Is it easier for younger people to control UC?

Baggravation said...
I'm curious as to how something like Accutane or anti-biotics could induce UC.

I haven't done research on Accutane because I never took it. In regard to antibiotics, they kill fecal flora in the colon. Some antibiotics for acne are really hard on the colon.

I agree with you, Subdued. I recently took a Gerontology class and it talked a lot about the misconceptions that younger people have about the elderly. You're not a senior citizen yet obviously but the misconception that older people can't change or will have a harder time changing is one of the things that a lot of younger people think is very much true. We did quite a bit of research on that and looked at a lot of studies and found that that is not the case.

Although, some older adults do find it difficult to change, many are just as capable of adapting to new situations and surroundings. We talked about the plasticity of the brain ect. I don't recall which study I was looking at but it was talking about how older adults have more experience in the world (they were talking about something along the lines of wisdom) and as a result, they are able to make better changes when the time may come to adapt to something new.

This is all still very controversial because there are too many theories contradicting one another but I'm glad I don't think of anyone older than me as being less capable of doing things or changing. I used to be very ageist towards the elderly, unknowingly though. I actually thought the misconceptions were true until this class.

With UC there are so many factors involved in accepting the change. I think it really depends on where the person is in there life at the current time. But to make a general statement like "UC is easier for younger people because it is easy for them to accept change...(mindoverbutter)" I don't think is fair. I'll never know how I would have taken it had I been diagnosed at lets say 40 or 50 or even 60 but I feel like it would have been easier to accept because I would have had the first 40-60 years without this horrid UC. I only got to live 17 years of my life without a chronic illness. Would much rather prefer 60 ;)

Thanks for your post, pb4. I shall change my diet starting today. Hopefully this time it'll last more than a few weeks. I should start by throwing all the junk out of my house. If it's not there I won't be able to eat. I'll have to resort to healthier options. Aha. :)

Ditto for pb4's conversion from junk food! It can be hard to resist, but is doable. You can learn to NOT buy chips & bring them home. That's what I have to do ... because crunching one just leads to another and then I've eaten the whole bag. My gastro also recommends to get on healthy foods regularly, and if you ever overindulge one day at a holiday meal or celebration with friends or family, be sure to get right back to your healthy routine the next day. A good friend of mine who had to fight off epilepsy for a while advised me to think of junk foods like museum items-- just look at them but don't touch! / Old Hat (30 yrs with left-sided UC; presently in remission taking brandname Colazal)

I saw this article this morning and it reminded me of this post:

http://www.thirdage.com/news/ulcerative-colitis-heals-better-with-age_07-22-2011

 

Gina...."@ pb4 and OldHat - It seems as though diet modification is the key to remission"...not true..more indirect from my perspective.  But, good, healthy, balanced eating is common sense.  Diet modification can definitely be the  key for comfort, but it's very much subjective.

q

The only good thing I see with having UC when your young is that when you have to "go" you are able to move faster so you can get to a restroom without an accident. I'm scared to think about when I get older and can't move as fast as I can now. :(