06/05/2026
“It’s not just an upset stomach”
This is the reality of living with colitis.”
Living with Ulcerative Colitis (often simply called “colitis”) is far more than just having an upset stomach.
It’s a chronic inflammatory bowel condition that can affect nearly every part of a person’s daily life—physically, emotionally, and socially.
đź’ Unpredictable and difficult to plan life around
One of the hardest parts is the uncertainty. Symptoms can flare up without warning, even if someone felt fine the day before.
For many, this can mean:
✨ Planning their day around toilet access
✨ Avoiding long journeys or unfamiliar places
✨ Feeling anxious about being “caught short”
đźš˝ Frequent urgency and bowel movements
During a flare, a person may need to use the toilet many times a day—sometimes 10–20+ times.
But it’s not just frequency… it’s the urgency.
✨ When the urge comes, it can be immediate and hard to control
✨ There may be blood or mucus present
✨ Passing very little, but still feeling the constant need to go (tenesmus)
This can feel both physically exhausting and emotionally distressing for a person to navigate every day đź’ś
