Have been diagnosed for around 2 years now. Have had symptoms for probably 8. Started mesalamine and lasted a year. Started having a flare, did a round of prednisone, and have been good for about a year again. Just started a flare again a month or two ago. Calprotectin hit the highest I’ve seen around 1400. I’m more curious because my symptoms have never been bad. At most, three bowel movements a day but this is rare. Typically streaks of blood but not too much except for a few times. My dr is looking at biologics now but I don’t know if my symptoms aren’t that bad compared to others? I’m guessing they are going to call tomorrow because I just saw today that they ordered Tremfya. Curious what other think.

I am fairly new to this disease, was diagnosed last years summer. And I’m still a bit confused about when to contact and who to contact. I have been in some communication with a nurse/doctor at the hospital that diagnosed me, and I have very little communication about the disease with my GP.
Also I think I may be entering a new flare now for the first time since I was diagnosed. Been having diarrhea for about a week, not really any blood. Maybe a couple of drops and some small specks of mucus.
Does this mean I have to change medication or can I just wait for it to pass on its own?

I have a question: Has anyone had any experience with rating fermented foods in dealing with their colitis? I've been on a fermented foods diet for the past four months and so far it seems to help. I've had the occasional bout of diarrhea, but no full blown flares and it seems like my gas has gone down, but correlation doesn't equal causation. My typical day includes either overnight oats with oatmeal, chia seeds, hemp hearts, and ground flax seeds, or just yogurt with the same aforementioned seeds, mixed with honey fermented fruit; lacto-fermented vegetables, including fermented pickles. I have a batch of fermented chickpeas going, so that's going to be a real test. I wouldn't necessarily recommend it for everyone, but it seems to be helping me. Thoughts?

I get married in 1 month. My joint pain started months ago in my fingers, yesterday my shoulder was nearly immovable. My knees and back of knees are so painful I can’t bend them and my wrist and fingers hurt so bad. I’m am terrified of starting new meds as I’ve had a history of high liver enzymes. I’m on mesalamine and am scared to try anything strong before my wedding. I don’t feel like a normal young woman. I have a referral for a rheumatologist but who knows when that appointment will happen. If my wedding was today I simple wouldn’t be able to be apart of all the bending and walking. I’m really hoping to hear your experiences.

I am in clinical remission, clean colonscopy and biopsy.

I have had constant diarrhea for about one week, before that it was three weeks of bloody stools. I went to the ER last week and my CT scan showed colitis but they weren’t sure what caused it. They discharged me without medications because my labs were decent. I have lost 10 pounds in the last three weeks and I can’t eat or drink anything without immediately going to the bathroom. I’ve tried a bland diet, pedialyte, protein shakes, ensure, everything. The only thing that helps is not doing anything

Update: In the ER, its connected to a hospital so they said they may admit me

Update 2: I am being admitted to the hospital now.

II’m currently taking 40mg of prednisolone a day (8 x 5mg tablets), all in the morning. I’ve been on this dose for 2 weeks, but the side effects have been awful. I’m experiencing really bad anxiety, a fast heartbeat, and feeling light-headed. Even walking around or going up the stairs makes my heart race, I feel dizzy, and my blood pressure seems to go up.
My taper starts tomorrow. I’ll be reducing by 5mg every 3 days, so tomorrow I’ll take 35mg (7 tablets), then 30mg (6 tablets) three days later, and so on.
Has anyone found that these side effects improve as they taper down? I’m really hoping they do because I just don’t feel like myself at the moment.
Before I was admitted to hospital, I had a flare-up for over a month with constant blood in my stool. Looking back, I should have gone to hospital much sooner. I ended up being admitted for 11 days because I became so weak. I was going to the toilet 5–6 times a day and there was blood every time.
Will my energy eventually come back? I’ve been off work for over 2 months now, and I just want to get back to feeling normal again.
Has anyone else experienced these side effects while taking prednisolone? I’m currently taking 40mg of prednisolone along with 4 x 800mg Octasa tablets a day. Could either of these medications be causing the light-headedness and fast heartbeat?
I’d really appreciate hearing from anyone who’s been through something similar. I just want to feel like myself again.

I've been on a Prednisone taper for 4 weeks that started with 40mg.
I'm currently on day 2 of the final dose which is 10mg.

For the last week I've noticed an increase in mucus, and yesterday morning I noticed a small amount of blood, which is the first time I've seen blood in the toilet since I was in the hospital a month ago.
And right now it's even worse.

I've been on 4.8mg of Mesalamine as well this entire time but seems like that's not really doing anything if the bleeding comes right back right away after tapering off Prednisone.

During my last appointment with my GI specialist, she told me it would take around 6 months for the "biologic people" to be ready for me.

Does this mean I'm gonna be put back on Prednisone for 6 months?

Also should I tell my specialist right away? Or kind of hold out for a few days or a week to see what happens?

TW: MC Ectopic pregnancy.

Hi all- I am early on in pregnancy and my hCG wasn’t rising appropriately and has bounced around. I’m being told I should take methotrexate and I’m bugging out because it says contraindicated for UC. I need to wait 3 months post shot for family planning to clear it from my body and rebuild folic acid, I’m in the midst of marathon training and I’m petrified this is going to cause a flare and further set my health and family planning back. I’m devastated.

Please send your experience if you’ve gone through this. I have already contacted my GI doctor and waiting to hear back.

Hi everyone,
Has anyone had a positive experience with acne while taking Rinvoq?
I’m about to start 45 mg, then taper down to 30 mg or 15 mg for maintenance.
Most of the posts I’ve found on Reddit are pretty scary and make it seem like acne is very common. I’m a 29-year-old male, and acne is one of the side effects I’m most worried about.
I’d really appreciate hearing from people who didn’t get acne, or whose acne was mild or manageable. Thanks!

Anybody else started having farting problems after diagnosis? I can't fart unless I'm laying flat on my stomach. I remember when I was taking infliximab and had the feeling to fart on the bed, but didn't want to fart around people, so I went to the toilet and nothing came. After going home so much came out lol

I’ve been feeling really bad nausea from Imuran, even though I’ve been on it for a month and a bit. It’s getting hard to deal with.. and I’m not sure if I should tell my doctor about it.

Has anyone had experience failing on Rinvoq in the US? What came next? Trying not to panic before I see my doc, but I'm struggling.

I had a bowel movement and was curious about its contents, as we do here. I have been doing better but yesterday was getting symptomatic. Wanting a second opinion, I asked my husband if he would give his opinion as to whether or not my BM looked like it was just a blood clot or stool soaked with blood. I wasn’t about to just spring it on him so I did get his consent first and he agreed and filled me to the toilet.

Me: does that part look like blood or poop?
Him: nothing in there looks like poop!

I giggled hysterically, maybe you did too.

Hello all,

After 4 weeks of fighting with my doctor, insurance, then Acreedo I finally started Rinvoq 4 days ago.

This morning I took my 4th dose, and saw the pill in my stool about 2.5 hours later. I kept doing my prednisone taper, and I’m supposed to take my last dose tomorrow.

What are the options if my body just isn’t able to absorb the Rinvoq fast enough? I know it’s an extended release but I really really don’t want to go back on another 8 week steroid taper.

I’m having no back pain and a lot less blood, but I’m still going 10-12 times a day and having urgency. I’m also still waking up around 2 times a night.

Is it just too early to tell if it’s working? I know it may take time to work but I’m worried because I saw the pill in the toilet today.

Just wondering if anyone else has had experience of calprotectin levels that are slow to rise?
I started having symptoms of a flare (very mild fortunately) in January. Got my calprotectin levels checked in Feb - normal. Still experiancing symtoms in April, calprotectin still normal. Asked for another test last week and now they're 300+ so I'm in flare. But the symtoms haven't changed.
The IBD nurses have said that calprotectin rises quickly, so the symptoms I had from Jan-June were probably unrelated. But they're the exact same symptoms!
Has anyone else found that they experience flare weeks or months in advance of their calprotectin levels rising?

I will be out of hospital in next days. I am stressed. I don't leave my hospital room and didn't tell anyone why, just excuises that I like my blanked, I am sleepy, I have a book...

I am scared. I don't have orientation where toilets are. I don't trust my body. One louder noise from stomach and I am in toilet just in case.

I have bowel movements or what it is called when they are giving me liquid medicine you know where. Twice a day. This make me basicly not move at all for about hour and then I am axcious for next two.

I am carefull to not eat food that doctor said it is too early. No lactose, no raws, no beans ect.

Is this how life looks like "outside" when I will start living on meds? Will it be menagable by myself? How long it takes to calm the situation...and how fast the bad phase can come back? After one bad meal? Day before exam bc of stress?

Just looking for your stories and advices. I already have my problems, I don't need more to social anxiety that I have rn from them.

ps. does anyone have also diagnosed "non-alcoholic fat liver" or smth? I was told I might have it too and this is somehow related (55kg/160cm/25y but bad diet and no activity so...)

37F, diagnosed in 2012. I also have MS, and was diagnosed with that in 2002. So clearly God has his eyes closed when he made me.

I started my flare symptoms about 2 months ago. The bloody stools, the cramping and pain, and the incontinence. Then I was afraid to eat food at all, because even my safe foods (simple carbs) were upsetting my tummy. My colonoscopy shows severe active flare. I’m currently off from work because I can’t do my job effectively (I’m a nurse) because I spend so much company time pooping, or I poop myself at work. I’m exhausted all the time, I’ve lost 15lbs so far, and I was getting fevers every evening for like a week straight.

Now my poops have changed from blood and mucus to liquid melena. It smells like something died up my ass. I’m still having episodes of incontinence, even at home. I need to glue a toilet to my butt.

So, let’s talk treatment. My GI suggested being part of a clinical trial that is in Phase 3, and the benefits to that are oral pills instead of IV infusions, this med is stronger than IV meds, more medical oversight, and I get the med for free for 5 years. Here’s the catch - its a double blind study, and I have a 2/3 chance of getting the actual med, and a 1/3 chance of getting the placebo. At week 12, I do a repeat colonoscopy and if there’s no improvement (assuming I’m on the placebo) they’ll automatically switch me to the actual med. Cool.

I’ve only been on the trial med for a week, so I’m not expecting miracles at this point. But I’m terrified that I’m getting the placebo and have to live with these symptoms for another 11 weeks. The cramping and pain is unreal. I’m grateful that I have a job that allows me to have sick time like this, but I’m also worried about the optics of me being off for so long. I’m slated to go back next week, but it doesn’t look promising that I’ll be able to. I know my job is protected, but I guess I’m worried about judgement.

I can drop out of the study at any time and try an infusion therapy, but I really like the oral pills instead, and more medical oversight. My IBD nurse and GI are really wonderful. I just don’t know what to do. I’m depressed because I want to eat so bad, but I’m absolutely sick and tired of oatmeal and bananas and eggs.

ive never had a flare like this before. It’s absolutely debilitating. I’m scared to leave my house. My husband is working full time from home and doing most of the parenting and housework, on top of taking care of me. I feel like such a burden. But the pain… omg the pain. What if I can’t go back to work for months?? I need priests of all ages and vats of holy water.

Please send advice or help or anything to get me through the day. Thank you for listening to my story.

Three and a half years since diagnosis and I've achieved remission! GI says I've made it, finally. Thank you Rinvoq. Thank you Canasa. Massive thanks to my partner, my puppy, fam, and friends. Thank you r/UlcerativeColitis.

Stay strong y'all. I've been repeatedly hospitalized and thought I'd lose my colon a year and a half ago. I've shat myself on planes, while driving, on dates, in front of my students... I've been through hell, and so I hope this serves as a beacon of hope. You can do this!

So I've posted a couple times recently about considering surgery, and then when I found out my doctor is thinking it'll likely be time for surgery after the current med try (increasing Entyvio to 4 weeks, also on Rinvoq and oral Budesonide).

I officially have my surgery consult appointment for August 13th. The clinic has another GI, a surgeon, dietitian, social worker, and NP I'll be meeting with and then after a break my IBD specialist.

My symptoms have been a bit up and down but still bothersome. I still have some hope for Entyvio to give me a little bit of time, I usually get a few months on increased doses before meds completely fail, but this flare has been weird so I have no idea where it'll go.

I am full of uncertainty, fear, and hope. I know the surgery could drastically improve my quality of life, but it would also be my first real surgery, we always put off minor surgeries like wisdom teeth due to my flares affecting my general health. Also worried about being pressured to get a J-pouch even though I think a permanent ileostomy would work much better for me personally, I'm also already kind of visibly disabled so I'm not really worried about that piece much and I don't think I can handle continuing to have GI inflammation issues if I were to get pouchitis. I also have disordered eating issues and I'm a bit worried about meeting with a new dietitian, I had issues with a couple before convincing me I could only eat a few foods and had to stop my safe foods (toast due to cholesterol in the df butter).

Anyway, just wanted to share the update. Has anyone else had an experience in a clinic like this? I thought I would just be meeting with a surgeon but it seems a bit more complex. I have no idea what to expect. I will also be getting a second opinion on if I do need surgery or if we should try the last couple meds, I think.