What will happen 2 me????

Question

Im 21 years old and about 4 months ago i was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis (Inflammatory Bowel Disease) this is chronic.
I spent over 2 weeks in hospital and a further 3 weeks at home sick. There was no warning and i suffered no symptoms. Since i have had this i have had nothing but problems i take over 8 tablets a day which i have 2 for the rest of my life, i suffer with stomache pains on a regular basis which has made it harder 4 me at work, i no longer sleep properly, i can no longer eat or drink everything. My life consists of weekly trips 2 my doctor. I also have 2 go for tests e.g. a camera being put inside me every 6 months, blood tests ect. Ive never met anyone who suffers from this and i would very like 2 understand how i got this and will my life ever go back 2 normal. My biggest fear is cancer i know the risks are there and i try not 2 let it worry me but my visit 2 the doctors today shows my health is not looking good.

Please honest and helpfull answer

Answer 1

My uncle also has ulcerative colitis, I am very sorry to hear this. If you ever need anyone to talk to please email me. Here is my answer:

Mortality
The effect of ulcerative colitis on mortality is unclear, but it is thought that the disease primarily affects quality of life, and not lifespan.

Causes
While the cause of ulcerative colitis is unknown, several, possibly interrelated, causes have been suggested.

Unusual Causes
At one time it was a practice to give hydrogen peroxide enemas for certain conditions. Sometimes hydrogen peroxide is accidentally introduced into the colon during procedures. This is known to cause a condition that appears to be identical to ulcerative colitis.

Ulcerative colitis has been reported subsequent to administration of vitamin B6 and iron as dietary supplements, suggesting that these might be causative factors.

Treatment with Drugs
Standard treatment for ulcerative colitis depends on extent of involvement and disease severity. The goal is to induce remission initially with medications, followed by the administration of maintenance medications to prevent a relapse of the disease. The concept of induction of remission and maintenance of remission is very important. The medications used to induce and maintain a remission somewhat overlap, but the treatments are different. Physicians first direct treatment to inducing a remission which involves relief of symptoms and mucosal healing of the lining of the colon and then longer term treatment to maintan the remission.

Surgery
Unlike Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis can generally be cured by surgical removal of the large intestine. This procedure is necessary in the event of: exsanguinating hemorrhage, frank perforation or documented or strongly suspected carcinoma. Surgery is also indicated for patients with severe colitis or toxic megacolon. Patients with symptoms that are disabling and do not respond to drugs may wish to consider whether surgery would improve the quality of life.

Ulcerative colitis is a disease that affects many parts of the body outside the intestinal tract. In rare cases the extra-intestinal manifestations of the disease may require removal of the colon.

General
The initial diagnostic workup for ulcerative colitis includes the following:

A complete blood count is done to check for anemia; thrombocytosis, a high platelet count, is occasionally seen
Electrolyte studies and renal function tests are done, as chronic diarrhea may be associated with hypokalemia, hypomagnesemia and pre-renal failure.
Liver function tests are performed to screen for bile duct involvement: primary sclerosing cholangitis.
X-ray
Urinalysis
Stool culture, to rule out parasites and infectious causes.
Erythrocyte sedimentation rate can be measured, with an elevated sedimentation rate indicating that an inflammatory process is present.
Although ulcerative colitis is a disease of unknown causation, inquiry should be made as to unusual factors believed to trigger the disease. Factors may include: recent cessation of tobacco smoking; recent administration of large doses of iron or vitamin B6; hydrogen peroxide in enemas or other procedures.

I hope this has helped. I got all my info from Wkipedia. Fight through this, and please email me if you need someone to talk to. [e-mail]

Answer 2

my friend at work has ulcerative colitis and my brother has colitis. My friend has had it since school age and she is now in her 30's. She had to have surgery to remove part of her bowel but now lives a normal life without any bags or aids. She goes for annual check ups but apart from visiting the loo more frequently nobody else notices or knows at work.
My brother is in the first stages of diagnosis, he doesn't sound as bad as you but i hope that you can take comfort in the fact that after trying different levels of meds and altering his diet slightly he is the healthiest he has been in a long time. He too just goes for regular check ups.
Once you are through the first stages and your treatment is decided i think you'll find that your gut will calm down and adjust. As long as you eat healthy and look after your body with exercise there is no need why you shouldn't lead a normal life.
I hope that things settle down for you soon, i know how difficult, painful and embarrassing a bowel illness can be as i have severe IBS. Good luck x

Answer 3

hi, i don't know how helpful i can be, but my dad suffered with it last year at the age of 60 - unfortunately he died, but it wasn't because of the colitis - it was the septacaemia. i don't want to alarm you because he had a lot of things going against him - his age for one thing.
i have known of one one man living with Crohn's disease which affects the colon as well.
i think that as you are so young, you will be able to control it with medication etc. it sounds terribly unpleasant. my dad lost 5 stone in 3 months because he was always on the loo - not very nice at all. he was in pain but they gave him suppositories (a pill to go up your backside).
i don't think that they made a great difference though.
anyway, you didn't say why your health isn't very good at the moment. you have to live with this thing and try and work things out to a way that will suit you.
there are no known causes of this problem, unfortunately therefore, there isn't a known cure either.
being young puts you at an advantage - you could see them discover a cure for it.
i beleive it is rare that someone so young gets it.
i am sorry that you have got this thing, i know how unpleasant it will be for you but good luck and take care of yourself

Answer 4

I have never heard of this before now. I looked it up and read a little bit on it. I can't really answer your question. But i can understand what you are going through. I have been having some major problems with my stomach, bowels, and major indigestion. I go to see a specialist on the 26th. I do wish you all the best and I will keep you in my prayers.

Answer 5

Exercise and controlled food intake can help you much and lead a normal life.Be hopeful.Chance of death is not there.You can try some herbal /ayurvedic medicines for certain chronic cases.I know a good place where such treatment is given.You can get medicines over post also.
Your case/problems/details you send to
Swami Ramdev
Divya Yoga Mandir(Trust)
email
[e-mail]
website
www.divyayoga.com
Good Luck

Answer 6

I have heard of great success with diet. Also exercise stimulates the colon and digestion. Have they checked for a bateria or parasite? Maybe the good bacteria in your gut needs to be regulated. Try yougurt - plain with no sugar.

Answer 7

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Answer 8

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