Ulcerative colitis sounds painful, and it really is. It is just as bad as it sounds but in the beginning, you may not know you have it. Ulcerative colitis is a form of irritable bowel disease or IBD and it causes ulcers and inflammation in the lining of the large intestine and rectum. It is not the same as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) as that is characterized by how the muscles in the large intestine contract as there are irregularities with that.
Ulcerative colitis is similar to Crohn’s Disease whereas there are ulcers and inflammation all throughout the digestive tract in that case. If you are having bowel issues, there could be eight signs that you may have ulcerative colitis. What are the symptoms? Let’s talk about those now.
Diarrhea With Blood
It is not normal to have diarrhea as it is on a consistent basis which can be a sign of IBS alone. However, if you have diarrhea with blood or even pus, then that is a dangerous sign that there is a major complication. The blood or the pus is from the ulcers in the lining of the large intestine. If this is happening often, then you need to talk to your doctor as that is never normal.
Abdominal Cramps And Pains
Abdominal cramps and pains can be the result of any digestive issue. However, if it is constant and you are feeling the pain in your lower abdomen consistently, then you could potentially have ulcerative colitis. Keep an eye on your stools and if you have blood in diarrhea, then that is a dangerous sign right there.
Rectal Pain
If you are not necessarily noticing pain in your abdomen, you could have pain in your rectum and you may not know if you have hemorrhoids or not. The way you will know is if your stools are loose and bloody. A loose stool is not a sign of hemorrhoids.
Rectal Bleeding
If you are finding yourself wiping your rectum whether you have had a bowel movement or not and you are finding blood, you could think that you may have hemorrhoids. Especially if there is pain associated with the bleeding, or you may not have too much pain. Rectal bleeding can only indicate a fissure. But you can never ignore it and you could have ulcerative colitis even if you lack other symptoms.
Having The Urgency To Go All Of The Time
The discomfort and pain in your lower intestine will also cause you to feel you have to go all of the time even if you don’t. But if you are finding yourself having to find a bathroom all of the time and more often than not, you are not successful – then that is definitely not normal. This happens with IBS too which is why it is important to look at the other symptoms.
Weight Loss
If you have ulcerative colitis, you are not absorbing the nutrients well and if you are having a lot of diarrhea on top of that – you are losing calories. Therefore, you will lose weight. And if you add the other symptoms with weight loss included, then that is a strong sign you have ulcerative colitis.
Fatigue
If you are having diarrhea often, and you are also struggling to go to the bathroom – while you are not absorbing nutrients and calories, you will be fatigued. Fatigue can be the cause of many ailments. However, if you have the above symptoms in addition to fatigue, then you could have ulcerative colitis.
Fever
A fever happens your body temperature heats itself so the immune system is working extra hard. That is what is happening as well if an ulcer is infected in your bowel. You will want to look and see how many of the above symptoms you have as a fever on its own can be the cause for many ailments. A fever present is common with ulcerative colitis.
You do not want to leave ulcerative colitis untreated as it can be quite dangerous if you do. However, if you talk to your doctor and you are diagnosed with the condition, you can be helped and there are many treatments that will help you find relief and help your bowel return to normal. Don’t wait on it though.
