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Ulcerative Colitis
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Posted 7/21/2014 9:09 PM (GMT 0)
Hi I was wondering if anybody has a close relationship between getting a flare up and stress. I have had ulcerative colitis for around 3 years now but finally properly diagnosed with uc and Crohn's disease in march this year however I have been through a lot with this causing me to end up in intensive care and being hospitalised for 3 and a half months anyone since this time I have been taking a number of medicines including : pentasa granuals, 60 mg steroids, azThioprine, iron pills, retention enemas and many more but anyway none of these have put me in to remission. However my everyday life is very stressful (I'm 15) so probably not as stressful as most but I attend a grammar school and am doing my gcse s. I have been also diagnosed with major anxiety and I'm fearing that the stress from all my exams is mot helping. Also I have other stress for other reasons also I just wanted to ask for anyone's opinion if stress has affected them
Posted 7/21/2014 9:30 PM (GMT 0)
Stress is a well known connection.
Posted 7/21/2014 9:43 PM (GMT 0)
In my opinion or according my personal experience, negative stress would not start a flare but could prevent getting better or Into remission.

As stress is part of life (I'm sure you have your load as a 15), I find that all we can do is try to manage it.

I believe that the help of a professional, meditation, doing some sports, are things that can help you with stress management. I believe that a lot of UC people tend to be very perfectionist or work addict. 15 is a great age to start being easy on your self and learn how to deal with stress.

For instance, yes you have to study and word hard for your up-coming SGSE, but you should not give this more importance than it realy has. You total life is not depending on the result you'll get.

When you are anxious or stressed by any up-coming events, ask your self questions like : What would be the worse case senario that could happen, will that still have an impact in my life in 10 days, 10 months or 10 years. You'll find out that very often we get all worked up when we should not.

I hope you get better and don't worry about felling stressed we all do and we can only manage it not make it go away. ;)
Posted 7/21/2014 11:53 PM (GMT 0)
No amount of stress is worth making mr/ms colon angry and suffering through the consequences there of lol. We all suffer from stress as it's a normal part of life. You need a release, something to blow off the stress: read, walk, play sports, jog, play with a pet, meditate (ohm lol) do yoga, martial arts, or something else you enjoy. Try not to let things get to you when you can, it's not worth getting all worked up about. It's not easy, takes practice but in the long run it pays out dividends.
Posted 7/22/2014 2:32 PM (GMT 0)
Stress is a major factor with this disease, in my opinion. My last major flare was a couple of years ago and it was all from stress (work related). It lasted a year. I have since been moved to another spot in my company and work for a few really nice lawyers. I feel so much better. Not 100%, but so much better.
Posted 7/22/2014 8:26 PM (GMT 0)
Stress can absolutely cause a flare.

A little over a year ago, I had a week of bad things happens. My basement flooded, my best friend's dad died, another close friend's dog died (one of those pets that is treated more like a child), and a handfull of smaller things, like realizing I missed the deadline to sign my daughter up for her beloved summer softball and having to find the person in charge and beg her to find a spot for her on the team. By about Wednesday of this week, I thought, "Well, I haven't flared for a year, but I bet it'll be happening soon." about a week later, I started to see blood & mucus and that kicked off a really bad flare.

Some stress is out of your control and there's not much you can do about it other than keep it in perspective. For the stuff that is under your control, try your best to take a small step each day to get things done or taken care of, and don't procrastinate. Doing something every day will keep things manageable and help you feel in control of your life, which helps stress.

And always remember that worrying about things does nothing. If you're not taking steps to do something, then you have to go the opposite route and just let it go. There's not much in this world worth jeopardizing your health for.
Posted 7/22/2014 9:18 PM (GMT 0)
Thank you so much you have really helped me and make me understand what I possibly can do to hopefully get my on the road to remission and feeling better. I hope this can be soon as it's affecting my way of life and all I want is to be like a normal teenager and not have to worry about all the issues uc come with
Posted 7/22/2014 9:19 PM (GMT 0)
Thank you so much you have really helped me and make me understand what I possibly can do to hopefully get my on the road to remission and feeling better. I hope this can be soon as it's affecting my way of life and all I want is to be like a normal teenager and not have to worry about all the issues uc come with
Posted 7/22/2014 9:43 PM (GMT 0)
Dude you're 15, if the stress isn't coming from a bad parent/living situation you really shouldn't be too worried about TOO much at your age. Im not belittling what is stressing you out, just saying, you are young so go easy on yourself! Don't worry too much about the test, you are very young (a good thing!) and all that will work itself out. One thing at a time!

Yes stress can make this worse, though some say no connection, I don't believe it. That said, it can come and go even when no stress is present. Try to keep that in mind and think of your mind and guts as connected, they are. Be kind to yourself and take a load off! Do what relaxes you and treat yourself to whatever you need to heal.
Posted 7/23/2014 12:09 AM (GMT 0)
Stress causes "normal" people to get diarrhea. It makes sense to me that our damaged guts will take an even bigger beating from stress. It sounds like ibd and anxiety go hand and hand for a lot of people. I know it does for me. I'm working with a psychologist to learn ways of relaxing and being less anxious. If you're struggling then maybe you could reach out for help too?
Posted 7/23/2014 1:41 PM (GMT 0)
I believe stress had a big part in my last "mini flare". It only last a week or so but I started to see symptoms after a very stressful week at work. I was also recovering from a cold which also did not help I'm sure. So yes, I believe stress plays a big role in staying in remission. Just stay relaxed the dr's tell me, easier said than done.
Posted 7/25/2014 12:39 PM (GMT 0)
Stress is the reason why I get my flareups.
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