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Ulcerative colitis - Carenity members tell their story

Published 18 Dec 2019 • By Baptiste Eudes

Being diagnosed with a chronic condition can turn a patient's life upside down. Read on to discover the stories of Carenity members living with ulcerative colitis.

Ulcerative colitis - Carenity members tell their story

Survey conducted in France, Italy, Spain, Germany, the UK and the US with 185 Carenity members.

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On average it takes 2 years and consultations with 2 doctors before a patient is properly diagnosed with ulcerative colitis.

Carenity members living with ulcerative colitis spent an average of 2 years to get a diagnosis. The symptoms they experienced were principally abdominal pain and blood in their stool.

Diarrhoea | Nausea| Fatigue | Weakness | Fever| Constipation Abdominal pain

All of the symptoms had an impact on patients' daily lives. Social life was particularly disrupted by the illness, as well as certain physical and leisure activities. But the worst aspect for most respondents was chronic fatigue.

fatigue  Chronic fatigue - 74%

sociale  Social life - 69%

temps libre  Leisure and physical activities - 66%

coeur  Love life - 59%

boulot  Work life - 57%

douleur  Physical pain - 57%

famille  Family life - 51%

 

The fact that our respondents waited on average of 2 years between the onset of their symptoms and their diagnosis, cannot be written off as simply a question of being misdiagnosed one or several times: 65% were not misdiagnosed before discovering that they had ulcerative colitis. Still, a few of them were misdiagnosed with the following conditions: 

Hemorroids| Irritable Bowel Syndrome | Chronic Gastritis | Stress | Chronic diarrhoea| AnorexiaAnal Fistula

 

Before being diagnosed, 38% searched for information on the Internet trying to find a diagnosis for their symptoms, and only 10% tried alternative medicine to treat their symptoms.

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Being diagnosed with a chronic illness can completely upend a patient's life. Everyone experiences the fact that an illness will be long-lasting in a different way: some are relieved to put a name on their illness and start treatment, others feel frightened or shocked. In the case of ulcerative colitis patients, the majority felt relief.

 

soulagement  It was a relief - 36%

brutale  It was a shock - 27%

attente  It wasn't a shock, I was expecting it - 25%

horrible  It was scary - 24%

rien  I didn't feel anything in particular - 12%

souvenir  I don't remember - 5%

 

The role of the health professional who delivers the diagnosis is extremely important. Sometimes, a patient didn't feel sufficiently listened to or informed, but others are grateful to their physicians for accompanying them in a difficult moment. For most Carenity members living with ulcerative colitis, their health care professional was seen as an ally. Most patients appreciated their physicians' gentle way of revealing the diagnosis to them.

pouce haut

My doctor:

51% - Very calm
49% - Took time to listen to me
28% - Empathetic
8% - Suggested some sort of emotional support

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My doctor:

19% - In a hurry
15% - Cold and distant
10% - Didn't seem to care
10% - Used complicated or overly scientific jargon

 

Following diagnosis, 36% of patients felt determined to fight the illness, 49% felt relieved to have a diagnosis and 15% felt confident about the future.

39% felt anxious, 23% discouraged, 19% alone, 22% lost, 17% angry. 18% felt misunderstood by the people closest to them. 

 

merci Many thanks to all the participants of this survey who took the time to share their experience to help improve depression diagnosis for other patients!

 

Do the results of this survey line up with your experiences? Why not share your own experiences with other members in the comments below?

Survey conducted in France, Italy, Spain, Germany, the UK and the US with 185 Carenity members living with ulcerative colitis

avatar Baptiste Eudes

Author: Baptiste Eudes, Health Writer

Baptiste specialises in managing online patient communities. He has a particular interest in the areas of health sports and the digital environment. He has 7 years of experience in these fields. 

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1 comment


bromley9
on 04/07/2020

Can anyone help I've had my first flare which put me in hospital. On low residue diet but need to go back to have sigmoidoscopy but am petrified and don't think I can go through with it. Though I've gone through so much stress in lockdown I've just lost my dad to bowel cancer my husband is recovering from heart attack and triple heart bypass now me with this all too my my anxiety is through the roof can't sleep and working myself up about this procedure. Ct scan revealed inflammed and thick and colon on the whole of left side. Feel poorly can't deal with it all I need some advice

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