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Colds and Flare ups

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Ulcerative Colitis
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Posted 8/28/2008 3:07 PM (GMT 0)
I haven't been sick since I was properly diagnosed with UC back in January of this year. At the end of last week I got a cold, and nearly a week later I still have it AND I noticed a small flare up in the middle of the night when I had to use the bathroom. Has this been an issue with anyone else? Has a cold caused a flare up or vice versa? Has it made it more difficult to recover from a cold?

Sorry for all the questions, but I flipped out at 2AM as soon as I saw that nastiness in the toliet, and I could hardly sleep the rest of the night. I need some reassurance so I can stop being so paranoid... lol.

Posted 8/28/2008 8:22 PM (GMT 0)
No you're not alone. I just recently figured this out. Whenever I'm around someone who is sick then i will get sick. I never used to get anything. I was a fairly healthy child. Now when I'm flaring and someone gives me their cold my immune system will go from trying to heal my colon to working on the cold virus. In the meantime my colon suffers and gets worse. Now I try to keep the sickos away. I was supposed to watch my niece today, but she was hacking and coughing a few days ago so I can't go near her or anyone who has been near her or her parents.
Posted 8/29/2008 5:23 AM (GMT 0)
Hi..welcome to the forum.

What meds are you on and where is your UC...throughout or limited?

q
Posted 8/29/2008 3:27 PM (GMT 0)
@IndianaUC -- Ah, thanks so much for the reassurance. It's so weird that I'm just now getting sick because I used to work in retail, and I'm sure I encountered plenty of sick people then.

@quincy -- Thanks for the welcome. I'm currently on on 400mg of Asacol (3, 3x a day) and 50mg of Imuran (1, 1x a day, though up until about 3 months ago I was taking 2, 1x a day), and I was once on Prednisone, but I haven't had to take it since around the end of March. What do you mean by throughout or limited?
Posted 8/30/2008 2:38 PM (GMT 0)
Quincy is asking how much of your colon is affected?

I also thought I'd add to my earlier response about the immune system's role in this disease. Since there is still so much unknown about this disease, it is always best to consult your doctor if any problems arise. Even your thoughts and ideas. It wouldn't hurt to get your doctor thinking about such things if he hasn't already.

Some believe that the body's immune system is going into overdrive and is literally attacking the colon as if it were a foreign body. Some believe that something else is wrong with the colon and that the immune system works to take care of the problem and when a cold comes along it has to take care of the cold instead leaving the colon to suffer. I can't help but wonder about the former, but the latter seems to be what happens to me. I once got a bad case of the flu and was throwing up for 3 days unable to keep a single thing down. After that was over my flare was completely gone. I didn't take anything for the flu and wasn't even able to keep down my meds. So I'm not sure what happened.
Posted 8/30/2008 2:53 PM (GMT 0)
My UC actually usually feels better when I have a cold, flu or some other infection. It's strange. I thought it was maybe because then my immune system has an actual virus to fight off instead of fighting my colon.
Posted 8/31/2008 9:13 PM (GMT 0)
I have been in remission since May 2007, but when I do get sick since I work with children, my UC does flare up. The only flare I have though is the loose bm's. To me that is not that big of an issue. I get over my colds really easily, and my BM's improve as the cold goes away. Everyone's body is different especially since everyone is on diffent meds. So, it may depend on what meds u r on.
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