These are comments from Community readers. Collected in one material, carefully edited and formatted according to editorial standards
Among intestinal disorders three
: ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease and irritable bowel syndrome.
They are united by a number of symptoms, such as pain, bloating in the abdomen, diarrhea. And also – the fact that their causes are not exactly clear, and it is impossible to cure them completely.
Our readers told us what intestinal diseases they suffer from and how they affect their lives. Collected their experience in one material. Perhaps it will help those who are facing similar problems.
Go see a doctor
There are no recommendations for treatment in the article, only the personal experience of readers. Before deciding on treatment, consult your doctor. You are solely responsible for your health.
Disease #1
Ulcerative colitis
Recently discovered left-sided ulcerative colitis – an inflammatory disease in which ulcers appear in the colon. Prior to that, I suffered with my stomach for three years. I was constantly ill, doctors prescribed pills – that’s all. As a result, it got to the point that they were taken to the hospital in an ambulance and they immediately diagnosed it.
Treated for a week and sent home. They prescribed a mountain of pills, but I did not take them. I turned to a paid gastroenterologist, he prescribed Mesalazine anti-inflammatory tablets and Salofalk rectal foam.
At the beginning of treatment, she spent about 30,000 rubles a month on medicines. Now comes out 10 000 ₽ per month. It’s good that I have the opportunity to buy expensive drugs. I can’t imagine how people in the regions are treated, because there 30,000 rubles is a whole salary.
Now my stomach hurts from time to time, it upsets me a lot. I don’t want to go through the aggravation again. It was just terrible.
Medicines need to be taken for another two years. But I don’t want that long. The main thing for me is to remove ulcers. The rest I plan to adjust with nutrition, lifestyle and psychotherapy.
I have left sided ulcerative colitis. The disease developed gradually over two months. When there was blood in the stool, I went to the proctologist. Then there were colonoscopy, tests and a gastroenterologist.
Psychologically, I could hardly take it all out, since the disease arose when the child was eight months old. I had to urgently stop breastfeeding, the depression was terrible. A three-week trip helped – it was discharged.
Mezavant was prescribed for two months – an anti-inflammatory intestinal agent, so far without steroids. These two months will soon come to an end. Now the stool is with mucus, but without blood. Periodically continue to disturb the pain in the abdomen. I hope the treatment will be limited to taking Mezavant.
I have been living with ulcerative colitis for 19 years. She was not treated with anything: both prednisolone and sulfasalazine, she even had a transfusion due to a large loss of blood.
The nightmare started when I was 5 months pregnant. After treatment, there were eight years of a quiet life. Then the seizures began to return more and more often. Now I have already learned to live with this disease, I keep a diet.
Disease #2
Crohn’s disease
I have been diagnosed with Crohn’s disease since 2017. This disease is manifested by deep inflammation, which often affects the large and lower part of the small intestine. The cause of inflammation is autoimmune, that is, cells of the immune system attack the intestines.
In a few years, I managed to go through all the “charms” of this disease: stools with blood 20 times a day, mountains of prednisone, thrombosis of the legs followed by vein ligation, blood transfusion due to a drop in hemoglobin and two weeks of fasting – it was a know- how the local proctologist who treated me.
Finally, they prescribed Remicade, a drug that suppresses the immune system. He helped to achieve remission. I was lucky, if I may say so: I managed to get a disability during the period of exacerbation. Now I go every eight weeks to another city for hospitalization for the introduction of Remicade.
There is a person in my family with Crohn’s who has been misdiagnosed for five years. It came to a series of continuous exacerbations and severe weight loss. I was afraid that he would just die, it was so bad.
Doctors thought it was irritable bowel syndrome, not an inflammatory disease. They tried to treat me with antidepressants, but for five years they never gave me anti-inflammatory drugs – steroids.
Now steroids have removed severe symptoms. We tried an immune-suppressing drug called Humira. Did not help. Next in line is another immunosuppressant, Stelara.
Because of the large intestinal damage and scarring, they said that as soon as remission comes, it is better to operate and remove the scarred tissue. And he has not been able to go into remission for nine months.
Disease #3
irritable bowel syndrome
Since 2020, I have been suffering from IBS – a disease in which the interaction between the intestines and the brain is disrupted. Because of this, various unpleasant symptoms occur, such as pain, bloating, constipation or diarrhea. They are aggravated after stress and the intake of certain foods.
A lot has been spent on treatment. I passed all kinds of tests, bought medicines for several tens of thousands – so far nothing helps. I have already visited several gastroenterologists, the last of whom said that there may be problems with the gallbladder. Has appointed or nominated choleretic tablets.
Before that, I struggled with the symptoms. She underwent examinations – they found nothing except the remains of undigested food in the feces.
I noticed that the reaction occurs to carbohydrate foods, such as pasta, bread, absolutely all vegetables and some fruits, as well as yogurt and milk. I decided to temporarily eliminate all this from the diet and stick to a gluten-free diet. So far, little time has passed to draw conclusions, but bloating is already occurring less frequently.
I read a lot of information on the Internet and concluded that this disease is for life. You need to choose nutrition and treatment specifically for yourself. Other people’s recommendations do not help.
I was first diagnosed with peptic ulcer, then with IBS. Moreover, according to the MHI, they could not find an ulcer for a long time – they found it two years later in a paid clinic, when there were already two scars on the mucous membrane.
Now I select a diet and exclude foods that exacerbate the symptoms of the disease. I took into account almost everything, but sometimes I run into an unfamiliar product, which makes me feel bad. I save milk. Sports also help.
I have been suffering from IBS since 2013. As soon as I left the apartment, diarrhea began. There was a fear of leaving the house. I immediately assumed it was IBS. She began to be examined by a gastroenterologist and at the same time made an appointment with a psychiatrist. The doctors immediately said that I was their client.
When examined by a gastroenterologist, nothing critical, as is the case with IBS, was not found. I was in a day hospital in a psychiatric hospital. I was put on an antidepressant and diagnosed with panic disorder with agoraphobia. I don’t follow the diet now, because on the background of taking antidepressants, the intestines return to normal.
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2023-08-07 12:09:28
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