Looks like you may have gotten a lot of info all at once. It can be a lot to digest... all the different treatments and types of advice can be very overwhelming at first, as everyone has a different experience and different tips to offer, but it gets easier with time. Soon enough he and you will be talking all this jargon just like the rest of us.
Yes, depression is definitely "normal" with this disease in general but especially during a flare-up. I have felt at times like I will never get my life back, and it can be very difficult to stay positive, especially when dealing with back-to-back flare-ups. I have wanted to "give up" many, many times, but it ALWAYS gets better eventually one way or another. Tell him to get on this site if he hasn't already. When I first joined, I would sometimes start to cry as I read and replied to posts because it makes it more real, but it is a healing process, and in the long run knowing a whole community of us exist out here will help him to feel not so alone. We are here for him (and you) to vent, ask questions, share victories, etc.
Cramps are definitely a standard symptom of UC and will probably appear during most (if not all) of his flare-ups. MANY things can trigger UC, and antibiotics CAN be one of them, though there is no way to tell for sure.
If there is one thing I have learned about
UC through all of my seventeen years of research, experience, and message-boarding, it's that everyone responds differently to different treatments, regardless of whether the treatments are mainstream, alternative, prescript
ion drugs, supplements, dietary changes, etc. There is NOTHING out there that works wonders for EVERYONE with UC - what is a miracle drug for one person may make things worse with someone else. The only thing to do is trial-and-error experimentation with different treatments until he finds some combination that works for him. I would HIGHLY recommend for him to start a diary or journal to keep track of treatments and symptoms so he can tell what works and what doesn't and have something to look back on in future years when he's trying to remember what he's tried, doseages, etc. As I'm sure you've already noticed, it all can be a bit overwhelming.
Having a supportive partner can make a world of difference. You've already made some great steps by joining this site.
What else you can do to help:
- Be a shoulder to cry on
- Clear out of the bathroom ASAP if he needs it
- Don't mention the noises, smells, or messes that come from there when you do, LOL. Be a trooper and help with keeping the toilet clean (It can get pretty gross pretty quickly) and stalked with good-quality toilet paper.
- Get comfortable with gross "potty talk" - mucous, blood, detailed descript
ions of bowel movements, etc.
- Help keep track of his treatments and symptoms (ask/remind)
- Shop for and cook foods that seem to calm his tummy and try to avoid having foods in the house that seem to make his symptoms worse... again these are different for everybody, so it's trial-and-error. (Having to resist temptation on top of everything else is sometimes just too much.)
- Be okay with his moods, as long as they don't last TOO long. Having to put on a happy face "mask" to people in while going through all that can make things even more difficult and make us feel even more alone.
- Continue to occasionally ask how he's doing throughout the flare... Sometimes I feel like it's all I talk about
and people must get sick of hearing about
it, so I clam up... but it's good to know a partner won't get tired of it. (Just imagine if you're tired of hearing about
it how tired he must be of going through it.)
The sweetest gesture of moral support I've had from a partner:
Sometimes the enemas can be painful and cause a little cramping if they are cold. My partner used to hold the bottle in his armpit or between his thighs for ten minutes or so as we laid in bed to warm the bottle for me before I had to use it. A small gesture, but it went a long way in letting me know that he was not grossed out by me, and it meant a lot. (Another *tip* for using enemas: after he shakes it, have him squeeze the air out of the bottle before he inserts it. This makes a world of difference, as extra air in the colon does NOT feel good and can hinder proper "absorption" of the medicine.)
And continue coming back here with questions and concerns! We are here for you!
Good luck to the both of you!!