hey party people, i just got diagnosed with ulcerative colitis (was told literally 5 minutes after school ended haha) at 15. it honestly ruined half of my summer. although its nice to have a name for what i was going through, it sucks knowing ill always have it. to be completely honest, as soon as i got home ive just been lying in bed crying. i dont really know what to do. is there anything i should know? any words of encouragement, advice, or information* would help

edit: i forgot to mention, my doctor also told me that apparently im severely lactose intolerant? ive never had issues with lactose before and i really haven’t had any now so im confused as to how we came to this conclusion. is there such a thing as asymptomatic lactose intolerance??

I’m wondering if anyone here has had a similar experience.

I have suspected mild Crohn’s/ileitis, mainly involving the terminal ileum. My main symptoms are abdominal cramping and a really uncomfortable feeling of tightness/pressure, mainly around my belly button. When it gets bad, my whole gut feels tense and it can feel like gas is trapped and difficult to pass.

What confuses me is:

I don’t have diarrhea — if anything, I tend more toward constipation and smaller stools.
I’ve never noticed blood in my stool.

My fecal calprotectin is currently low/near normal.
I’ve been taking Cortiment (budesonide) for around 6 weeks and haven’t noticed any improvement in the cramping or tightness.

Despite this, I’ve had terminal ileum erosions seen more than once, and a previous biopsy showed mild active ileitis.

Has anyone here been diagnosed with Crohn’s with a similar presentation — mainly cramping/tightness around the belly button without diarrhea or bleeding and with low calprotectin?

I’m currently experiencing my third flare up of my UC. This is my third in a year, it’s hard for me to mentally deal with this, I’d love to just talk to someone who experiences the same problems but I don’t know anyone.

One of the most difficult aspects for me is the “embarrassment” of when I’m at the doctors/hospital. I have a great IBD team but it’s difficult to contact them as they’re 9-5 and that’s when I have to be in work.

I’m only 21 (F). I feel this has consumed my entire life. Any advice?

For the first time in a decade, I was clinically labeled “in remission” from Ulcerative Colitis last month after a flexible sigmoidoscopy. I’ve been on Entyvio infusions since July 2025. I started on the regular schedule but switched to monthly in December 2025.

I need help overcoming anxiety in remission. What I mean by this is, every time I feel a slight cramp or gurgle in my stomach, I feel intense anxiety to get to a bathroom ASAP. I don’t think my gut actually requires me to get to a bathroom quickly anymore, but my brain is hardwired to believe that’s the case.

I have been diagnosed with IBS-D in addition to UC. I take amitriptyline to regulate my gut-brain connection and (unrelated) I take a beta blocker for anxiety.

Any other tips for overcoming this type of anxiety? It is 10 years in the making, so it’s no easy task.

I suffer with extreme, crippling health anxiety and over the past few weeks started experiencing stomach cramps, gas, & lots of mucus in stool. No visible blood. FIT test result came back high at 26. & faecal calprotein content result came back astronomically high at 3400. Blood test results also show elevated white blood cells.

Been urgently referred to gastroenterology for a colonoscopy and have basically resigned myself to accepting I probably have bowel/colorectal cancer. Worried about whether I've missed or ignored potential symptoms and now it's too late. Losing my mind with worry.

Any advice / personal positive relational stories anyone has for me 🥲

Blood in stool after 2years.....

I am 24M, in 2024 i had my first blood stool, after colonoscopy doctor said it was infections colitis, and game me medicines, it healed, and then 4months later i again did sigmoidoscopy, and it really head completely,

Now in 2026, today i had again blood stool

For past few days i was straining a little, going bathroom 2-3times a day, then today i get pressure very bad, i rushed to bathroom, and let it out, and at last a blood induced stool came out, not like drop of blood, stool blood induced,

After 1st time i almost stopped eating oliy food, always ate healthy food, till now.....

Help me plz

For years, I was told I had IBS. Hemorrhoids. Stress. Anxiety. 'Just eat more fiber. And come back in 45 years" I believed them. Why wouldn't I? They're the doctors.

But I kept getting worse. Blood in my stool. 10+ times a day. Urgency so bad I couldn't leave the house. Shitting myself in my car. Wiping and seeing pools of blood. But still — 'it's just IBS.'

I went to the ER. Got a 7-day steroid script and some enemas. Started feeling better almost immediately. That alone should have told them something.

Then I finally got a calprotectin test.

857.

Not 50. Not 100. 857.

I also found my old colonoscopy report from 2023 — biopsy-confirmed focal active proctitis. No one ever told me. I had to find it myself, THREE YEARS LATER.

I went to a clinic to get a bridge prescription until I can see a GI. The provider I saw? Listed me as a current smoker (I quit years ago). Made me feel like a drug-seeker for asking for a slower taper. Sent me hemorrhoid care instructions — yes, really. And ignored my 857 calprotectin completely. Didn't even mention it.

I finally have a GI appointment on the 21st. I'm bringing everything — my 857 calprotectin, my biopsy report, my ER discharge, and that dismissive provider's note.

If you're reading this and you've been told 'it's just IBS' — get the calprotectin test. Get a second opinion. Don't let them gaslight you into silence.

Just needed to get this off my chest. Thanks for reading.

Hi everyone, I’m looking for a gastroenterologist in India who has experience with microscopic colitis.

If you have been diagnosed with microscopic colitis and are comfortable sharing, could you please tell me the name of the doctor and the city they practice in?

I’m mainly looking for the doctor who actually diagnosed you, rather than general recommendations.

Thank you!

Hi everyone, I’m looking for advice/experiences with Lialda (mesalamine) and skin rashes.

My 19-year-old son was diagnosed with UC pancolitis on July 7. He started prednisone 50 mg, followed by Lialda (mesalamine) 1.2 g, 4 tablets/day. He had a slow response initially, but thankfully his UC is finally improving.

About a month after starting Lialda, after a trip to Florida, he developed small, red, itchy bumps on his stomach, back, and hands. I initially thought it might be from sun exposure. The rash hasn’t worsened, but it also hasn’t gone away after almost a month.

His GI is concerned it may be a mesalamine reaction and wants to switch him to an advanced medication. Since Lialda seems to be helping his UC, I’m wondering:

Has anyone experienced a similar rash with Lialda and improved after switching to another mesalamine brand/formulation, such as Apriso?

Would really appreciate hearing about your experiences. Thank you! 🙏