I am a 71 year old female. I was diagnosed with celiac sprue and microscopic collagenous colitis. With wheat free diet the diarrhea came under control. However in February all hell broke loose and I am still suffering from severe diarrhea and night time fecal incontinence with no relief in sight. I've tried Entocort, Pepto Bismol and at least two anti-diarrheas. I think stress must play a huge role in all this. I'm pretty much ready to just give up. All of my children live away as well as my dad and sister from me so I like to travel and visit them. I also like to travel with a group of friends and travel to take art workshops. I play a flute in a concert band and I want to keep doing these kinds of things. I keep telling myself hang in there. You'll make it through this as tears are streaming down my face and something brown streams down my legs.

I'm 56 years old and have always had a problem with constipation, even as a child. A few months ago, I started having severe pain in my right groin area. I went to the doctor and was tested, and the results showed "constipation and a thickening of the colon wall." I had a colonoscopy two years ago. I saw my GI doctor and had another colonoscopy. I was told had colitis and was given doxycycline for seven days.

I was having horrible pain in my stomach, and I had nausea and diarrhea that was basically all bright red blood. It was very scary so I went to the ER and they gave me a strong antibiotic and kept me overnight to keep an eye on my bleeding. After three days, it's getting better. If this happens to you, don't freak out. Get checked out and you should be fine.

1. I am 53 years old. I was first diagnosed with colitis around 10 years ago. I have a 33-year -old son that was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis around eight years ago. I am what they call indeterminate colitis, they don't know which I have. I live in a small town in central Wisconsin. I know of at least 30 people in our town with one or the other forms of colitis. I have tried with no success talking to my doctor trying to find out if it is environmental. I am trying to find out if this maybe a factor because I have two small grandchildren. My son and I have been on different forms of treatment that do get us into remission. Some work for him, others for me. One other thing I find weird is we both get many, many canker sores usually before a flare up and have been told it was not a colitis symptom. Our canker sores do not respond to usual canker sore treatments.

I have been diagnosed three times with colitis. I seem to go along for awhile and have halfway regular bowel movements. Then it starts up again, mostly diarrhea along with a growling stomach and chills. This is the most disturbing problem to have. I don't feel like I can go out the door for fear I will have a spell. It also depresses me and stays on my mind all the time. This latest episode has lasted for a couple of months and the doctor wants to do another colonoscopy. I am afraid they will find something worse. It is very upsetting.

I get a bad colitis attach every six to nine months. I'm completely drained of energy and I lose weight because of this ailment. I have been on courses of steroids and I'm taking anti-inflammatory tablets. I have to very careful of what I eat. I wonder if I will always have this ailment.

I am a 76-year-old woman and have just been diagnosed with lymphocytic colitis. I have had severe diarrhea for fifteen months and my Doctors have tried treating me for IBS, diverticulitis, and bacterial infection (after back surgery in Feb.) There was little pain, but a lot of gurgling and bubbling and I could feel the stool moving downward. No blood ever. Immodium and Beneiber helped some, but the medications given for the above conditions only gave me painful cramps. I changed gastroenterologists, had a colonoscopy and a diagnosis. A new medication was prescribed and I am waiting to see the results.