After long periods of remission what causes flare ups

I was again wide awake with my prednisone induced insomnia about 4 in the morning again, and got to wondering if anyone knows why say you are pretty much symptom free for months even years, you continue same meds, same eating habits for the most part and then all of a sudden things go on the downslide and of course seems when that happens takes so long to get it back again to a type of normality (well of sorts) what changes happens to cause this.  Just wondering if anyone knows or has a theory about this, does it have to do with the cells overmultiplying on their own causing havoc once again? ....Molly

That's just the problem is what is the real underlying cause for UC. If the real cause was or is known then we would know what exactly to do about it.
Seems now days all they want to do is treat symptoms and keep you buying drugs and not cure anything, conspiracy? maybe, but that sure fits the bill now days with everything from cancer to UC.

I have been trying to come up with some kind of consistent reason for UC. Here is what I come up with so far right or wrong.

Probiotics for one reason or another seems the most common helpful non-drug. So keeping the right balance of the right bacteria and yeast in your colon is a factor in helping many people even if it doesn't always completely cure it. Possibly heavy antibiotic usage is part of the reason some people get Colitis. It is a well known fact that antibiotics will mess up the balance of bacteria and yeast in your colon. I wonder if colitis was a problem before the invention of antibiotics? Could antibiotics cause autoimmune issues even?

Stress seems to be the final straw the kick starts Colitis into a full blown episode many times, stress alters your entire body and weakens your immune system. Even if you don't have colitis, stress can give people a nervous stomach and make them go to the bathroom.

Genetics. If you inherit sensitive bowels, you are more likely to get Colitis it seems. Just like you will probably have a heart attack if you inherit that from your family. Stress tends to play a part in bringing these things into reality.

Diet plays a big part if you are flaring and especially if your body is sensitive to gluten or lactose. Apparently it can be a almost a non factor with some people if they are in complete remission. I don't think that diet is a sole cause of UC originally, but it may play a part by eating to much sugar and carbs and feeding the already compromised balance of colon flora. Sugar tends to also weaken your immune system.

Autoimmune disease, body attacking itself for no reason never made any sense to me, there is an underlying cause for this somewhere, just like cancer. Vitamin D for one reason or another is short on most people with autoimmune diseases, and most people who have them tend to live in area's where there is a less sunlight such as Northern America and Canada for example. Sunlight of course is a main source of vitamin D.

I'm no expert, but just like you I am looking for a common underlying cause to this disease.

Thanks Zippy for your input on this...it is an on-going mystery for sure and even more baffling sometimes for those of us who got it at a very early age...hopefully someday they will have more answers.  Just curious also about the probiotics, though I have been taking them for a while, I haven't in the last few days, seemed on the probiotics had more gaseous stomach.  Don't know if that is the norm for most people who take them.

Zippy123 said...
That's just the problem is what is the real underlying cause for UC. If the real cause was or is known then we would know what exactly to do about it.
Seems now days all they want to do is treat symptoms and keep you buying drugs and not cure anything, conspiracy? maybe, but that sure fits the bill now days with everything from cancer to UC.

I have been trying to come up with some kind of consistent reason for UC. Here is what I come up with so far right or wrong.

Probiotics for one reason or another seems the most common helpful non-drug. So keeping the right balance of the right bacteria and yeast in your colon is a factor in helping many people even if it doesn't always completely cure it. Possibly heavy antibiotic usage is part of the reason some people get Colitis. It is a well known fact that antibiotics will mess up the balance of bacteria and yeast in your colon. I wonder if colitis was a problem before the invention of antibiotics? Could antibiotics cause autoimmune issues even?

Stress seems to be the final straw the kick starts Colitis into a full blown episode many times, stress alters your entire body and weakens your immune system. Even if you don't have colitis, stress can give people a nervous stomach and make them go to the bathroom.

Genetics. If you inherit sensitive bowels, you are more likely to get Colitis it seems. Just like you will probably have a heart attack if you inherit that from your family. Stress tends to play a part in bringing these things into reality.

Diet plays a big part if you are flaring and especially if your body is sensitive to gluten or lactose. Apparently it can be a almost a non factor with some people if they are in complete remission. I don't think that diet is a sole cause of UC originally, but it may play a part by eating to much sugar and carbs and feeding the already compromised balance of colon flora. Sugar tends to also weaken your immune system.

Autoimmune disease, body attacking itself for no reason never made any sense to me, there is an underlying cause for this somewhere, just like cancer. Vitamin D for one reason or another is short on most people with autoimmune diseases, and most people who have them tend to live in area's where there is a less sunlight such as Northern America and Canada for example. Sunlight of course is a main source of vitamin D.

I'm no expert, but just like you I am looking for a common underlying cause to this disease.

I do use the VSL3, very expensive, but they do have it by prescription now with tons more strains of good bacteria in it.  My doctor did give me the prescription for it, but the insurance company would not pay it, they look at it as simply a dietary supplement, but I hear some insurance companies do pay for it.  Thanks for the suggestions

Zippy123 said...
Apparently some people do get gas with some probiotics brands. I never had a problem with them so far myself. There are quite a few choices out there, so maybe try another brand if the current one you take gives you gas. Quality for price, I read the Jarrow brand is good for what you pay. I think I will consider Jarrow as my next probiotic purchase. If yogurt doesn't bother you, can even try Danactive, but it doesn't work well with me.

Jarrow, Culturelle, Ezymatic Pearls, Digestive Advantage, VSL 3 (very expensive), Threelac (pricey), just to name a few decent brands. Look at how high of a active culture count each brand has and if they are protected from your stomach acid.

It is very hard to tell what works and what doesn't when a person takes multiple things at the same time, but from what I found many people found probiotics to be helpful to some degree, so it is worth a shot.

It sure does make me think about genetics because in my family there is lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes 1 (don't know if that is autoimmune?) definitely there is IBS, so there certainly seems to be genetics playing a role in this  My cousin who has lupus believes it has a lot to do with environment?

pb4 said...
It's one of the major things that researchers are struggling to figure out as well...it's pretty much just the nature of the beast but what researchers have found is that there are a cluster of 9 gene cells that predict the severity and behaviour of the disease, of course much still needs to be learned about this cluster and who knows how many other genes they'll find that are also related.

:)

Zippy, I think researchers feel that genetics is one part of the equation to IBD but the other 1/2 of the equation is the disease being triggered probably by some environmental means which could very likely include food/diet (which I know some people hate to believe but facts are facts that food/diet has not been ruled out as possible triggers for IBD). So there could be many potential IBDers walking around that have not had their disease triggered for them yet and they have no clue they could become an IBDer at some point (or maybe never if it's not triggered) in their lives.

Here's a link from the CCFC regarding IBD/genetics that some of you might appreciate...

 

http://www.ccfc.ca/English/research/todaysresearch.html

 

:)

Hi Geeve, what kind of diet more or less do you follow

Geeve said...
I've managed my U.C. for years with diet, and had a really bad flare this year after taking antibiotics for a urinary tract infection. Totally forgot about that, it had been so long, and am paying for it now. But lots of cabbage etc and I'm healing ... again ... slowly. Good luck, Molly.

Peety said...
I wish I knew!!
There does seem to be something about the change in seasons. That's the only thing I notice, but then that's four opportunities per year so it may just be coincidence.
I actually do better under stress, so for me it's not that.

I got all my flares near the end of August--right after the first cold spell of the year.

I skipped one year. That's the year I did fecal transplantation.

Perhaps I should buy an electric blanket for next year.

pb4 said...
Zippy, I think researchers feel that genetics is one part of the equation to IBD but the other 1/2 of the equation is the disease being triggered probably by some environmental means which could very likely include food/diet (which I know some people hate to believe but facts are facts that food/diet has not been ruled out as possible triggers for IBD). So there could be many potential IBDers walking around that have not had their disease triggered for them yet and they have no clue they could become an IBDer at some point (or maybe never if it's not triggered) in their lives.


Here's a link from the CCFC regarding IBD/genetics that some of you might appreciate...



http://www.ccfc.ca/English/research/todaysresearch.html



:)

Thanks for the link. They really should have antibiotics and stress on the list of triggers.
On a side note, did you know in 2006 a study shown Canada has among the highest incidences of ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease cases per person in the world. While China and Africa the disease is about non existent. They think maybe it has to do with kids from these countries being exposed to more intestinal bacteria in the water along with genetics, but they are only guessing. I think maybe they aren't exposed to as many antibiotics either, is my theory.

For me, it seems that cold weather, stress, alcohol and not getting enough sleep may be the main things that cause a flare-up or make one worse, though it's hard to know for sure.