Discouraged

Today, it's just been another one of those "down" days.  Things are steadily improving with my "UC", but the medication is still wreaking havoc on my body.  Thanks to the wonderful combination of medications, my sleep cycle is in complete chaos and even though I'm going off of the Prednisone in a couple of days, the side effects are still there.  Today, I got yet another side effect... Thrush.  My tongue feels like it's wearing a jacket made of white porcupine fur.  This one comes courtesy of my compromised immune system, and quite honestly, it's the last thing I needed.

This whole journey has been more difficult than I ever imagined it would be.  Every day or two, there seems to be another little issue... pain is still there and to combat the pain the doctor prescribes medication that makes me sick, the burning butt syndrome still occurs on a daily basis, now I've got thrush, what's next? Double vision?  Hearing loss?

But I complain too much.
Or I don't complain enough.
Or I don't complain to the right people.
Or something.

For my own edification, I need to do a little recap of the situation as it has unfolded.

1. I was having bloody diarrhea and severe stomach pain.
2. My wife called my GI doctor.
3. The GI doctor didn't have any appointments available for 2 weeks.  Instead of sending me to one the other doctors in his group or recommending another course of action, Without even seeing me or requesting labwork or samples of anything (blood, urine, stool, etc.), he just prescribed 2 antibiotics (Flagyl and Cipro). which I foolishly took as prescribed.
4. The doctor also told me to be on a clear liquid diet for 2 days, then transition to a fully liquid diet for two days, then move to a low-fiber diet.
5. The Flagyl and Cipro made me sicker.  In addition to the bloody diarrhea and severe stomach pain, I also had the added joys of of extreme fatigue and nausea.    
6. At some point, only a few days after the move to a low-fiber diet, I got a call from the doctor's office telling me to go on a high-fiber diet.
7. After 10 days, I finally saw the doctor.  He ordered no labs (no blood work, no stool samples, no nothing), he just gave me a quick exam and ordered a colonoscopy the following week. At this point, I took it upon myself to switch to a bland, anti-inflammatory diet.
8. I had a colonoscopy.  While I was in recovery from the procedure, the doctor came into the room and told me that I had C-Diff.  My wife asked how he knew it was C-Diff.  He said, "I saw it." and prescribed another round of Flagyl, Asacol, and a course of Prednisone (4 weeks, starting at 40mg/day working down to 10mg/day).
9. I did some research on C-Diff and learned that it is contagious.  Thousands of people pass through the halls of my workplace on a daily basis.  In an effort to avoid infecting others, I stayed out of work until it could be confirmed that I was not contagious. 
10. 4 days after my colonoscopy, my doctor finally ordered lab work: blood tests and a stool sample.
11. The stool sample was tested for C-Diff.  It came back negative.  So basically, I missed over a week of work because I thought I might be contagious and it turns out, I was never contagious to being with and could have at least worked half-days.  grrrrrr.....
12. The pain continued.  I saw the doctor again and he revised his diagnosis.  Instead of C-Diff, he said I have Ulcerative Colitis.  He told me to continue with the medication as prescribed and to take Vicodin up to twice a day for pain if needed.  Additionally, when I asked him about diet plans, he refused to give me any concrete answers. He said something to the effect of "some people have a high fiber diet, and some people have a low fiber diet, and some people avoid meat and some avoid vegetables and fruits".  Basically, without saying these words, he said "I'm not going to accept any responsibility for that.  So I'm not making any recommendations."
13. The pain continued, (and still does, although, admittedly, not with the severity and frequency it had before) but with the added fun of intense burning when I defecate. I contacted the doctor's office to request an ointment of some sort to aid with the burning and a refill of the Vicodin.
14. The doctor prescribed the ointment, but substituted Tramadol for the Vicodin.  But, I can't take Tramadol. I've been prescribed it before and it makes me terribly sick. I contacted the doctor and explained this, and was told that I would just have to deal with it.  I don't like Vicodin and I don't want to take it, but nothing else has worked. I delay my doses as long as possible and skip them if I can.  But sometimes, it's just too much and I break down and take one. 
15. I've continued with the course of treatment prescribed and have now developed thrush.  I was prescribed difulcan today and hope that this will address the issue, but diflucan has the wonderful side effect of stomach pain.  Yippee.
16. Oh, so there's one more thing.  The blood work they ordered?  Yeah.  Well, that was ordered after I'd been on the Prednisone for a few days.  So, whatever the bloodwork says is hardly indicative of my actual condition.  Based upon the results of these tests, the doctor wants me to get an ultrasound of my liver and have more bloodwork done.

So there's my tale of woe, in a nutshell, minus all of the Prednisone-induced hyperbole and off-topic rants. 

I feel like I've been lied to by my doctor, misdiagnosed and treated poorly overall.

Now I'm still sick, on a shitload of medication, and I don't know who to trust.