I had Ulcerative Colitis for almost a year and a half. Then I had my entire large intestines removed in a procedure called a colectomy. The name Ulcerative Colitis sounds so definitive doesn’t it? It’s a fancy way of saying that the large intestines is inflamed and has ulcers in it. The ulcers in the colon actually bleed. The bleeding itself isn’t painful, but the swelling and sometimes spontaneous spasms of the large intestines can be quite painful. Ulcerative Colitis is in actuality a syndrome, they do not know the root cause of it. There are many theories. Some in the medical field refer to Ulcerative Colitis as an autoimmune disease, one in which the body attacks a part of itself for no apparent reason. Other theories include that it may be caused by a bacteria or some type of a virus. I personally side with the bacteria theory, because if the body were fighting itself it seems to me that antibiotics would have no effect on it. In fact when I was on flagyl (metronidazole) for a few days I became deathly ill. Certain foods became difficult or impossible to digest. Digestion really doesn’t occur in the colon, so this to me says the problem could actually be rooted further up in the digestive tract. The theory of the immune system causing a problem doesn’t hold up really well in other ways, like the fact that the white blood cell count stays normal and a fever in not present. Feel free to post your comments and experiences you have had. I also take nutritional supplements to keep my body strong and healthy. http://www.homehealth.usana.com/ I have my on my story at that website.
