What does diarrhoea feel like with ulcerative colitis?

Inflammation in the lining of the large bowel can make the rectum feel full even when there is little stool to pass. This may cause sudden urgency, repeated trips to the toilet, or a sensation that the bowel has not fully emptied. Symptoms can flare and settle, and tiredness or reduced appetite may accompany active inflammation.

Keep taking prescribed treatment unless your clinician tells you otherwise, and record stool frequency, urgency, blood, mucus, pain, temperature, and fluid intake. Drink regularly and choose foods you tolerate during a flare. Contact your gastroenterology team if symptoms are increasing or your usual treatment is no longer controlling them.

Seek urgent help for heavy or repeated rectal bleeding, severe or increasing abdominal pain, a swollen abdomen, high fever, faintness, confusion, or inability to keep fluids down. A sudden major change in bowel frequency with weakness can signal a serious flare and needs prompt assessment.

Ask how to distinguish a flare from infection, whether your medicines need adjustment, and which tests may check inflammation. Bring your symptom record and mention missed doses, recent antibiotics, travel, or contact with anyone who had diarrhoea.