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I was diagnosed with Colitis in 2008, right after my high school graduation. I had been having blood in my stool for about a month when I got diagnosed. Along with the blood, I was having intermittent spells of horrible abdominal pain (similar to menstrual cramps but 1000 times worse). Sometimes the pain leaves me completely paralyzed, I wont be able to move for at least 30 minutes, and then as quick as it came on... it's gone. 

 Reply posted for annagaede.

@Anna I think I hit abuse by accident when I went to hit reply for you. Sorry about that.

I just wanted to say in HS and college my stomach would be super loud during flares that the teacher and profs had to stop class. In HS my stomach was loud and my teacher thought someone was talking and I had to explain it was my stomach. But she was very understanding and even talked to me about not being scared for a colonoscopy.

In College my "friend in class" would yell at me about my stomach. She would be my best friend  except during my growling stomach. She would make gross faces and say she wanted to move. We had no assign seats so I told her to move or I would. The prof said we were interrupting class and asked what was going on. And she is like her stomach is making gross noises and I want to puke. And I said hey I have ulcerative colitis if it grosses you out please move away because it isn't going to stop with you complaining. She sucked it up and sat there. The prof was worried and thought maybe she had embarrassed me but I had told her that it gets old and I have learned to accept my condition and I don't care what other people think.

 Reply posted for copingwcolitis.

I am in my senior year of college and I was diagnosed a little less than a year ago with colitis and I'm also feeling the way you are. I cry about it many times and feel that people don't understand the pain. I might say that my stomach hurts and people just think its not that bad when in reality I want to curl up in a ball. I have never had a stable condition so I am constantly working my schedule around "what if I need to go to the bathroom?" I feel embarrassed telling teachers about it and some friends. I don't know anyone personally that has been through this and I think thats what makes it worse. I just don't know how to deal with it or cope either. There are days were I'm okay and some I just can't handle it. So I feel your pain. I think the best thing to do is find support through family and friends and maybe this website. thats what I've been doing.

 I was diagnosed junior year of college. I went to a service academy, and everyone told me that with my Crohn's I'd never be able to serve. Of course, that didn't make me too happy, so I was determined to prove everyone that they were wrong, that either I didn't have Crohn's or that even if I did, I didn't need any medicine to manage it. And I decided that I was going to question everyone, including my doctors. I kept telling them that I was fine, ignoring symptoms, being a total, um, witch, to absolutely everyone who was trying to help. Great idea . . . NOT. I still got medically retired, and I screwed myself over medically; I'm back at square, well I guess I'd call it more 1.5 than 1. I'm back on prednisone still looking for my stabilizing drug. Just started Azathioprine, so hopefully it will be the one! If not, well I've got a colonoscopy in Feb to look forward too! ;)
Your colonoscopy might show that it has gotten worse. But don't worry about it!  Now that you've realized that you have to take the meds, and work with your doctors everything is going to get better. Not all of a sudden of course, but I promise, things will look up. I still have symptoms; my doc and I just froze my taper at 25mg for prednisone because its flairing up again, but I feel SO much better than I did.  One thing I try to think about now is not whether or not I have the disease but about how I'm going to kick its butt.  You are going to kick colitis' butt. Don't stop questioning things, make sure that you get all the answers you want. This way you will be more comfortable with your treatment and be willing to keep at it because YOU understand it.  STAY POSITIVE :) :)

 Reply posted for copingwcolitis.

hey (=   ... I have crohns I am 25 and I've had it since I was 17 and its hard I still cry sometimes especially there days, im mad, im sad, confused, why me, I also went a whole year w/out treatment and got really sick because I was in denial,, and abt 2 months ago i stopped taking my Humira because i guess im just depressed, i've been reading abt crohns all day and Im going to go back to my Dr. and restart treatment,, I know my story wont uplift you but, dont feel diff,,its normal to be upset at times,, its like everything just change in your life w/out warning,, and thats hard.. so its ok... just 'DONT STOP YOUR MED'S"

take care (=

 Reply posted for copingwcolitis.

Hi, I know crohns is different than colitis, but i totally understand (i have crohns, diagnosed april 2010)  :)

I had trouble more with diarrhea and vomiting when i ate :P My advice is to just leave where u are, and either get by urself or in a really loud place if ur makin noises :D i have the same problem!! or take gas-x when u r feeling esp noisy.  what else?