uc affects the colon and crohn's can affect any part of the digestive tract, also crohn's disease will be throughout all the tissues of the specific area where as UC disease is in just the inner layer of tissue. there are other differences also but you can look them up.

Diarrhea is a symptom of the disease, so in answer to your question, you have diarrhea because you have UC. i'll explain: your colon is responsible for absorbing water and nutrients from your stools (poop) your UC causes your colon to be inflammed (swollen) and sore, it therefore does not work properly, it does not absorb water from your stools causing them to be runny i.e. diarrhea.
you also mentioned you had bleeding, uc can cause you to have ulcers in the colon and if you've ever had one in your mouth you will know that ulcers bleed quite a lot, as long as your blood tests arn't showing your low on iron, i don't think having blood in the stools should be a huge worry, it will come and go.
UC is a lifelong condition, and like crohn's can be very unpredictable. Symptoms can flare up and then disappear (go into remission) for months or even years. Your disease will be controlled with medication, it's trail and error from now o find a drug that works best for you as we're all different.
As for the gas, i can't explain why exactly you have it but it is also a common symptom so don't worry, peppermint capsules or peppermint tea can help, and you may want to look at your diet.

hope i've helped a little, welcome to the forum!!!!!

 

[Jessi]

Welcome to the forum and sorry about your bad news. I'm Jessica, 34 yrs old, diagnosed with UC 2 months ago.

Troydanielbecker has great advice about the ccfa.I hope you attend and find what you need.

Also, littlefreebird explained it quite well. But you may be asking what caused your UC in the first place? Your immune system produces too much of a protein called TNF-alpha. Because of that, your other organs "believe" that your colon is a foreign object (as if it's a donor or something), so it's now under attack, hence the ulcers and inflammation. The small intestines turn our waste into a liquid stool and carries it to the colon. The colon's job is to turn that liquid into a solid stool, that later exits the body through the rectum and anus. Because your colon is under attack, it isn't able to do its job, hence the diarrhea.

You may have been prescribed something to help with inflammation and the healing of ulcers. (I was given Asacol HD and prednisone. Done with the prednisone now.) There are also some drugs that will suppress your immune system, limiting the amount of TNF-alpha you'll produce. Your doctor may prescribe something for that, if not already. (I'm on Remicade for that. It seems to be working quite well.)

I hope I've been helpful even a little bit. Again, I'm really sorry about the bad news, but keep in mind, it's not a death sentence. You could still live a pretty regular life once you and your doctor find the right meds for you. Good luck and be well!

 

[xJillx]

Hi and welcome! Love the name, by the way.

My friends above did a great job of explaining the difference between UC and CD. As you can tell, they are very similar. And to be honest, sometimes it can take a long while to figure out which one you may have. So, try not to be discouraged if you don't get answers right away. However, treatment is similar for both diseases, so hopefully when you start meds, you'll see an improvement even if it isn't clear whether you have UC or CD.

 

[Loop of Poop]

So much information! @__@ Thankyou! Since I posted this, I've been given a month's worth of samples of Lialda, and I think it's working already.
One thing I forgot to add in my story: My mom had colon cancer when she died.

 

[xJillx]

Wow, that is great if Lialda is working for you already. It took about 2+ weeks to make a difference with me.

I am sorry to hear about your mom. But just because mom had colon cancer, doesn't mean you will. But it is certainly important to keep your doctors informed, so they screen you regularly.

 

[Loop of Poop]

I've already been told that I need another colonoscopy a year from now... Ugh. But I'd rather go through that every year than cancer.
Now that I'm feeling even better, I think that Lialda wasn't working yet on my last post. The difference then was probably just because of restricting my diet.

 

[xJillx]

Glad to hear Lialda is working well for you.

Yeah, colonoscopies are no fun, more specifically the prep. What prep did you do for your colonoscopy? See if you can do the Miralax & Gatorade prep next year. It is much easier to stomach.