Just been diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis

[Rich101]

Hi Nicola and Lolly.

Ulcerative Colitis cant be cured - like Crohns. It amazes me that the diseases are so similar in appearance/symptoms, yet the diet/lifestyle has to be so different.

In crohns its bad to smoke, yet in Colitis it actually has a calming effect on the bowel.

Nicola - I have a friend who has had Colitis for 21 years, and he is on medication which is used to treat leaukemia too!! I hear the treatments are constantly changing, and suppose this has to be a better outlook for us all, as they can treat each level of disease differently.

I am on salofalk enemas, (only 3 days so far), but remarkably after the first dose, my symptoms have gone.(touching all the reachable wood around me), No blood/mucus, first time in 10 weeks.

The stag do is going to reveal weather or not I can tolerate alcohol.

BTW my friend has been in remission for years too.

[nomorepanic]

Yeah it is odd that the bowel reacts differently to the two different illnesses yet they are similar in some ways.

I am on Mercaptopurine Rich - maybe he is on that.

Sadly I lost a friend to rectal cancer 2 years ago and he had Crohn's since he was 18 so it does scare me and the stats are that I am twice as likely to die from bowel cancer than someone else and also that I am twice as likely to get Leukemia because of the drugs I am on - despite the fact they are used to treat it.

Coupled with the fact I have heart failure I do sometimes feel like I have 2 death sentences hanging over my head but people will tell you that I do not let this worry me and still remain positive.

We have to believe that in our lifetime they can "cure" these IBD's and we can live normal lives.

I hope I haven't depressed you too much but there aren't many people on here with similar illnesses so it is good to share things.

[Rich101]

I have got to say the meds I have been put on salofalk, have do far worked wonders. I have had no blood/mucus for over 5 days. And this was even after a stag weekend including cupious amounts of beer and fry ups. So for the time being I am very happy with the results.

Nicola - I know it can affect everyone differently but there will be people out there who have had crohns 40+ years, as with any illness/disease genetics play a certain part to everything but is not a life sentance.

I wish you all the best for the future, and btw this site you created helps so many different people, in so many different ways. I am quite an open person and not affraid to talk about problems/health issues or concerns. But this website has enabled me to talk to other people in similar circumstances and reach to a further audience where I couldnt possibly expect anyone I know to understand what I am going through.

So give yourself a pat on the back, and look forward to a long happy future, as you deserve it.

[nomorepanic]

Thank You Rich.

Sometimes I get really down over things. The heart failure is more likely to kill me than the Crohn's and I have to not think about things sometimes or I get very down over it all.

Then the next minute I am positive and upbeat!

Anyway this post is not about me it is about you and U.C. and I am glad the drugs are helping you and things are looking good.

[AlexandriaUK]

Hi sorry have just seen this and like you have only known what it was for deffinate 2 weeks, this is a good site so hope it can be posted, PM or email me if you want to chat.
I too quit smoking 20 months ago.
http://www.ulcerativecolitis.org.uk/...rch.php?t=1368

[chococat]

Hi i have not been a member of this site for very long but i have Ulcerative Colitis. I have suffered from it for 5 years now, when i was diagnosed i had never heard of it either. There is a good site to look at that will help a lot it is http://www.nacc.org.uk/content/home.asp where there is lots of information or if you want to ask anything pm me and i will try to help.