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What does it feel like when you are not flaring?

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Ulcerative Colitis
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Posted 9/25/2010 3:06 AM (GMT 0)
Do you still have symptoms of UC?  Are the symptoms just less?  How do you know if you are out of a flare? 
Posted 9/25/2010 4:26 AM (GMT 0)
My answer is very simple.  I know I am in remission when my GI doc says visually there is nothing he can see or find wrong with the inside of my colon.  Also the pathology comes back normal colonic tissue.  In regards as to how I feel, that's easy.  I feel just like my pre-UC days.  No different.  That's how I feel now.  No urgency, no blood, mucus, one #2 a day, no cramping, etc...

MyUC

Posted 9/25/2010 5:33 AM (GMT 0)
Perfection. Ahhhhh. That's how my bowels are when in remission. Doesn't mean I have a lapse now and then, but the last thing to go is urgency. Lack of urgency to me is remission.
Oh, and doc says visually the coast is clear.
Posted 9/25/2010 6:01 AM (GMT 0)
My butt behaviour is "normal"....no urgency, pain upon bms, definitely no bleeding (but I don't bleed with most flares), no bms of mucus, bms in the morning and maybe another one during the evening depending on how much and what I ate the night before.

My doc doesn't tell me when I'm in remission....I tell him if I am.  Visually...it seems during scopes I have a bit of extremely mild inflammation in the rectum, which could have been from the clean-out...but usually my scopes come at a time when I do suspect I'm flaring or have had a bit of problems and it's after the 2 year mark since the last one.

q

Posted 9/25/2010 12:00 PM (GMT 0)
I don't have normal bm's while remission but to me remission is the lack of bleeding, urgency, left sided pain and cramping. Plus having a clear scope confirms it for me. I had a scope 1 1/2 years ago that showed no inflammation but I was still having D. So my GI thinks I might IBS in addition to my Uc.
Posted 9/25/2010 1:53 PM (GMT 0)
I ve had 2 long remission, the first for 10 years, and the second one for 5 years.  In remission Its like I didnt even have UC and I ate and drank whatever I wanted.  During those first 2 remissions i didnt even take any meds or do anything at all special.  however, now i am in a flare lasting almost 2 years and when i go into remission i am going to religiously take my meds!!!!!!
Posted 9/25/2010 2:17 PM (GMT 0)
Remission is one, maybe two BMs a day with well formed stools. Absolutely no urgency whatsoever. Blood work and inflammation counts are normal.
Posted 9/25/2010 4:29 PM (GMT 0)
When I'm in remission, I feel exactly like everyone else, except I check my poo very carefully. I used to just flush the toilet without ever looking.
Posted 9/26/2010 7:44 AM (GMT 0)
I've never been in remission... i have bad flares then i have normal days with UC, but i've never been normal. i've had UC since birth. (the first clue should have been when i flipped myself over at 6 months old because my belly hurt, but they didn't diagnose me properly until the 6th grade). i've never known what a healthy tummy feels like, but i've dreamed about it a lot. i know when a bad flare is coming because i get mouth sores. when i just have regular pain and urgency, it's just a normal day for a UC patient...
Posted 9/26/2010 4:01 PM (GMT 0)
For me it was gradual, not a light switch on/off.
The first clue was bleeding stopped.
Next I was able to sleep uninterrupted. Ahhhh. Bliss after years of nightly getting up to use the toilet.
D became less and less and stools looked normal.
I don't have to get up at 6:30 to get my bowels emptied to make a 9:30 appointment without worry.
However I still like 2 hours prep time, no dashing out the door, too stressful. This may be mental on my part.
Next urgency lessened more and more and now it is rare.

The last symptom I have is C which I must guard against by being watchful, not too much fiber, not too little.

I think I will be at 100% remission when I don't think about UC in the morning or count my BM's and worry I have too few.
I rarely think about bowels after 9 AM now which seems like my life is given back to me. UC has 2 mental hours a day not 24 physical hours.
I guess I measure my UC in hours of my life.
Posted 9/28/2010 5:44 PM (GMT 0)
As many have already said, remission is no bleeding, no pain, no symptoms at all. One to two BMs a day of "normal" consistency. I don't think about UC. I don't wonder where the nearest restroom is. I don't worry about long trips or crowded public places. Periodically, I remind myself what my life was like in the first couple of years after my diagnosis, so I don't take my current health for granted.

I DO consider myself to have a "condition" that needs to be managed. I do take a maintenance dose of sulfasalazine, probiotics, fish oil, Vitamin D and fiber supplements. I do avoid dairy and gluten and try to eat a healthy diet that's high in veggies and lean protein. I get plenty of rest and exercise - both cardio and weight training. I do consider my diagnosis to be a wake up call and a blessing in disguise as it forced me to clean up an unhealthy lifestyle.
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