Not the greatest news but could be worse.

[Sophie2011]

Hi

I was recently diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis and I'm finding this difficult to wrap my head around. I had my first colonoscopy in January of this year. A month later I started having IBD symptoms and went back to the Dr. that did my colonoscpopy. She took blood and stool samples all of which came back negative for food poisoning and whatever else she was looking for. The only think I did prior to getting sick was take an over the counter diet supplement for my local health food store. After two weeks I was well again so I canceled my next appointment with her.

About four weeks ago my DR prescribed me adderall. I took it for a week and started feeling bad. I think I was having gastric issues before I started taking it but I am not 100% sure. I do know that a week after taking adderall I stopped and the next day was very ill. I've been sick now for three weeks. My Gastro doesn't believe that stimulants can cause UC. She ordered a CT scan of my abdomen and a colonoscopy. CT scan came back ok but the biopsy from colonoscopy said I have chronic inflammation. I have not seen my DR since last week and have an appointment with her on Tuesday so she can go over things with me. Not sure why I had to wait a week but whatever...

I am taking Apriso and I think it is making me feel worse. I am having severe stomach and back pain. I feel sick whenever I eat but I feel hungry throughout the day.

I've been reading about UC and there doesn't seem to be any information as to what causes it. I just find it odd that before my colonoscopy in January, I had no bowel issues at all, ever. I'm really confused as to why this is happening and why it went away for months only to return and instead of living on the toilet, this time I am constipated and miserable all the time.

 

[SdN]

Hi Sophie welcome to the forums. I'm sorry to hear of your recent diagnosis but there's a lot of great information here for you if you take some time and look around. Doctors still aren't sure what causes UC or Crohn's they are both still mysterious disease. The prevailing theory is that they are caused by a combination of genetic predisposition, bacteria, and some environmental factors.

I felt the same as you when I was first diagnosed. I tried to figure out what I might have done to cause it but my advice is to not stress over that too much. Instead keep in constant communication with your doctor(s) and work with them to try to get things under control. Don't blame yourself you aren't at fault.

 

[Dexky]

Welcome Sophie! Why did you have a scope if you never had symptoms before? I've never heard of Adderall. Has your GI mentioned prednisone to get you into remission? Perhaps Adderall is just a maintenance med and you need something stronger to get you where you need to be. Good luck!

 

[Astra]

Hiya Sophie
and welcome

Adderall?? Seriously? Have you got ADHD? or belly ache?
The mind boggles.
Anyway, I hope you get some decent meds sorted, and soon.
Let us know how you get on with the doc, and in the meantime get yourself genned up on other treatment options especially the biologics, Remicade and Humira. My friend with UC is on Remi and has had great success since last Xmas.
lotsa luv
Joan xxx

 

[Sophie2011]

Thank you for your replies.

I need to clarify. I was taking Adderall for ADD, prescribed by my GP. I've taken it in the past and wanted to try it again. Big mistake this time. It made me feel like I was being poisoned. The first time I took it years ago I didn't feel that way but maybe generic isn't the same as brand. But as I mentioned, I think I was having flareup symptoms several days before the taking the Adderall.

Fast forward three weeks, I was leery of taking the Apriso (prescribed by my GI) because I didn't want to feel worse and the side effects didn't look very appealing. When I took the Apriso, I had horrible back pain and felt worse so I've stopped taking it. I go to my GI tomorrow so I'll see what she says.

I feel better when I don't eat. I feel horrible when I do. I had yogurt for breakfast yesterday, soup for lunch and a small cup of chili for dinner. Solid types of food really seem to aggravate my stomach. It's so weird that this flareup (constipation) has me the opposite of the one I had in February. In feb, within 30 mins to an hour, I'd be on the toilet.

Anyway, thanks again for all of your replies. I'm glad I found this forum. Tons of useful information.

Soph