Hi All :)

Hi there
I'm Marie, I live in the UK and this is my story- in short!!

I have had Ulcerative Colitis for 11 years this year- 1 was diagnosed at 15, it has been a roller coaster of remission and flare ups ever since!
The dx itself was very stressful and I was even accused of pretending I had a problem to get my parents attention!!
I have tried almost everything as I am very keen to stay away from prednisolone whenever I can because of the long term risks. I have always battled to put on weight and at times feel very tired and old (lol) as I can't drink and live like a 'normal' 25 year old.
Does anyone else have family members with IBD? I obviously have a strong genetic link as 2 of my siblings have IBS and my younger brother was recently dx with UC and possibly crohns too can't explain how gutted I was for him, and how hard it was to see the incompetence of the hospital, he was extremely ill when he finally got dx and had already had 2 blood transfusions and was in hospital for 3 weeks before they gave him a colonoscopy!
So thats my story! (and my brothers lol)
I am keen to meet others in a similar situation so, please feel free to get in touch!

Hi Marie and welcome! I'm so glad you joined.

It always pains me to hear of stories where people are accused of attention seeking and the like. I'm so sorry you had to go through that I'm also sorry to hear about your brother.

Are you on any medications right now?

Again, welcome!

Hiya Marie
and welcome

There's no history of IBD in my family, just a fluke that I got it, dunno!
Have you tried the biologics, Infliximab or Humira? We have sub forums on both of these meds.
Glad you found us, get your bro to join us too!
Lotsa luv
Joan xxx

you've come to the right place for support and encouragement.hope you're having an ok day

Hello Marie and welcome to the forum :bigwave: No IBD's in my family although my nan, mum and sister all have back issues with arthritis and disk issues, I suppose my body thought it would buck the trend! There must be an age prejudice with certain docs out there as before I got officially diagnosed (shortly before my 17th b-day) one of the GP's wanted my mum to search my room for laxatives as they thought I was actually trying the lose weight....It sucks to hear that your brother also had a tough time of it, I agree with Joan about seeing if he would also like to come and have a look around.

Also curious about what meds you are currently on and how they are working (or not) for you?