New here...Have some questions...

Hi, everyone. I'm new here! I'm a seventeen-year-old girl from PA. I came here after searching google for ulcerative colitis support groups. Honestly I've been to a gastroenterologist and was put on Cymbalta for nausea in the mornings. However, I haven't been back there for four months and I feel like I'm starting to get a lot worse. So I just need some advice. After doing some symptom searches for any help, I came up with ulcerative colitis.

I guess it would help to tell you all a little bit about me. Like I said, I'm fairly young; I'll be a senior in high school this fall. My health history is complicated to say the least. I was diagnosed with reflex sympathetic dystrophy in 2008, which is now in my knees, hips, ribs, fingers, and head. It started as manageable pain and is terrible to deal with by now. It's not just my muscles anymore. It's now in my joints. Besides that, I've never had a happy tummy. I find it impossible to eat breakfast and as of late, I've been getting episodes of diarrhea through the day. This can be bloody and mucous-like but not every time. Not a very good feeling, which I'm sure most of you can understand. I know that frequent diarrhea and joint pain is common with UC. I also have a problem with a distended belly. Only after I eat though. In fact, I'm pretty small at 4'11" and I've never really noticed before a month or two ago. But now I'm really suffering. Anyway. I don't know if this forum has a "tmi" thing or not, so I'll leave it at this for the time being.

Oh, I should also note that I have various other autoimmune disorders. Doctors aren't really interested in looking into how they all fit together, but if I get a formal diagnosis of UC (I've been told I'm a celiac but I don't feel better with the diet) maybe it'll light a fire under them. That would be nice.

So I guess what I'm asking is: does this sound like something that could fit the criteria for UC? Does it seem like I have a good enough reason to return to the gastro? Any recommendations as to diets or anything else? And if you want, share your story I'll be happy to read them and chat! Thank you all

Hi Norelief17 and welcome to the forum!

Could be UC or Crohn's. Main thing that pops up is the bleeding. That's not listed as a side effect of Celiac disease (neither is mucus). Even if you aren't bleeding everyday, its still a very important thing to get under control so I'd contact your GI asap. If they don't take you seriously then you'll have to get a second opinion from another GI.

Keep us posted on what the GI says.

Edit: For diet, I'd only go on one during a flare and would usually follow the BRAT (bananas, rice, applesauce and toast) diet. Its basically a low sodium, low fat and low residue diet. Baked skinless chicken breast or white fish and steamed veggies. No spicy or fried foods etc. It wont cure you or anything but it may help lesson the pain. If you truly can't handle gluten then substitute with whatever you can tolerate.

Have you had a colonoscopy yet? It's not a pleasant experience, but it is necess. to properly diagnose because all these different conditions have very similar symptoms but they need to be treated differently to be truly effective. Talk to your G.I. about this and I hope they are able to find out what is exactly wrong soon so you can get to living a better pain free life.

Any more questions, don't hesitate to ask, plenty of people on here are glad to help.

Hey! This is a great place to get support and help with anything related to the disease. I see you're from Pittsburgh. I drive there like every other week to visit friends, i love the place. Trying to get a job there and move there but have been unsuccessful so far.

Anyways I was diagnosed rather young like you going into my senior year of high school, It was horrible. I had to give up playing any sports that year due to it and it made for a miserable senior year. I have been on many diff medications to help with it but none have been perfect yet. Still trying to get back to 100%, but I don't let that get me down. I stay positive through all of it. (Being sad never helped anybody).

I found these forums about 4 years ago and they have helped tremendously. Whenever I would need help I would come here and it would be solved within a week. I went through college with crohns's not being so good also. I had probably the best a wildest college experience ever, I did not let crohn's stop me from having the best 4 years of my life. I just graduated so now have to grow up....but I don't see that happening hah.

Anyways theres a quick overview of my story! I hope you get better and hope these forums can be a place for support!

Thanks for the quick responses I told my mom (she was NOT happy that I never told her) and she's making an appointment with my GI on Monday. Chances are, either I'm getting an endoscopy or colonoscopy. Nerve-wracking to say the least since I have no idea what to expect. It's also kind of scary because chances are he's not going to be able to put me on meds. I take too many now for my allergies and Hashimoto's and head (my bus driver wrecked our bus in Dec and I ended up with a spectacular concussion that refuses to heal). But I want this solved and fixed because I have had the worst high school experience. All I want is one year where I can smile and honestly say I feel good. You know? It's upsetting that I'll have to remember high school being so painful. Plus I have a phobia of public restrooms so I don't know how I'll fare with diarrhea if I have to wait it out.

The problem with diet for me is that I'm not supposed to eat gluten and I'm incredibly picky. The strangest things make me gag. Not being bratty. Textures seriously bother me. My doctor called me a "super taster". I guess that is a thing now or something, haha So my options are limited. But for the first time, I'm going to demand that this problem gets diagnosed because I will not sit around and wonder what's happening to my body anymore. I'm sick of that.

Thanks again. Even though it wasn't a big reply, that's perfectly fine and I'm glad I found this website

Edit: guess I should note that the doctor who's keeping track of my concussion and neck problems is the one who doesn't want me on extra meds. Some of the ones I'm on now are killer and I'm not sure if mixing would be awesome.

Hi there and welcome

Based upon your symptoms, make absolutely sure that they are going to perform at the least, a colonoscopy on you.

Please keep us updated. We're here for you!