progression of UC

can someone please share with me how were they diagnosed with UC? How much (cm/inches) was it limited to? How did it progress? and over what period of time.

My UC followed a bout of proctitis (after a couple of years).  In the 12 years of having UC it never really progressed out of the rectum. 

 

Sue

I had diareah for 2 weeks then it turned to bloody diareah. I went to the doctors and she set me up with a GI, who gave me a colonoscopy. I was then told that I had UC and it was throughout my whole colon.
I always had digestive problems ever since I had my gallbladder out in the 80's. I then was told that I had IBS in the 90's.
I think I had UC longer than before I was diagnosed. (2005) There was a time when i was bleeding, but i just thought it was hemeroids. I quit bleeding for about 5 years, then all hell broke loose, in July of 2005.
Janice

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I had a sudden bout of diarrhea and severe weight loss over a period of 3 weeks. My doctor at the time gave me lomotil but never did any stool samples (I did suspect food poisoning from eggs).

I had gut issues/diarrhea for almost 3 years....then the bleeding started in explosive diarrhea.

After being referred to a GI (only good thing my doc at the time did for me) and having the many tests, I was diagnosed with UC...15" (about 38 cms).. proctosigmoiditis.

I was put on 5ASA oral (Asacol)and rectal enema (Salofalk)....I've never been as bad as when I was diagnosed...it's not spread as of yet..and flares are mostly limited to the rectum.

I have my 7th c-scope tomorrow....so, hopefully everything is copacetic.

quincy

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I was diagnosed way back when...in 1961.
I was 15. It came on suddenly. I was out ice skating, came home, had a bath and went to bed. Woke up an hour later with terrible diarrhea that lasted all night, a fever and achy.
My parents took me to the doctor where I had recently had work done on my sinus.....thinking it was an infection. For a week, this jerk doctor acted like I was faking it and just told my parents to give me aspirin for the fever. After a week, my dad got frustrated and took me to the regular family doctor. After a few days, he put me in the hospital. In that short period I lost 30 lbs and needed six blood tranfusions.
There were no colonoscopies (at least not at that hospital) so they kept doing barium enemas. And x rays. It took them two weeks to give it a name...ulcerative colitis.

Forty six years later and I still have UC but the symptons have gotten progressively better. I have been getting yearly colonoscopies for 30 years. And my condition having gone from severe pancolitis in the first year to moderate left side for decades to mild for now.

I have been taking Azulfadine for the past thirty years. I went for about five years in my twenties where I refused to see a doctor, because the first several years I was on prednisone a lot, and I got tired of all of it. Luckily I have never had to go on any other drugs or have surgery, though there were many times in my twenties when I wished I could just have the darned colon removed.

That's my long story....

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diagnosed with UC in 1962
regualr meds:
Asulfadine (500mg tablets, 6 daily)
Folic Acid
Zantac as needed
open heart surgery in 2005 for removal of aortic root aneurysm

I was dx'd in 1998 after about 3 months of blood, mucus and diahrea. I was 18 and didn't tell anyone what was going on. I lost about 30 lbs before my friends called my parents to tell them what was going on. I was suppose to spend the semester in Europe studying art and got my dx 3 days before my plane was to leave. Needless to say I didn't get to go. I was told I had left sided colitis. It took about three years to get me into remission where I stayed for 5 years. I was very dumb and stopped my meds during this time. When I first saw symptoms last year I immedietly called my gi and found that my colitis had spread throughout my enitire colon. My Gi told me if I had stayed on my meds this flare wouldn't be as bad as it has been. Maybe the UC would not have spread, who knows. I am now stuck ina year long flare and am waiting for imuran to kick in. And that's my story.

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Kelly, 29

Left sided UC diagnosed 1/98 age 19, Pan colitis diagnosed 1/07
Currently on 4x3 Asacol, Rowasa every other night, down to 20 mg pred.
75mg Imuran starting 8/23/07---fingers crossed!
Prontonix once daily for acid reflux, zofran twice daily for nausea