My diagnosis of Ulcerative Colitis brought a great sense of relief, although it was difficult to absorb mentally, I felt as though I had finally been given an answer to what I had been experiencing over the previous years. 3 years ago, I began noticing symptoms which left me feeling ashamed and embarrassed. This was not something that I, as a 19 year old University student, felt was going to be anything serious and I told myself that whatever it was, it was going to go away. As I began to see small amounts of blood in my stools, my constitution became even more irregular and I did all I could to self diagnose myself..which lead to consuming all different sorts of laxatives. I soon became dependent on herbal teas, and herbal laxatives. A first visit to a gastroenterologist was of no help to me, as he simply told me that I was lactose intolerant, and should stay away from all types of Dairy, as well as avoid Wheat and Gluten when possible. For the following 3 years, I tried multiple diets, cutting out all sorts of ingredients such as wheat and dairy.
Summer 2010 was when things began to get very uncomfortable. My stools were liquid, and the toilet was my new best friend. 15-30 times a day, I would experience excruciating stomach muscle/intestinal contractions which would last for several minutes at a time. At this point all I noticed was blood and small amounts of mucus going through my body. There was nothing left of me, as I was down to 110 lbs (normally 135). I began consuming copious amounts of Peppermint capsules and drank Peppermint tea to calm the contractions in my intestines. Believe it or not, at this point I was still in denial. I was afraid to go to the doctor and waste their time. I truly believed that this was something that would just go away.
I was urged by my boyfriend and parents to see a doctor. This lead to a bump to the top of the list for a colonoscopy. Immediately after my procedure, I was admitted into the hospital.
It turned out that I had been experiencing a flare for quite some time. My entire colon was inflamed. My body was unable to consume or digest anything other than liquids. I was given a Pick line right away, where they had me on Morphine to control the pain for the following 6 days. 2 days into my hospital visit, I was started on a TPN in order to receive liquid nourishment as I was unable to digest food. A variety of different drugs were used, however about 6 days in was when the dreadful Prednisone was introduced. I ended up being in the hospital for 12 days.
I have tried a variety of different medications, Prednisone was the absolute most dreadful experience I have ever had. Before I began the drug, I had read forums, reviews, etc and had heard nothing good about the drug apart from its success for controlling a flare up. I never thought I would experience what I had read, ex. Muscle loss, night sweats, depression, MOON FACE, excruciating knee pain. I was wrong. 7 months later (4 months of being off the Pred.) and I am just starting to look like my regular self again. Its been long road.
Currently on Immuran, it is working for the most part, however my skin constantly breaks out which is something I have never in my life experienced. My hair is falling out after having been on this drug for 3 months. I also have weak knees/achey joints. My diet is fairly normal again, i try to avoid spicy foods and high residue fiber. My desire to drink alcohol had completely disappeared, which I have to say is not a bad thing. I also try to avoid caffeine because I find that it speeds up my digestive system.
I hope my story is able to help others, it is so important to have support from others who have experienced a tough battle with Ulcerative Colitis. It is an unfortunate diagnosis, however it is something that can be controlled over time and it will only get easier to manage. I always remember to keep my head up and know that things could be worse.
Summer 2010 was when things began to get very uncomfortable. My stools were liquid, and the toilet was my new best friend. 15-30 times a day, I would experience excruciating stomach muscle/intestinal contractions which would last for several minutes at a time. At this point all I noticed was blood and small amounts of mucus going through my body. There was nothing left of me, as I was down to 110 lbs (normally 135). I began consuming copious amounts of Peppermint capsules and drank Peppermint tea to calm the contractions in my intestines. Believe it or not, at this point I was still in denial. I was afraid to go to the doctor and waste their time. I truly believed that this was something that would just go away.
I was urged by my boyfriend and parents to see a doctor. This lead to a bump to the top of the list for a colonoscopy. Immediately after my procedure, I was admitted into the hospital.
It turned out that I had been experiencing a flare for quite some time. My entire colon was inflamed. My body was unable to consume or digest anything other than liquids. I was given a Pick line right away, where they had me on Morphine to control the pain for the following 6 days. 2 days into my hospital visit, I was started on a TPN in order to receive liquid nourishment as I was unable to digest food. A variety of different drugs were used, however about 6 days in was when the dreadful Prednisone was introduced. I ended up being in the hospital for 12 days.
I have tried a variety of different medications, Prednisone was the absolute most dreadful experience I have ever had. Before I began the drug, I had read forums, reviews, etc and had heard nothing good about the drug apart from its success for controlling a flare up. I never thought I would experience what I had read, ex. Muscle loss, night sweats, depression, MOON FACE, excruciating knee pain. I was wrong. 7 months later (4 months of being off the Pred.) and I am just starting to look like my regular self again. Its been long road.
Currently on Immuran, it is working for the most part, however my skin constantly breaks out which is something I have never in my life experienced. My hair is falling out after having been on this drug for 3 months. I also have weak knees/achey joints. My diet is fairly normal again, i try to avoid spicy foods and high residue fiber. My desire to drink alcohol had completely disappeared, which I have to say is not a bad thing. I also try to avoid caffeine because I find that it speeds up my digestive system.
I hope my story is able to help others, it is so important to have support from others who have experienced a tough battle with Ulcerative Colitis. It is an unfortunate diagnosis, however it is something that can be controlled over time and it will only get easier to manage. I always remember to keep my head up and know that things could be worse.
