Perhaps the most outstanding symptom of colitis is the consciousness of having a “stomach,” as the entire abdomen is poetically referred to by the average person. This consciousness may vary from a sensation of having “butterflies” in the stomach to severe abdominal pain.

Usually the abdominal pain is most intense in the left lower portion of the abdomen, however, it may be generalized that is, it can occur in any portion of the abdomen or diffusely over the abdomen. As a rule, it is not a sharp, stinging pain, but more of an ache. At times this is supplemented by a feeling of colic, or sharp pain.

Not infrequently the pain occurs right after a meal. In this instance, confusion may occur in establishing a diagnosis, since there are other things, such as ulcers, which also give rise to pain at a varying length of time after meals. In many cases, there is also an associated feeling of heartburn which leads the patient, and sometimes his doctor, erroneously to suspect stomach ulcer.

Of course, it is entirely possible that both conditions exist at the same time, in fact, in some cases of long continued colitis, this does occur. After all, the colon is part of the same tube, of which the stomach and small intestines are a part, and reflexly a disturbance in its function will bring about a disturbance in the function of the upper parts of this same tube. Fortunately, however, this does not occur in more than one out of ten cases, a fact which emphasizes the logic of correcting the colonic disorder before other reflex disturbances result.

Perhaps the first thing noticed by a person suffering from a form of colitis, aside from pain and discomfort, is that his bowel movements have become smaller in size and that, not infrequently, pain occurs at the time of the bowel movement. This pain lingers sometimes for hours after the actual movement. It is very often accompanied by a sense of extreme exhaustion.

These later symptoms are due largely to the intense spasm which occurs along the whole lower portion of the colon. Indeed, this spasm may become so intense and prolonged that it is possible to feel the tube-like structure of the colon right through the abdominal wall. I do not recommend this as an experiment for curious laymen, but merely to explain what your doctor is looking for when he palpates or feels the abdomen.

Of course the stools themselves change both in character and in frequency. Mucus, varying in amount, is found with most stools; indeed, in many cases the entire stool is just one mass of mucus. Sometimes this mucus coagulates along the walls of the colon and comes away all in one piece in what is known as a “cast.”

This is an alarming feature to most persons, since they feel that part of their colon has been shed. However, it is not nearly so serious as it appears to be to one unfamiliar with these matters. It merely represents tangible evidence of the extent to which the character of the secretions of the colon is being altered by the process of inflammation.