Just diagnosed with UC today!!!

Hello Everyone.
This is actually the first forum I have ever joined in my life and I am sort of sad that it has to be because something is wrong with me.
I have been dealing with UC I guess for about 4 years now. It happened after I had my first child, although I tried to give myself every excuse in the world why I had problems except something real. My husband just thought I was being silly and complaining about it, although I have a very high tolerance for pain and don't usually complain.
I am 25 and just finally had my first colonoscopy today, where they concluded I have Ulcerative Colitis. When I first began having symptoms a few years back it was difficult to find any articles online about what I was experiencing. Earlier this month I found a forum which described all my symptoms with females in my age group having the same problems. My husband is totally against doctors and feels they are always out to get money, so because of him and my fear of finding something really wrong with me (Crohn's or cancer) I kept pushing it off. After speaking with my friend who became a Nurse Practitioner she suggested that I definitely say something to my OBGYN since I had an appointment within the next week. So I said something and she referred me to a Liver and Digestive Specialist and they also advised I would need a colonoscopy. This was the third Doctor to tell me I needed a colonoscopy as well as many people on the forums I've recently discovered. So, my husband supported me this time, which has been helpful.
Tomorrow I go to fill my prescription of Asacol (sp?). I am not really looking forward to taking any drugs as I usually try to stay away from anything unless absolutely necessary. I would rather be able to control this through diet and exercise. Has anyone been able to eliminate UC by diet and exercise alone? I have also been experiencing weight gain. I have read that others are having the same issue. I am not as active as I use to be in HS, but I do exercise a few times out of the week and I try to eat as healthy as possible. I drink mostly water, green tea and ice tea, milk and sometimes juice (only 100% juice). I eat mostly chicken, pork and beef (more chicken than anything), and occasionally fish, and on the weekends eggs and bacon. I eat rice, potatoes, green beans, onions, peppers, garlic, broccoli sometimes and carrots. These are usually the ingredients I use when cooking. I do eat fast-food maybe 3 times a month, and is usually nuggets. I do stay away from anything greasy. I have coffee only on Saturday or Sunday because it usually puts me in the bathroom immediately after drinking. After reading everyone's posts I see that I have been dealing with this everyday for the past 4+ years. My symptoms are bleeding, mucus and bloating. Sometimes I would sit on the toilet feeling I had to go and all that would come out was the blood and mucus. If i ever did have a semi-normal bm I was totally excited.

Well after spilling my guts, it is nice to meet everyone and hopefully someone can help me find a way to battle this without the use of drugs since this is my main focus now that I know what I have.

You can check out an existing thread about sunflower seeds and spinach if you are looking for the natural route. Diet is very individualistic with each of us and what bothers one may not bother another. Did they happen to tell you the extent of your Uc?

Btw, welcome to Healingwell :)

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Here is the thread:

http://www.healingwell.com/community/default.aspx?f=38&m=1362362

Welcome to healingwell. I have the same problem, running to the toilet and nothing comes out except blood and mucus. This illness is really frustrating. I am on Asacol too and I had great results for about the first month but now I am starting to get some symptoms again. If I eat a big meal, I am stuck on the toilet 5x afterwards... I haven't been able to control my UC with diet and exercise, I have tried. I have heard of some people here doing well without meds but first you have to get your UC under control. I agree with your husband about DR's being after money but UC won't just go away as far as I know. I think you have to get help or you will get worse and be on the toilet upwards of 15x a day. It's good that you are starting to work with a GI and you have gotten yourself some medication. Hopefully you are on the path to recovery.

I was extremely sick with this disease, and was given medicine that helped me. Been on it since. I really don't like taking meds myself. Rather not take any, but I'm so thankful for the medicine to bring me back to normal from where I was when this disease hit me. For me with diet, I just stay away from my trigger foods.

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26 year old, Married, Female.
Diagnosed with UC since March 2007

Taking Humira and Imuran since May 2007 (Currently in remission since May 2007)
Taken off Imuran 1/15/09
Only taking Humira.

Can't take Asacol, Allergic to Remicade

Hello, - i am sorry, I was trying to find out what the icons on the right were and I believe I deleted one of the comments (actually a few) from the moderator. If you can resend the link to me I would appreciate it... Again, I am sorry, just trying to understand what everything is. =)

Thanks sicklygirl! I am going to start a food diary so I can keep track of what really triggers my problems. I am hoping to stick to an even healthier diet sense I went through like 2 days of prep with no real food. I feel today like I don't want anything bad in my body. So, I hope this will help put me in the right direction. It is nice to know what is wrong with me and I have pictures to prove it. I have a mild case of UC from what the dr told my husband (I was still knocked out). Well....I am sure I'll be talking to you more = )

Thanks Sweetie31105. It is good to know that the medicine can help. Do you still eat your trigger foods or are you able to have the will power to stay away, or if eaten in moderation are you okay?

Hello Christine - You all now have me wondering if when I was a teenager and I took every kind of acne medicine under the sun, if that could have maybe triggered the beginning of UC. I say this because many of the medicines killed bad and GOOD bacteria, of which I had a lot of yeast infections as a result, until I finally ended up taking acutane which helped for about a year. I am still battling acne, however, I am not on any meds for it, and haven't been since 2000. Just a thought.

i just found out that my great aunt has Crohn's. I was reading that being white and having someone in the family with Crohn's or Colitis are more likely to get UC. I know that a lot of dr's are saying that diet is not a big part of it, but I just don't believe them. I get Prevention magazine and an article was from a dr who ended up with cancer and his dr told him that diet would not make a difference. He totally proved him wrong by doing his own research, especially outside the US. My grandmother was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis and she was given all kinds of drugs which made her gain weight, lose hair, mood swings, etc...it was horrible, then she went to some kind of herbal dr and they put her on a strict diet. She lost all the weight she gained, plus some (which was good for her) and she is still doing well. So I really think that diet is a major factor in most of the diseases today. I pray I can find a diet to help me. I know it will take time. Thanks for the information.

Hi,
Better living through chemistry. Asacol helped me a lot, and I have been taking it for decades with no side effects. It's an anti-inflammatory that doesn't dissolve until it hits your gut because of the coating. I hope it helps you. Being deliberate about your diet and exercising is great, but this stuff is stubborn and you will probably need medicine.

I firmly believe I got UC from taking Accutane. I was diagnosed a year or so after I took it, in the mid-1980's. It was too long ago for records to still exist so I can't join the litigation going on now...you might look into it. I just wish they knew about probiotics back then.

My worse trigger food is iceberg lettuce, if that helps. And grain alcohol makes me bleed. I can do greasy and spicy but not high fiber.

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49 year old female attorney, diagnosed UC/pancolitis 1985, no surgery but much suffering.

"Some"     have don't have severe UC can avoid meds by taking VSL #3 DS.  Its a probiotic. The DS stands for double strength and available via perscription.

Look it up on line.  I take it. I can't get off my meds but it does help

Thanks. Good to know that I may have a chance at still eating spicy foods. 