HealingWell
Search Close Search
☰

Eating habits and how to cope

Support Forums
>
Ulcerative Colitis
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply
❬ ❬ Previous Thread |Next Thread ❭ ❭
Posted 8/13/2009 4:58 PM (GMT 0)
hello, everyone im new to the forum. i was diagnosed with uc yrs back i believe whne i was 13 or so im 20 now. i recently had a bad flare up about 3 weeks ago, ive been on asacol and i dont see any changes (6pills total a day) and recently been taking 1mg of folic acid also. i was very young when i got diagnosed and didnt want to believe i had an illness. now i somewhat understand the condition i have. i went to see my GI guy after a long time. and im set for a colonoscopy with the next couple weeks. im very restless to the fact that i hadnt had a flare up like this in yrs. i knew my eating habits arent very wise. so any tips? how do you ppl cope with this illness?

thanks again

Posted 8/13/2009 5:05 PM (GMT 0)
Hi and welcome. I coped by learning as much as I could about the disease...but, that's comforting for me and I was 30 when I was diagnosed! Learning about it helped me realize that I'll likely live a pretty normal life and allowed me to come to terms with the idea of having a colectomy and living life with a j-pouch or ostomy, which is the "worst" possible outcome.

At any rate, you should probably get on some rectal meds (mesalamine enema is what I'd suggest) and probably upping your Asacol dose (12/day is the maximum). Definitely do that and give it a good chance to work before considering something like prednisone. Also get on a probiotic supplement (do that NOW...don't need a prescription for it) and consider a fiber supplement as well.

When I was flaring, I tried to eat very low residue (limited fruits and veggies and nothing whole-grain) just to be kinder to my colon. Now that I'm in remission I can eat pretty much anything. When it comes to UC, diet affects each of us very differently.
Posted 8/13/2009 5:23 PM (GMT 0)
omg surgery with pouch just pains my heart. eyes to read, ears to hear. i dnno if i could live like that. o man i remember the enemas when i was younger i hated them sooo much. i dunno what happened i was fine everyone was well then BAM the biggest flare up in yrs. i dunno what to do, i feel sooo stressed and i always think "why me" its very hard for me. im just lost right now!
Posted 8/13/2009 6:18 PM (GMT 0)
Hi..welcome to the forum1

Go back to your doc and get the prescription for the rectal meds.

Immaturity is a way to cope, but common sense doesn't need to be forgotten.

Seems you have much to learn about having UC and about eating healthily in general...

Where in the colon is your UC...throughout or is it limited?

quincy
Posted 8/13/2009 7:04 PM (GMT 0)
lol...u know thats a great question. i dunno or atleast i forgot. hopefully when i have my colonoscopy ill have these questions answersed. im hoping its limited, right? i just wish that like i want to know what caused this is me, u know? especially this recent flare up, like i wanna know what caused it. this bothers me so much, not knowing or at least for me not knowing what caused it.

question: what is probiotics?

Posted 8/13/2009 7:38 PM (GMT 0)
You'll never know what caused it, most likely. That's just the nature of UC...recurring periods of flare and remission, usually with no known reason or cause of the flares. So my advice is to just get used to the idea of it, or you'll drive youself bonkers.

Probiotics are "good" gut bacteria. There is speculation that people with UC don't have enough of the good guys, which can lead to problems. Taking probiotics helps to restore the correct balance. Even if you don't have an imbalance, probiotics won't cause any harm, so it's a good idea to take them just in case they help. They are found in yogurt, but it's easier to take them in a pill form, as you'll get a higher dose.
Posted 8/14/2009 5:13 PM (GMT 0)
ill have to check out the meds. thanks

yea im going bonkers now, what are the different signs of how severe my condition is? like what signs are there that i need surgery?

Posted 8/14/2009 5:24 PM (GMT 0)
You technically only MUST have surgery if it's life threatning...like if you have a perforated colon or have toxic megacolon. I doubt you're at that point as you'd be incredibly, incredibly ill.

You can elect to have surgery, if all of the medicines have failed you to the point where your quality of life is suffering enough and you're ready to be done with it. As far as I can tell, you haven't even begun to explore all the different medication options out there.

I really think you need to educate yourself about UC...this is a chronic illness and you should learn about it so you can be an active participant in decisions regarding the management of your disease. The best site I know of is the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America (www.ccfa.org). Ignorance is NOT bliss, in this case.
Posted 8/14/2009 5:37 PM (GMT 0)
thanks a lot fruitgirl really. well i took a lot of meds when i was young like 2 different kinds of enemas and like three different pills. then i had minimal symptoms like every couple months (at this point i wasnt on any meds for like 3-4 yrs) i became anemic during this time too. after a while when i had a flare up it wasnt long like 2-3 days then it would go away i didnt pay attention to it much as i should have. but this is as sserious as its gotten. i know my eating habits are bad but who at 20 watches what they eat? before this is was very healthy not overweight etc etc.

ill be sure to check the website, thanks again...this really helps to know how ppl deal and are living with this illness thanks ppl smilewinkgrin

Posted 8/14/2009 5:38 PM (GMT 0)
How bad are things? How often are you having diarrhea, are you having a lot of bleeding, etc?
Posted 8/14/2009 5:54 PM (GMT 0)
well im sure not as bad as others, but some of my symptoms are: weight loss, loss of appetite, rectal bleeding, mood swings, fatigue, bloody diarrhea, abdominal pain when stool is secreted(sp) etc... i go to the bathroom like at least 3 times a day and as high as like 8 times i remember. last week i was at 169lbs of chiseled handsome stud lol jk. and on monday i was at like 164 lbs. that cant be good lol. but im still able to go to work, school, and be active like do sports. i dunno im just overwhelmed, i need a hug lol.
Posted 8/14/2009 6:10 PM (GMT 0)
Well, it honestly sounds like you're not THAT bad off, honestly. When I was at my worst, I was going 15-20 times a day. Probably a lot of the weight loss is due to diarrhea...you need to be drinking a LOT of water.

The only reason I said anything about surgery is because you asked about coping in your original post. I coped by learning as much as I could, even about surgery, which like I said is pretty much the "worst" possible outcome of UC. I wasn't at all suggesting you might need surgery anytime soon.

You might want to consider some counseling. I'm sure your university offers some for free or reduced cost. You HAVE to learn how to cope with UC and the ups and downs that come with it.
Posted 8/14/2009 7:12 PM (GMT 0)
im sry to hear that. im glad ur better. im really praying that my condition doenst worsen but thankfully im not there. well the less i think about it the less i worry. to be honest if i read about it i get supppppper depressed and i know its important to stay educated about this....tahnks again :)

i like this smiley ----->  yeah     lol

Posted 8/14/2009 7:34 PM (GMT 0)
Hi - My son was diagnosed with UC, pancolitis (which means it's throughout the whole colon) when he was 13. He was on prednisone and Asacol. After a few months he got off the prednisone, but he still takes the asacol. he takes 8 pills a day, and his doctor said the first thing she would do if he started to have symptoms again would be to increase it to 9 pills. So -you're not on a very high dose there.
He's a joker, too. He's 16 now, and tries to pretend he's not sick. I figure that's ok as long as he takes his pills! And because I have UC, too, I help remind him. (We buy asacol by the boxload!)
You remind me of my son. You'll get through it. The fact that you came here is great - you can help yourself a lot by learning about it all!
Posted 8/16/2009 2:31 AM (GMT 0)
I used to have a terrible diet, lots of processed foods/beverages, junky food, really sugary foods, it's hard at first to change from a poor diet to a healthy one, I just slowly weened myself off of junk/processed foods/beverages and before I knew it I was feeling and looking and sleeping better, more energy too, regular daily exercise also made it easier for me to alter my diet...I don't miss the sweets cuz I eat lots of fruit which conuqered my craving for refined sugar/junk.

:)
Posted 9/1/2009 9:19 PM (GMT 0)
yea but im in college so im somewhat forced to eat unhealthy. lol, but im not over weight. i exercise like 3-4 times a week. i practice a martial art(dont make fun, and no not anything like karate) any whoooozle, i like fruits but if its not like cut like my mom used to do i wont eat cuz i dunno its just not the same, like my mom would cut alllll these fruits and make me eat, believe it or not it was good. and i say i have strong will power, but i dont. im just lost
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply