Dec 2010 -Feb 2011

It started out of the blue. Or should I say out of the red? I felt fine. But there was blood. Everyday. I first I thought it was nothing or it would go away. I felt fine anyway. Days passed quickly with the holidays and all. I made a doctor appointment but it wasn't until Jan. Blood continued everyday. I did some research  on the internet, but I really didn't think it would be anything serious.

My doctor confirmed that there was, indeed, blood. (duh) She did an exam and couldn't find any reason for it. Terrific, this means it couldn't be something simple like a hemorrhoid. She told me to see a GI.

I don't like male doctors. I found a female not too far and made an appointment. This brings us to the beginning of Feb.

I went in to see Dr. Martin. She, like all doctors, seemed rushed.  She confirmed my symptoms with me and the chart. She told me what she suspected (UC). She told me we needed a colonoscopy to confirm. I agreed, so we set it up.

 My Prep Fiasco

For the record, a colonoscopy is easy.  You get a shot, go to sleep, and wake up a little while later. No worries. Its the day before that sucks.You can't eat, which is no big deal, but  Dr M told me you have to have what they call a prep the day before. Its pills or a drink that turns your intestines into a water slide. Everything rushes out like a fire hose. But that's not the bad part. It's the pills/ drink you have to choke down to get the process going. She asked me which I prefer, the  2 liter drink I would have to down in less than an hour (twice). Or somewhere around 40 pills. I didn't know if I could take that many pills, so I picked the drink.

After looking at the size of the bottle, I was a little nervous about drinking that amount of liquid. I couldn't make up my mind, so I called the doctor back and asked for the prescription for the pills, too. Just in case. It's a good thing.
Never, never, never, never, never, never pick the drink. Thinking back on the worst things that ever happened to me this was the third worst thing. It was the worst thing I can imagine putting in my mouth. I would rather eat dog food, black licorice, liver....


So you fill this large container with warmish water, and mix in this powder. The container has 4 lines on it, and every 15 min you drink a portion. Well, I started to drink and gag. Fifteen minutes have gone by, and I am nowhere near the first line. And I can't make myself take one. more. sip.

So by now I am really behind schedule, because I have to have all of this done before a certain time, so it will have time to work, and I have to stop drinking before midnight. I run to the pharmacy and pick up the pills. By the time I get home, I am about an hour behind schedule. I start taking the pills, which was hard, but I wasn't complaining after that nasty disgusting salty sweet slime water. I just had a hard time getting all those pills down.

The Diagnoses

After the colonoscopy, Dr. M came in to say she suspected UC, but wanted a blood test to confirm. Plus she took biopsies, and needed the results. I went for the blood test right then, and we set an appointment for two weeks to unveil the diagnoses. Note on the blood test: only one lab in the country does it, and it costs $450. I am still waiting for my crappy insurance to kick in, but it looks like I am going to get stuck paying for it.

Now that I had a suspected culprit, I could start researching. So that's what I did. By the time I went back for my official diagnoses, I think I must have read hundreds of articles and forum entrees about UC.
I am not a doctor or an expert, but I did learn somewhat more that that pamphlet Dr M handed me when she told me I have UC.

And that was basically it. She rushed in and told me. She  immediately prescribed Predisone and Asacol. Told me that no one knows how you get this. Asked me if I had any questions as she inched toward the door. I asked about diet. She said I might want to avoid meat and maybe fruit in a shrugging sort of way. Then she said she would see me in 6 weeks.
Not.