Crohn's Disease & Ulcerative Colitis Support Group

Yeha, it can strike at ANY age... just most common in the early to late 20s...

I've had symptoms since I was 19, just diagnosed this past December right before I turned 24. Been in a flair for 6 years now... Seen 15 docs, had 6 misdiagnoses, and several thousand dollars in medical bills (no insurance + 3 hospital visits = sell soul to devil... j/k)

I'm sorry your young'in has it, that's going to be so tough for him... but at least you will be there to help!!!

Wow, seems like it all took a while to diagnose (save for the lucky few) !
My LB presented symptoms a month before he was two, it took 6 months and hospitilisation to diagnose him, he was told he had a recurring infection, a fissure, allergies, etc untill the gastro specialist saw him, within 5 min of his scope he was already diagnosed :-P
My hubby had more luck, becuase of our son being diagnosed we knew the moment the symptoms started what it was . . . just needed the scope to confirm !

What is bothering me the most about this UC is the LACK of knoweldge, and lack of support. I know asthma suffers and diabeticic children that have a worse time than my LB, but at least people and doctors understand what is going on with them, and there are so many support groups etc. With CD / UC there is no one out there, and when you explain to people what your (my son) has, they look at him like he is carrying some kind of infectious virus that could wipe the planet out.
FRUSTRATING ! ! !
I've been speaking, and searching and looking on forums, and I cannot find someone with UC the same age as my son, I've managed to find a CD suffer that is 12 years old here in SA, but she has different parts affected as my LB :-)

AT LEAST (this is a nasty thing to say) his daddy has the same thing, in some wierd twisted way he is not alone . . . though I must say it does make dinner VERY ineresting :-P

My nephew has what I call "exploding diarrhea." He just turned 2 and has had terrible diarrhea almost since birth. It's so bad that it spills out of his diaper constantly and burns his bottom. His father(my brother) has had problems for as long as I can remember. But nobody sees this as a big deal. And my brother refuses to see a doctor.

I often tell them that I have a disease which causes ulcers/lacerations the entire length of my digestive tract... they usually don't want more info than that, but its enough that they can imagine the pain and understand a little better.

I was 19 when I started getting symptoms.. diaganosed at 20..
i feel for your child, but its good that he has someone that understands and has what he has (his dad) and it sounds like he has a really awesome mom who is trying to whatever she can to help him..

people will always be ignorant, sometimes all you can say is that it is an intestinal disease that can be quite painful.. most people will leave it at that..

I started having symptoms when I was in middle school, so I was approx. 10-11 and I was diagnosed when I was 31 when I needed surgery. For years I was told I had IBS, boy were they wrong.

I quit smoking Oct 2008 hospitalized May 2009 with severe pancolitis UC at the age of 38. It was probably always there but quit smoking lit it on fire. Prior to this I actually thought I had IBS because I was constipated my entire life - 20+ a day was quit unnormal.

My sysmtoms started back in college.... in 1984 when I was 21. Now I am 46 and have tried all the meds and all the diets. Can't seem to get back into remission, so no I am seriously considering surgery.

Recently diagnosed at 20.

My symptoms came slow at first, for about two weeks and then hit me like I had a bad bacteria infection. After antibiotics didn't work, I saw a doctor and was diagnosed the day I saw him. Overall, I would say it was 1 month before diagnosing mainly due to being treated for what was thought a bacteria infection.