Colitis/Chrohns/IBS

[MPH]

One thing about today Is that there is oodles of info on the internet. Not to self diagnose yourself but to learn what kind of foods to avoid, ways to ease pain or symptoms, ect.

All the best mate. Hope this is just a small hurdle for you to overcome.

Do you mind me asking, are you in the royal, mate?

[foxoffderby]

Hey guys and girls, I've been fairly busy over the last couple of weeks so haven't been posting much. Last night I was also admitted to hospital with suspected Ulcerative Colitis.

Just wondering if anyone on here has any first hand experience of this or related intestinal issues. I know it can be quite serious and it could be something I have to deal with for the rest of my life but just looking for a bit of info (doctors have been great but are obviously very clinical about it, it's not very anecdotal).

Hope you're all feeling better than me!

 

An employee of mine has got it and was in and out of hospital a lot. A course of drugs has sorted it in the short term now, but you've got to be very strict with yourself in terms of diet. Otherwise the blood in the poo etc will come back.. 

 

Good luck mate.

[ithuriel]

Been there, done that and it is not very nice when it strikes, not being able to stop crapping and after a while knowing that when you do go its going to hurt so bad you grit your teeth, a bit like watching the entire run of Twilight movies back to back, absolutely bloody shit.

Here's hoping you are better soonish.

[Trav Le Bleu]

Yeah that's what they've said. Doc's just come round for a chat, should know by monday how the treatments going. He's said I'll be in 5 days min then hopefully they'll be able to switch me onto tablets and then onto a more permanent lot of meds.

Friends are going to take the dog for a walk and have lunch at a pub in the peaks today. This is depressing

 

Whereas you're going to see a man about a dog every 15 mins.

 

Seriously, hope you get the best treatment you can and are feeling better soon.

[Charl91]

Ouch, that's unlucky. I can empathise; had/have mild IBS, a couple of years back, brought on by food poisoning (**** burger king). Was on enough daily laxatives to kill a horse, for about a year, and it made my life pretty awful. I probably spent half my life in the bathroom. Luckily, after a year or so, it started getting better, and I'm a lot better off, other than the occasional flare up (though it took me an entire year to actually be able to see a specialist).

 

Good luck! I'm sure it will get easier with time. 

[Haydos]

Hi mate

Sorry to hear you've not been well. Hopefully the test results will show something positive?

Careful with what they come back with, and be forceful if you need to. In my experience IBS becomes a dumping ground (excuse the pun) for all sorts of stuff, but does't really help prevent, it only treats the results i.e. violent shits.

Do you know if they are doing any allergy tests? My wife is a coeliac and had similar issues before she was properly diagnosed. Fine now but we manage diet accordingly.

Shout if you have an questions

Thanks

My GP ran a test for Coeliac with my initial bloods but that test takes a bit longer. They ruled out infection and Chrohns. I've never had any issues with certain food groups but I fully understand that intolerances can materialise. Regardless of how well the treatment works it sounds like something I'll need to test myself with.

Dairy is obviously the first one to try out so I'll probably take it from there.

[Haydos]

One thing about today Is that there is oodles of info on the internet. Not to self diagnose yourself but to learn what kind of foods to avoid, ways to ease pain or symptoms, ect.

All the best mate. Hope this is just a small hurdle for you to overcome.

Do you mind me asking, are you in the royal, mate?

I'm not, I'm up at the Northern General in Sheffield, I've not lived in Leicestershire for about 5 years now.

I've been doing a bit of googling and like people have said certain people react differently to certain things. Even if it is permanent it seems manageable once you get your diet down and my friend with Chrohns found a medicine that worked for him.

I'm not the type that likes to get stressed about things like this for too long, it's happened, i'll deal with it. It might not even be too bad, we'll see how the next week goes.

[Guest Bilo]

[Haydos]

You're the mane man.

[MPH]

pretty sure you'll have lots of visitors jockying for a position at your bedside...

[Charl91]

Have to hope you get good neighbours in the hospital.

[Raj]

good luck matey...my bro had ulcer col. and it nearly finished him.He lost loads of weight and had to take tablets for the rest of his life.

[broughtonblue]

I don't have IBS, Crohn's or UC, but I've not had a solid poo since about 1988 and I've been a 3 or 4 times a day man my whole adult life.

I'm the same, can't remember last time I had a solid shite, the only time it's anywhere near is when I'm occasionally on anti biotics.

[Monk]

Feels a bit weird admitting on an internet forum hey! I have an undefined (mild) type of IBD which the specialists reckon is UC. Long story short - I had pneumonia in 2009, and a massive dose of  antibiotics completed ****ed my digestive system, and it's taken a while to get back on top of it. Don't think I have it as severe as what you have said though by any means, and now I am OK vast majority of the time.

 

The one thing I would say is to try reading up on natural foods for reversing this kind of thing.

 

A very good book I have read is 'it starts with food', which basically advocates a no grains, no inflammatory foods (tomatoes etc) - for general health but also for things like this.

 

Even if you don't do that there are foods which are calming to the digestive system. Buy some turmeric root and make tea out of it, or try papaya. I sh*t you not. 

 

Also experimenting with probiotics - Kefir, Saurkraut, Kombucha (Not actimel etc as they are full of sugar and bad stuff). It's worth experimenting a little and seeing if any make a difference.

[Haydos]

It's still early doors at the moment it seems, they're just trying to get me to a point where there's no blood involved and I'm going maybe once or twice a day again.

Just seems to be a case of going through the normal line of treatment until something works. That'll be this initial phase and then looking to the next 8 weeks then eventually beyond then.

I've got a big info pack now on UC and the treatments (inc surgery) so it seems that they're fairly certain on the diagnosis. Going to have a read through that and seeing the nurse tomorrow for a chat and questions.

[Fox92]

I suffer from cramps. It's horrible. Seems to last forever as well... It started in 2012, I got Appendicitis (struggled to get around) and since then my stomach always been a bit of trouble for me. Hospital said it a type of IBS. Very careful with what I eat now... Like, the last time I had a kebab was two days before I somehow got Appendicitis and I swear that was a cause.

 

Hope everyone who else suffers with whatever form, is ok.

[Finnegan]

Can't relate on the same level but I've got ferocious acid reflux. Used to take the piss, as long as I took my meds I was fine. Now I know if I go out for a heavy meal or get on the beers then I'm probably not sleeping.

[Guest MattP]

Can't give any advice but all the best mate, hope you get better soon.

[Haydos]

Been given the all clear for now in terms of surgery Doesn't seem like much in the grand scheme and I might have been too worried about it anyway but it feels like such a weight has lifted from my chest. Strange feeling but I feel very happy and perked up.

Docs are satisfied with my improvement so just going to be shifting over to some other drugs over the next 24 hours and the plan would be to ease me off steroids and onto other medication at the end of the 8 weeks.

Still a risk of flare ups and relapse with the switch in meds but for now they're positive so I'm positive!

Cheers for the well wishes chaps