Just found out I have UC??

Welcome to the forum. Ulcerative colitis is unique in that it is a chronic condition that cannot be cured by conventional medicine except thru surgery, if you want to call surgery a cure. The best you can do is try to maintain remission and veterans of this disease know that doctors cannot do that for you as much as you have to take charge yourself.

For most it is a matter of regularly taking your prescribed meds and this forum can be helpful for that. For example reviewing the experiences of others it seems that rectal meds such as enemas and suppositories seem to be very effective especially when combined with oral medications. Doctors seem hesitant to prescribe them unless a patient specifically mentions it probably because they believe their patients will feel uncomfortable. You will find members here who extol the benefits of rectal meds so maybe it is a good idea to let your doctor know you are open to them.

Very few doctors will mention diet as part of the road to remission but some members here swear by its effectiveness. It does not work for everyone just as some specific meds do not work for everyone. Don’t bother with tests to determine food allergies, they are notoriously unreliable. There are members here who have been taking meds for years or even decades, but found that following an individual diet was what finally snuffed out their symptoms. And sometimes following a specific diet with all of its Byzantine rules may not even be necessary, perhaps simply avoiding dairy and/or high gluten grains may be enough. That is why it is important to take ownership of this disease and find your own individual path. Many veteran UCers will recommend a food diary or journal to see how specific foods affect your gut.

Most members take their meds religiously and others combine their meds with diet, but one common thread for many is the use of probiotic supplements. Many doctors will not discuss them but most veteran UCers will agree that probiotics are important for alleviating symptoms. We may disagree which specific probiotics are most effective for us individually but in one form or another they seem to work. You will find many threads here discussing probiotics.

Another supplement that doctors may or may not mention but is famous for its effectiveness in this forum is vitamin D. You will find many useful threads discussing its importance and testing of blood levels. Another popular supplement may be a soluble fiber such as Metamucil or Citrucel, or its generic equivalents. They have helped many but others have complained that fiber, even soluble fiber, can cause irritation when taken when the colon is inflamed. Most of the other supplements seem to be individual preferences.

Good luck on your journey.

The other thing to remember is that the people here on this forum may not be representative of U.C. sufferers as a whole so don't let the hard cases that you read about get you down. The posters here tend to be the ones who are having chronic, hard to treat symptoms and are looking for new approaches to get relief. People who have mild and well controlled symptoms tend to just get on with their lives.

I've had many years of excellent remission myself and am haunting the board now because my symptoms have been a little more difficult to control than before.

ThroneSeeker said...
C_K_G thanks a bunch for the feedback! I'm also new to this and it good to know this. It's hard being diagnosed then not be able to see the doctor until Aug 18th! I feel I'm in pergatory. There's alot of information on the web and I don't know just "how bad" I am!

Thanks for putting this in perspective for us newbees :)

Yes, I am just coming off a wonderful 3 year period of remission that I would credit to the probiotic "primal defense". In that time I started a business, bought a new home, watched my kids compete in various sporting events,did some travelling, etc., etc., barely ever thinking about my colitis. When you're flaring it seems bad, but if you can find the right combination of meds, supplements, lifestyle and diet, you will be rewarded with a very extended holiday from the disease!

Yes diet is far more important then they make it out to be. I for one have a real problem with foods like heavy fiber wheat cereal, to mention one.

My personal opinion (theory) is the disease is because of an imbalance of microflora in the colon, (bacteria and yeasts) which in turn sets off the immune system to try and fight a battle it can never win unless you can rebalancing the flora in your colon close to its original healthy state.

You can end up with other symptoms like joint pain, tiredness, etc. Whether this is because you immune system is in a constant state of attack mode, or because candidia (bad yeast) is overgrown in your body and affecting other areas, one can only guess.

Good replies all around. I tend to agree with Zippy 123 as far as the diet is concerned. If you took antibiotics before your symptoms appeared, I'm betting fungus could be an issue for you. Antibiotics are fungal toxins. They kill the bad, aas well as the good bacteria, allowing yeast to proliferate.  Fungus can invade tissues, permeate mucous barriers, cell walls and alter DNA. Bad stuff. Foods one may be eating (particularly grains and sugar) feed the fungus until symptoms manifest, sometimes years later...for some it could be symptoms of UC, Crohn's, high cholesterol, diabetes, FM, MS, arthritis, psoriasis, sinusitis, or even cancer.

As a personal aside, after suffering 8 years with UC symptoms, and doing research on my own, I eventually decided to follow an antifungal diet, taking natural antifungal supplements and probiotics, and was pleasantly surprised when my symptoms disappeared after a period of time. I was able to wean off all meds and am still symptom free today. I know for me now, fungus was the underlying issue. I since recall living in more than one house with water damage and mold, took birth control pills for many years, and had taken antibiotics as a teen. I think (my memory is fuzzy) my doctor even gave me antibiotics right before the birth of my first child as I know I had Group B strep. Funny, that's right when my first symptoms appeared, within 2 months of delivery.

You have come to the right place for help and encouragement. Read what others have done to alleviate symptoms and decide what you think may be worthy to try for yourself. Unfortunately, your doctor has only been taught how to diagnose and hand out prescriptions. I hope you feel better soon.

Zucchini- I think you are right on noticing lots of women being dx after having children or flaring after delivery. I think hormones can also be a trigger for some. In my case I was in a solid remission until I became pregnant. I am still trying to get back to where I was. I also see some women's periods affect their UC.

Yes, turmeric- a good natural antifungal. I have taken olive leaf extract and caprylic acid.

Interesting about the antibotics. For both of my deliveries I tested positive for the Strep B and had to have an IV drip of some sort of antibiotic. In recent years my seasonal allergies have gotten much worse and found myself on antibotics every few months. After my pneumonia last fall, I was on a potent antibiotic to clear it up. Does this sound like my immune system has been compromised over the years?

I had my colonoscopy last thurs, but still feeling discomfort. Is this normal?

Wow! Great responses everyone. I think you all help cure my adjustment disorder!

The most important thing to me after being diagnosed is to have time to 1. process the information, 2. do some research, and 3. find a good support group. No 1 seems to take the longest.  Thank God for 2 weeks off of work to at least get a small foothold on this!

I been having constipation and bleeding since February this year. Just started the meds July 12th. So far I can poop again and I haven't seen any blood. Felt a bit crampy after a chipotle chicken sandwich...guess the moderate spicy stuff is a trigger.

The thing that bother me the most is the way the doc worded the biopsy results. He used "most like"..."at this point in time".  Does that mean this can manifest into Crohen's or other types of Colitis over time? I read that when it come back is normally stays in the same area...but then everyone is different.

Thxs quincy for the suggestion. I'll ask my doctor what's his approach is. It may just to see how I respond first before adding other stuff.

Some of the previous post associated pregnacy with UC.  Can't say that for me. I'm 41 and have never been pregnant. No UC or Crohnes in my family either..although there are several disgestive problems.  My dad has stomach ulcers due to stress and eating greasy food. My mom had her gaul bladder removed. My grandfather on my mother side had problems with acidic foods. We alsways had to grow him the yellow tomatoes. I just found out that my grandma's half-sister (on my mother's side) had colon cancer and had her colon removed.  Guess I just got a bad combo of genes. Wish I was that lucky in Las Vegas!  lol.

I've read this come about in the 30s or 50/60s. Being age 41, either I'm late or early! This has really turned my world upside down. Was always eating right, drinking plenty of water, and exercising. Never saw this coming.

So who else has UC with no real family history of IBDs?

I must be the "black sheep" in the family.