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What Are Your Lifestyle Limits?

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Ulcerative Colitis
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Posted 6/5/2012 12:22 AM (GMT 0)
What kinds of things have become a part of your life since UC that keep you healthy. Limits that you have to respect or new activities that you need to keep up in order to feel fairly normal.

Obviously when you're in a flare life changes, but I'm just talking about in general. What keeps the flare ups away better for you?

Exercise, meditation, not staying out really late? Part-time instead of full time work? Less structured activities... or more?

Just interested in hearing how some others live and what they've noticed works for them.
Posted 6/5/2012 12:32 AM (GMT 0)
8 hours of sleep (or laying in bed trying to sleep) every night, limited greasy foods, limited alcohol, avoidance of preservatives and "unnatural" foods as much as possible, lots of hand-washing due to suppressed immune system, no skipping meals, increased fluid intake- nothing drastic, just a healthier lifestyle. I should exercise more.

I don't have any set limits on activities or work but I try to limit stress which sometimes results in my working less than I should (I'm a grad student- the work never ceases!).
Posted 6/5/2012 12:37 AM (GMT 0)
Elimination of stress as much as possible. For me that meant quitting a very stressful job. I stay away from fast food and spicy food. Have finally lost some weight this year and hope to continue to do so just by eating better and using an exercise bike. I also use hand sanitizer whenver I go somewhere when I get back in the car. My daughter and I didn't even have so much as a sniffle all winter and I believe its from the sanitizer use and of course good hand washing. And probably alot of luck. :)
Posted 6/5/2012 12:47 AM (GMT 0)
What keeps the flare ups away better for you?

Diet modification. Changed my life.
Posted 6/5/2012 12:52 AM (GMT 0)
7 hrs sleep, healthier diet, more exercise and lots of hand washing!
Posted 6/5/2012 1:32 AM (GMT 0)
Hmm I didn't really think about it until now but I guess I have made changes...I guess I just integrated it so completely that I never noticed that I have done it. But I try to get at least 8 hours of sleep a night, wash my hands frequently (being on 6mp and Remi has me a bit cautious), I stay away from my no no foods (seeds, nuts, fried foods, fast food, spicy foods) and I try to maintain a stress free life as possible. I have no drama in my life and if someone tries to bring it, I tend to just walk away. I try to be as active as possible though sometimes between the joint pain and from Fibromyalgia, it's not always so easy. Oh and I make sure to take ME time - just to do whatever I want instead of what others want OF me.
Posted 6/5/2012 1:34 AM (GMT 0)
I definitely don't let little things get me upset. If i can't meet a deadline, oh well!
Posted 6/5/2012 2:13 AM (GMT 0)
I'm with Sher and Imagardener2, elimination of stress and diet modification. Some things are out of my control and for once in my life I really have to accept that, like a puzzle piece.
Posted 6/5/2012 1:28 PM (GMT 0)
The biggest limit on me is my inabilty to get up & out of the house early- while I don't mind lounging around on the wknds, during the week I have to be up by 5:15am to leave at 8:30, to accomodate my numerous bathroom trips! So no early appointments, no early departures, etc. And it can be a little sketchy on vacation- one bathroom for 3 people in a hotel room. Thankfully, my husband & daughter are understanding! Overall, I try to get a LOT of sleep, 8 hours nightly if not more, I do yoga, eat fairly well... but these are things that I did before UC anyhow, so it's not really considered limiting, or a change in my lifestyle. I work part-time & have since my daughter was born, 9 years ago. I think I would be unable to do full-time, I do get tired, which aggravates the UC.
Posted 6/5/2012 2:05 PM (GMT 0)
For me, no early appts due needing to be near a bathroom in the am. Always carry extra clothing and wipes (even in the golf bag). Be mindful of my schedule and be near a bathroom when I know I'm due. Always recon the bathrooms when in a new place and sit on the aisle or at the end of table. Always carry immodium. Avoid the foods I know will bother me. Religiously take my meds and supplements. Force myself to go out do the things I like and not worry about having an accident.
Posted 6/5/2012 3:11 PM (GMT 0)
One of the things that has helped me a lot is working 35 hours a week instead of 40. I feel very fortunate that I'm able to do this!
Posted 6/5/2012 4:56 PM (GMT 0)
Reducing stress and getting a lot more sleep --- these have been accomplished mainly by quitting working. I rarely got more than 5 hours sleep when I was working. I would go to bed and my mind would race with thoughts of what happened at work that day, what I would have to do the next day, etc etc. I also limit my late nights out. When we do do out, we come home much earlier than we used to. People are not always happy with us, but I'm the one who suffers if I don't sleep well, not them. I also rest during the day when I feel myself starting to get tired. I no longer push myself to keep going. A 15-minute rest doesn't take a lot out of my day and works wonders.

I limit my consumption of alcohol.

These are the main lifestyle limits that I can think of right now.
Posted 6/5/2012 6:17 PM (GMT 0)
I very rarely go out for dinner.

EqualsTwo: I was doing a 28 hour work week (4 days a week). Now, they are making me go back to 5 days a week.
Posted 6/6/2012 10:44 AM (GMT 0)
I stopped drinking beer this past year (normally one bottle a week during football season). This past fall and spring are the first where I did not flare during them.

I attempt to eat homemade broccoli soup every day. For some reason it soothes flare symptoms that may surface on occasion. I specifically have a sensation in my upper left abdomen when a flare is beginning and the soup tends to eliminate it very swiftly.

I attempt to have hash browns smothered in butter every morning. After my last flare, I started eating potatoes from my garden and for some reason my stool count transitioned from four a day (after being at four a day for a couple of months) to one a day over the course of a few months.
Posted 6/6/2012 1:41 PM (GMT 0)
I've been in remission for a long time, but I still need more rest than I used to. Then again, that could be because I'm ten years older...
Posted 6/6/2012 1:48 PM (GMT 0)
Go to sleep the same time every night, No eating during the day -just one meal a day (dinner). Lots of exercise, low stress whenever possible. I don't sweat the small stuff anymore, after almost dying from this nasty disease, everything else seems trivial. Also, we tend to justify our illness and limitations, I stopped doing that ages ago.
UC was/is a life changer for me and I devote much of my time to being healthy, which is what I should have been doing all along....
Posted 6/6/2012 2:24 PM (GMT 0)
I take no meds just curcumin and enteric coated protein. I have not flared in 2 years. I slept very little last year sometimes no sleep for days as I was working overtime around 70 hours per week peaking to 120.

I just went thru a lot of stress selling a home to people that constantly harassed me and had lots of people in my new home staying up late playing guitar etc. My mother was here and I had to put her in the hospital for possible dementia my daughter had to go to another hospital the next day, we layed off 10 people monday at the small startup.

Still no flare.

I stopped salmon as a remedy because I am shedding the extra pounds rapidly and basically only eating protein now, dropped 3 notches on my belt and getting my 6-pack back.

I think its mostly the things I don't do such as :
- no creatine
- no soft drinks or energy drinks but pre-workout energy powders are ok
- no chocolate
- no coffee

Experimenting with Terramin clay and L-Threonine

Always :
- Turmeric
- Eggs
- 5-HTP often
- Chicken, Steak, Salmon
- Greek yogurt
- lots of water

If concerned
- VSL#3DS
- Psyllium products

There is nothing I cannot do because of UC or because of the stroke it caused 2 years ago.

Post Edited (aguywithuc) : 6/6/2012 8:27:15 AM (GMT-6)

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