Attn: Gay men, Women. Ulcerative Colitis Misdiagnosis

Back in spring 2024 it all started with fever and knee pain. It was followed by a bulb, an internal haemorrhoid-like structure in my rectal area. One morning it busted and rectal bleeding started after that episode. I also had urgency, frequency. Usual UC symptoms.

Walk in clinic and urgent care doctors in Canada where I was working requested colonoscopy. GI who performed my colonoscopy dismissed all my concerns, never asked my travel and sexual history and diagnosed me with ulcerative colitis. Mesalmine, budesonide, prednisone didn't help. Same GI prescribed me tofactinib, Infliximab. This goes on for almost 1 and half years.

When Infliximab started failing, I started looking at other options including surgery. I was going through my first colonoscopy report from 2024 and I wanted to find the meaning of 'proctitis'. When I googled, I was getting results for STIs. I ran to a STI clinic. I tested positive for both Chlamydia and Gonorrhea in rectal swabs. I was treated for both. Night fevers immediately stopped but the urgency and frequency was there.

I didn't want to see the same GI. I travelled to Bengaluru, India for a second opinion. GI in Bengaluru performed colonoscopy again and confirmed that I was misdiagnosed. I had STI proctitis and SRUS (solitary rectal ulcer syndrome) from untreated STI proctitis. I am posting here, hoping this will help someone someday. This is not an isolated case. There have been several cases in Israel and one in Brazil.