u/Fine-Status5969

I’m newly diagnosed with ulcerative colitis and still trying to figure out what my “normal” is.

I was first diagnosed in April with left-sided colitis/proctosigmoiditis. I wasn’t taking any medication from April through June, and when I ended up in the hospital in June (I went myself because bleeding came back). Went through so many GI doctors from June to now.

my colonoscopy showed that the inflammation was limited to just the rectum/proctitis.

I’m now taking oral mesalamine, mesalamine suppositories, and mesalamine rectal suspension.

At this point, I feel really good. I have normal, formed bowel movements usually once every morning, and occasionally I’ll go again after I get home from the gym. I don’t have diarrhea, urgency, abdominal pain, or frequent bowel movements.

My biggest issue right now is that I’ve become OBSESSED with checking my stool for blood. I’m talking about literally inspecting it and even touching/breaking apart my stool looking for the slightest hint of red. If I see even the tiniest speck or slightly reddish area, I immediately start wondering if I’m flaring.

For those of you who have been dealing with UC longer: how do you actually know when you’re in remission? Do you eventually stop analyzing every single bowel movement? Can you still occasionally see a tiny speck of red and be doing well?

My doctor wants me to stick with Mesalamine before going on a biologic which I wanted to originally do in June. I am doing a calprotectin sometime in September (my Drs order) and we’ll go from there. My new IBD specialist said my case is strange and usually pushes for biologics but because of the healing from April-June without medication he wants to do another colonoscopy in October.

I’m leaving for my honeymoon in 2 days, and mentally this has really been taking a toll on me. I want to enjoy my trip instead of analyzing every bowel movement and convincing myself something is wrong. I’d really appreciate hearing how other people learned to trust their bodies again after being newly diagnosed.

I can never tell if it’s mucus from a “flare” or if it’s the mesalamine suppository residue left over that I put in this morning… no active symptoms .. have 1-2 bowl movements in the am. No stomach pain, fatigue etc.

Anyone else experience this? I am new to this medicine

Hi everyone,
I’m a 30-year-old male with a relatively mild case of ulcerative proctitis. Every time I’ve experienced rectal bleeding, I went straight to the ER and received treatment right away, so I’ve never had prolonged bleeding or gone weeks or months with active symptoms.

I completed a course of rectal hydrocortisone enemas, so the steroid acted locally, and I’m currently using mesalamine suppositories and mesalamine enemas.

My gastroenterologist doesn’t think Entyvio is a bad medication at all. His plan is to see how I do on the rectal mesalamine over the summer before deciding whether I need to escalate to a biologic, and I completely understand his reasoning.

The problem is that I’m honestly living in fear of another flare. Even though my disease is considered mild, I constantly worry about it coming back. I just got married and am leaving for my honeymoon from August 20th through September 2nd, so my anxiety has definitely been higher because I don’t want to flare while I’m away.

I’m considering asking my gastroenterologist again for his opinion on Entyvio because it’s gut-specific and seems to have a favorable safety profile.

I had a few questions for those of you with personal experience:
If you had a mild case like mine, would you have started a biologic, or would you have stayed on mesalamine as long as it was working?

For those on Entyvio, how has your experience been?
What do you consider the safest biologic for ulcerative colitis and why?

Did anyone experience side effects such as hair shedding/loss, acne, fatigue, headaches, weight changes, or anything else?

If you experienced hair shedding, do you think it was from the biologic itself, from the rectal hydrocortisone, or from the flare?

I also take Vyvanse daily for ADHD, and my gastroenterologist told me there are no interactions between Vyvanse and Entyvio.

I have been taking Nutrafol (for 5 years) and other vitamins because I try to stay on top of my overall health, and one of my biggest concerns is hair shedding. As a male, that’s something I really worry about.

I know everyone responds differently, and I’ll ultimately follow my gastroenterologist’s recommendation. I’m just hoping to hear real-life experiences from people who’ve been in a similar situation.

Thanks so much—I really appreciate any advice or experiences you’re willing to share.

Hi everyone,

I was recently diagnosed with mild ulcerative proctosigmoiditis and currently use Canasa (mesalamine) suppositories twice a day, in addition to taking oral mesalamine.

This morning I had a normal bowel movement before work. Then when I got home from work, I had another bowel movement and noticed some dark brown/orange/reddish-brown (rust-colored) mucus on the toilet paper.

I get constant anxiety every time I use the bathroom because I’m always worried I’m going to see blood or mucus. The hardest part is that I can never tell if what I’m seeing is mucus from a flare or just residue from the mesalamine suppository.

Has anyone else experienced this while using Canasa? Did the suppositories leave behind mucus or residue that made it difficult to know what was actually going on? How were you able to tell the difference?