Skip to Content
800-533-8762
  • Careers
  • Newsroom
  • Health Care Professionals
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
UPMC
  • Find a Doctor
  • Services
    • Frequently Searched Services
    • Frequently Searched Services
      Allergy & Immunology Behavioral & Mental Health Cancer Ear, Nose & Throat Endocrinology Gastroenterology Heart & Vascular Imaging Neurosciences Orthopaedics
      Physical Rehabilitation Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery Primary Care Senior Services Sports Medicine Telemedicine Transplant Surgery Walk-In Care Weight Management Women’s Health
      See all Services
    • Services by Region
    • Find a UPMC health care facility close to you quickly by browsing by region.
      UPMC in Western Pa. Western Pa. and New York
      UPMC in Central Pa. Central Pa.
      UPMC in North Central Pa. North Central Pa.
      UPMC in Western Md. Maryland & West Virginia
    • See All Services
  • Locations
    • Locations by Type
    • Locations by Type
      UPMC hospitals
      Hospitals
      Physical Therapy
      Physical Therapy
      Urgent care
      Walk-In Care
      UPMC Outpatient Centers
      Outpatient Centers
      UPMC Imaging Services
      Imaging
      Community Health Centers
      Community Health Centers
      See All Locations
    • Locations by Region
    • Locations by Region
      UPMC in Southwest Pa. Southwest Pa.
      UPMC in North Central Pa. North Central Pa.
      UPMC in Northwest Pa and Ny. Northwest Pa. & Western N.Y.
      UPMC in West Central Pa. West Central Pa.
      UPMC in Central Pa. Central Pa.
      UPMC in Western Md. Maryland & West Virginia
    • See All Locations
  • Patients & Visitors
    • Patient & Visitor Resources
    • Patient & Visitor Resources
      Patients and Visitors Resources Pay a Bill Classes & Events Medical Records Health Library Patient Information
      Patient Portals Privacy Information Shared Decision Making Traveling Patients Visitor Information
      Man uses mobile phone
      Pay a Bill
      Nurse reviews medical chart
      Request Medical Records
  • Patient Portals
  • Find Covid-19 updates
  • Schedule an appointment
  • Request medical records
  • Pay a bill
  • Learn about financial assistance
  • Find classes & events
  • Send a patient an eCard
  • Make a donation
  • Volunteer
  • Read HealthBeat blog
  • Explore UPMC Careers
Skip to Content
UPMC
  • Patient Portals
  • For Patients & Visitors
    • Find a Doctor
    • Locations
    • Patient & Visitor Resources
    • Pay a Bill
    • Services
    • More
      • Medical Records
      • Financial Assistance
      • Classes & Events
      • HealthBeat Blog
      • Health Library
  • About UPMC
    • Why UPMC
    • Facts & Stats
    • Supply Chain Management
    • Community Commitment
    • More
      • Financials
      • Support UPMC
      • UPMC Apps
      • UPMC Enterprises
      • UPMC International
  • For Health Care Professionals
    • Physician Information
    • Resources
    • Education & Training
    • Departments
    • Credentialing
  • Careers
  • Contact Us
  • Newsroom
  • UPMC >
  • Our Services >
  • UPMC Digestive Health Care >
  • ... >
  • Services We Offer >
  • Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center >
  • Patient Stories >
  • Carolyn Binnig
UPMC Digestive Health Care
About Us
Services We Offer
Center for Liver Care
Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center
About Us
What is Inflammatory Bowel Disease?
Conditions We Treat
Specialty Services
Patient Stories
For Referring Physicians
Clinical Trials
IBD U.N.I.T.E.
Our Experts
Our Locations
News and Events
Center for Intestinal Health and Nutrition Support
UPMC Center for Women's GI Health
Gastroenterology Associates–UPMC
Gastrointestinal Cancer Prevention & Treatment Center
Neurogastroenterology and Motility Center
Pancreas Center of Excellence
Conditions We Treat
Research Programs
Contact Us
Patient Information
Telemedicine
Our Locations
UPMC Digestive Health Care
About Us
Services We Offer
Center for Liver Care
Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center
About Us
What is Inflammatory Bowel Disease?
Conditions We Treat
Specialty Services
Patient Stories
For Referring Physicians
Clinical Trials
IBD U.N.I.T.E.
Our Experts
Our Locations
News and Events
Center for Intestinal Health and Nutrition Support
UPMC Center for Women's GI Health
Gastroenterology Associates–UPMC
Gastrointestinal Cancer Prevention & Treatment Center
Neurogastroenterology and Motility Center
Pancreas Center of Excellence
Conditions We Treat
Research Programs
Contact Us
Patient Information
Telemedicine
Our Locations

Chat Keywords List

  • cancel or exit: Stops your conversation
  • start over: Restarts your current scenario
  • help: Shows what this bot can do
  • terms: Shows terms of use and privacy statement
  • feedback: Give us feedback
Continue
Chat with UPMC
RESTART
MENU
CLOSE

Carolyn Binnig: Ulcerative Colitis

The Challenge: GI Tract Infection

A local high-school student and soccer player, Carolyn Binnig increasingly began to face more alarming flu-like symptoms at the beginning of the school year.

Her doctor dismissed her illness as the flu and told her to just wait it out.

For nearly a week, that's what Carolyn did. But, she kept getting worse. She finally went back to the doctor.

Blood and stool tests determined that she had giardia and an intestinal infection that causes diarrhea. Although she began taking medication for the giardia, Carolyn wasn’t getting better.

Finally, she was referred to the UPMC Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) Center. After several tests, Carolyn learned that she had ulcerative colitis and began treatment so that she was able to return to high school.

In November, she began to feel ill again. After another visit to her IBD physician, Carolyn was still not responding as everyone had hoped.

The Path to UPMC

Soon after Thanksgiving, Carolyn woke up one morning with difficulty breathing.

She was rushed to the emergency room at UPMC Presbyterian Hospital, where tests finally determined that she had myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart or surrounding tissues.

She spent the next five days in the hospital. It was during this time that Carolyn was found to have an infection in her gastrointestinal tract called Clostridium difficile, or C-diff for short.

The Solution: Anti-TNF Medicine

Carolyn's IBD subspecialist gastroenterologist completed several additional tests and determined that Carolyn’s ulcerative colitis was still very active.

He prescribed an intravenous (IV) anti-TNF medication, which aided in remission of the colitis.

The Results: Winning Soccer Championships

Having ulcerative colitis took its toll on this soccer-loving teen.  Carolyn missed nearly the entire fall and winter soccer seasons, and was even removed from her cup team roster because many people didn’t believe she had enough strength to make it back.

But, with the support of her medical team and her new desire to get back to leading the kind of life she wanted, she got well and was able to compete on the soccer field again.

She helped her team to win not only state and regional championships, but also the northeastern USA regional championship. Carolyn’s team ultimately competed in the national championship and ended the season ranked third in the country!

Her entire family and many of her friends were very supportive of her. Because she was unable to attend classes at school, her mother worked from home, for nearly three months, so she could care for Carolyn.

“I was at Children’s Hospital. I definitely want to thank my doctor for always being there for me. Even when I didn’t have a doctor’s appointment, my mom would contact him, and he’d get me back on track … right away. He helped me so much and supported me the whole time. I owe so much to him for everything he did.”


Carolyn’s treatment and results may not be representative of all similar cases.

UPMC
200 Lothrop Street Pittsburgh, PA 15213

412-647-8762 800-533-8762

Patients And Visitors
  • Find a Doctor
  • Locations
  • Pay a Bill
  • Patient & Visitor Resources
  • Disabilities Resource Center
  • Services
  • Medical Records
  • No Surprises Act
  • Price Transparency
  • Financial Assistance
  • Classes & Events
  • Health Library
Health Care Professionals
  • Physician Information
  • Resources
  • Education & Training
  • Departments
  • Credentialing
Newsroom
  • Newsroom Home
  • Inside Life Changing Medicine Blog
  • News Releases
About
  • Why UPMC
  • Facts & Stats
  • Supply Chain Management
  • Community Commitment
  • Financials
  • Supporting UPMC
  • HealthBeat Blog
  • UPMC Apps
  • UPMC Enterprises
  • UPMC Health Plan
  • UPMC International
  • Nondiscrimination Policy
Life changing is...
Follow UPMC
  • Contact Us
  • Website/Email Terms of Use
  • Medical Advice Disclaimer
  • Privacy Information
  • Active Privacy Alerts
  • Sitemap
© 2025 UPMC I Affiliated with the University of Pittsburgh Schools of the Health Sciences Supplemental content provided by Healthwise, Incorporated. To learn more, visit healthwise.org
Find Care
Providers
Video Visit
Portal Login