Hi, I just want to share the roller coaster ride my life has been for the last year.
I am the 32y-old very proud mother of a delightful 8m old baby boy. I was diagnosed with Ulcerative Proctitis last year when I was 20 weeks pregnant. The gastroenterologist performed a Flexible Sigmoidoscopy as a Colonoscopy is contra-indicated during pregnancy. Shock and horror! I have never been sick in my life and now this weird chronic disease! The gastro prescribed a 6 week course of Prednisone, which at first I did not want to take for fear of harming my unborn baby. After a long discussion with my GP (also a woman and mother) I succumbed. I was also put on a maintenance dose of a Asacol suppository once daily. My symptoms (chronic diarrhea and rectal bleeding )immediately disappeared and I felt great during the rest of my pregnancy.
When baby was 6 weeks old I started having severe stomach cramps and diarrhea. Two doctors diagnosed food poisoning even though I told them about my chronic condition. After a week of having this symptoms another GP sent me for a CT scan. An hour later I was being prepped for an emergency operation! I had a colon intussusception and ended up having my appendix and a quarter of my colon removed. So, after bravely giving normal birth I still ended up with a 20cm incision over the length of my stomach! According to the surgeon the intussusception had nothing to do with my UC, but I still wonder. My husband and baby were wonderful during this crisis. I was still breastfeeding and my husband and parents brought my baby into the hospital for feeds during the day. At night he happily took a bottle. After being discharged it took me about a week to return to exclusively breastfeeding again. I was still not allowed a colonoscopy as 3 months had to pass to ensure proper healing of my colon. Almost 3 months later I woke one morning with severe abdominal pain and bloody diarrhea. I was admitted to hospital again with having an intestinal infection and received intravenous antibiotics which fixed me up in 2 days. I had lost a lot of weight and felt weak and tired and decided to stop breastfeeding. At last I could go for a proper colonoscopy and was subsequently diagnosed with having Total Ulcerative Colitis. I took a 9 week course of Prednisone to heal the flare and have been taking 800mg Asacol tablets thrice daily since then. I have been symptom free for the last 3 ½ months and am hoping that I can maintain this remission. I consulted a dietician and am following a diet high in soluble fibre, while trying to cut out all insoluble fibre.
Wow, what a year it has been! We were blessed with the easiest, happiest, most perfect baby boy in the world. And on the other hand I am trying to come to terms with the fact that I am not the healthiest person I know anymore...