Getting Diagnosed

I’m 34 and recently just started seeing a GI specialist in March to figure out what’s going on with my GI system.

I was wondering what people’s journeys/experiences were like when they were diagnosed with UC.

To try to keep this short, I started to become symptomatic with irregular bowel movements, abdominal and rectal pain, urgency to defecate and very very minimal rectal bleeding about 1.5-2 years ago, with symptoms starting mildly and worsening over that period of time.

I do have a family history of UC (my father), colon cancer in a grandmother and pancreatic cancer in a grandfather.

I had my first colonoscopy last month, which was overall normal with the exception of proctitis limited to the rectum - and even at that they called it mild.

The biopsy from this area showed active inflammation but no sign of chronic inflammation.

I just had my follow up visit with the Nurse Practitioner post procedure today.

Long story short they believe they have ruled out Crohn’s disease, cancer, and infection with the colonoscopy and blood work and a fecal sample.

Today, they said it’s unlikely UC because it did not show chronic inflammation on the biopsy.

My question is, how long did it take to be officially diagnosed from the onset of your symptoms, testing and diagnostics? Did it take multiple colonoscopies/biopsies over months to years to be officially diagnosed?

I will be very very happy if it’s not UC - and I am well aware that my symptoms are extremely mild compared to what I have read from the posts in this sub (my heart is with you all that experience severe symptoms!)

I’m just more so wondering if this could be very early stages of UC versus something completely different.

Many thanks in advance to any and all input!