Ulcerative Colitis

[Peji911]

Has anyone ever been told they have this or have a friend or family member that does?

Is it scary/treatable? Ive googled it but am getting mixed opinions.

I know this isnt a health forum, but having some real-life examples of their current lifestyle when living with the disease would put me at ease.

[funky_chicken]

Re: Ulcerative Colitis

There is a girl I work with who has had it for a few years. She has to watch what she eats as certain things will aggravate it.

[Peji911]

Re: Ulcerative Colitis

There is a girl I work with who has had it for a few years. She has to watch what she eats as certain things will aggravate it.

Like Dajuan Wagner, there is always a chance you might have your colon removed. Has she ever mentioned that?

How does the overall disease affect her everyday life? Has it gotten her down?

I'd love to talk to her, but since I cannot, if you could make some general inquiries it would be greatly appreciated.

[funky_chicken]

Re: Ulcerative Colitis

Like Dajuan Wagner, there is always a chance you might have your colon removed. Has she ever mentioned that?

How does the overall disease affect her everyday life? Has it gotten her down?

I'd love to talk to her, but since I cannot, if you could make some general inquiries it would be greatly appreciated.

She seems to be fine. I know some days she says her stomach is bothering her due to something she ate the night before. I have never heard her mention anything about having to have her colon removed. She is one of those people who is upbeat most of the time. I will ask her about the condition and get some more info for you.

[EWRMETS]

Re: Ulcerative Colitis

Has anyone ever been told they have this or have a friend or family member that does?

Is it scary/treatable? Ive googled it but am getting mixed opinions.

I know this isnt a health forum, but having some real-life examples of their current lifestyle when living with the disease would put me at ease.

For most people, it's very treatable. As long as the person gets regular colonscopies and goes to a gastroenteroligist they shouldn't worry.

[ExtremeGamer]

Re: Ulcerative Colitis

My friend had to have her colon removed, that was 3 years ago, she's fine now.

I had a scare of it earlier this year, but it turned out to be nothing.

[Peji911]

Re: Ulcerative Colitis

My friend had to have her colon removed, that was 3 years ago, she's fine now.

I had a scare of it earlier this year, but it turned out to be nothing.

So she has a pouch? How does she live with that? I couldnt imagine living like that.

Scare how? Hopefully I only have a scare. I will be seeing a gastroenterologist tomorrow and hopefully its a scare too, although I doubt it. Im super scared

[Dallasin2K3]

Re: Ulcerative Colitis

Has anyone ever been told they have this or have a friend or family member that does?

Is it scary/treatable? Ive googled it but am getting mixed opinions.

I know this isnt a health forum, but having some real-life examples of their current lifestyle when living with the disease would put me at ease.

It is treatable, although response to treatment is highly variable depending on how much of the colon is affected (it progresses with time) and what exactly the person's genetic makeup is (it's partially genetic).

Generally treatment will result in a cycle of remission/flare-up which can vary in frequency and intensity depending on the person. Ulcerative colitis is also associated with a 40-fold increase in the susceptibility for colon cancer, which would be an indication for colonoscopies to be scheduled regularly and frequently. (Luckily, colon cancer is one of the most easily treated cancers when found early.)

Colectomy (removal of the colon, mentioned above) is an option for people who do not respond to initial therapy. It is required in 20-25% of cases, but a lot of that varies as to how long you've gone with untreated UC, and a myriad of other factors. It is definately not standard and is rarely seen in young people. It is generally done after colon cancer has gone unchecked and taken over much of the colon or if people do not respond to medication.

On another note, I'm a medical student, so I've got access to a lot of information, etc., that may be helpful that most people can't get normally. If you have any specific questions or want any more information, drop me a line. If I have something helpful to send you, I'll send it your way. I will say that your physician will be your best source of information, though.

I will say also that I have a friend who has this and she leads a normal life. She goes to the hospital maybe once a year for a couple days to get some meds because of a bad flare-up, but other than that, things seem to be relatively normal for her.

[fistofrage]

Re: Ulcerative Colitis

I have it and it is scary unless you get on the right Medicine. I am 6' 4 1/2" and I was down to 147 pounds after I got out of college. I couldn't keep anything down, it was like throwing salt in an open wound. I got on the right medicine and was back to work and up to 180 in about 60days with the right diet.

Didn't miss a day of work in 10 years after I got on the right schedule. Suprisingly I can eat Mexican Food, Fruit, etc. The main thing that upsets my stomach is a tough cut of beef.

One thing I will tell you though is to avoid Predizone as a treatment if you can avoid it. It can really mess your joints up bad.

[EWRMETS]

Re: Ulcerative Colitis

It is treatable, although response to treatment is highly variable depending on how much of the colon is affected (it progresses with time) and what exactly the person's genetic makeup is (it's partially genetic).

Generally treatment will result in a cycle of remission/flare-up which can vary in frequency and intensity depending on the person. Ulcerative colitis is also associated with a 40-fold increase in the susceptibility for colon cancer, which would be an indication for colonoscopies to be scheduled regularly and frequently. (Luckily, colon cancer is one of the most easily treated cancers when found early.)

Colectomy (removal of the colon, mentioned above) is an option for people who do not respond to initial therapy. It is required in 20-25% of cases, but a lot of that varies as to how long you've gone with untreated UC, and a myriad of other factors. It is definately not standard and is rarely seen in young people. It is generally done after colon cancer has gone unchecked and taken over much of the colon or if people do not respond to medication.

On another note, I'm a medical student, so I've got access to a lot of information, etc., that may be helpful that most people can't get normally. If you have any specific questions or want any more information, drop me a line. If I have something helpful to send you, I'll send it your way. I will say that your physician will be your best source of information, though.

I will say also that I have a friend who has this and she leads a normal life. She goes to the hospital maybe once a year for a couple days to get some meds because of a bad flare-up, but other than that, things seem to be relatively normal for her.

Not to step on the toes of a med student but some of that information isn't entirely accurate. 5 percent of people with UC develop colon cancer. There is a 32 times likier chance of colon cancer if the entire colon is involved. There is not a greater chance of cancer if just the lower half or rectum is involved.

There's also constantly new medications being used to treat UC. While 25-40 percent may have required colon removal in the past, this number will likely go down in the future with the new medications.

[Peji911]

Re: Ulcerative Colitis

There's also constantly new medications being used to treat UC. While 25-40 percent may have required colon removal in the past, this number will likely go down in the future with the new medications.

I just hope that one day this will be curable. We will see.


On a side note, I have a colonoscopy for today and my stool is not of yet completely clear and my intestines are still grumbling. I just hope we can still go through with it though, considering Christmas is next week, then its New Years and on the 20th I leave for Australia for a year... so ya, it would suck bad if they could be they couldnt do it.

[funky_chicken]

Re: Ulcerative Colitis

I talked to the girl at my job who has it. She said the progression goes like this, irritable bowel syndrome, ulcerative colitis and if the part of the colon has to be removed Kron's disease. She said she can not eat fiber because it is hard for her to digest. She told me it is cureable over time with medication, vitamins and a strict diet but it takes a long time.

[Dallasin2K3]

Re: Ulcerative Colitis

Not to step on the toes of a med student but some of that information isn't entirely accurate. 5 percent of people with UC develop colon cancer. There is a 32 times likier chance of colon cancer if the entire colon is involved. There is not a greater chance of cancer if just the lower half or rectum is involved.

There's also constantly new medications being used to treat UC. While 25-40 percent may have required colon removal in the past, this number will likely go down in the future with the new medications.

I appreciate you looking that info over because I'm far from foolproof, but what inaccurate information did I provide?

I would like to clarify something in your post, though:

There is a 32 times likier chance of colon cancer if the entire colon is involved. There is not a greater chance of cancer if just the lower half or rectum is involved.

A disease where the lower half of the rectum, only, is involved, is not ulcerative colitis. It is ulcerative proctitis (which, you are correct, is not associated with an increased risk of colon cancer). Ulcerative colitis always has involvement of the colon, and thus anyone diagnosed with UC has an increased risk of colon cancer (it does not need to involve the entire colon for risk to increase). Generally (about 30% of the time) ulcerative colitis begins as ulcerative proctitis. Once the large intestine is involved, however, the disease is ulcerative colitis, and it is always associated with an increased risk for colon cancer. As I said, this risk increases the longer the patient has had the disease (it is more complicated than just a percentage).

There is a third category of disease known as ulcerative proctosigmoiditis (limited to the rectum and what is referred to as the sigmoid colon). This can be an intermediary between ulcerative proctitis and ulcerative colitis, but is not associated with an increased risk for colon cancer until it becomes ulcerative colitis. As another side note, once ulcerative colitis involves the entire colon, it is often referred to as panulcerative or total colitis. It, as you alluded to, is more serious and increases the risk of complications. Here, you have the highest risk for cancer (numbers will vary slightly depending on what studies are cited).

[Dallasin2K3]

Re: Ulcerative Colitis

I talked to the girl at my job who has it. She said the progression goes like this, irritable bowel syndrome, ulcerative colitis and if the part of the colon has to be removed Kron's disease. She said she can not eat fiber because it is hard for her to digest. She told me it is cureable over time with medication, vitamins and a strict diet but it takes a long time.

Ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease are different (although many of the symptoms are very similar). It has to do with what part of the digestive tissues are inflammed, and the cause of the inflammation. But my point is that one does not get Crohn's disease from ulcerative colitis.

[DueceDiggla]

Re: Ulcerative Colitis

I just hope that one day this will be curable. We will see.


On a side note, I have a colonoscopy for today and my stool is not of yet completely clear and my intestines are still grumbling. I just hope we can still go through with it though, considering Christmas is next week, then its New Years and on the 20th I leave for Australia for a year... so ya, it would suck bad if they could be they couldnt do it.

How did it go? I had to have a colonoscopy a couple of months ago and it was no where near as bad as I imagined it was going to be.