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Posted 4/4/2018 4:16 PM (GMT 0)
Being in a record of flares the past year, i tried to think of anything that could be causing it besides my diet.. and the first thing that comes to mind is I started working a full time job..I didnt even get this amount of flares in college.
Could stress of a job be a big factor? I really actually don't think my job is stressful.. I am at a desk most of the time but I am lonely here. The work environment is pretty gloom and I dread coming to work here.. I would love to get a vacation but there's so few people that work here it is almost necessary that im here every day!
My flare is not getting any better despite the meds and i can feel my stomach rumble when i start to over work myself and worry.

I feel like I stuck in a rut and quality of life for me is getting so bad with this flare. I just want to enjoy my life and be able to spend more time with my son as a healthy person.
Sorry for the vent you guys but I just feel like if I talk about this with anyone else, they dont really understand.
Posted 4/4/2018 4:23 PM (GMT 0)
I'm kind of dealing with the same thing; I personally believe that stress is a big factor, and we're stressed much more often than we realize. I wasn't sure when my flare symptoms would go full blast, so I went to visit my doctor to see what she thought. I'm going on a steroidal enema for a couple days to see if it improves the bleeding/achyness. If not, I'll probably be put back onto my pill biologic for a bit longer...

You don't need to suffer through the flare, go see your GI doctor. They should be able to give you something to help you out, whether it be steroids (oral or rectal), or even an antispasmodic.

In the meantime, you need to do your part. Try some experimenting. Go onto a meal replacement for a few days to give your guts a break or look into the low fiber/low residue diet. They're pretty easy.

Maybe for work, get a "happy light" to de-gloom your little space. smile Cheap on Amazon.
Posted 4/4/2018 4:23 PM (GMT 0)
Any kind of stress is a factor with this disease. Have you considered FMLA? Ask your human resources department about it.
Posted 4/4/2018 5:52 PM (GMT 0)
Easy to count in stress....which of course is in varying desgrss of impact on psyche and the physical functioning.

But.....what meds are you on??

q
Posted 4/4/2018 6:35 PM (GMT 0)
With UC, I was able to qualify for short term disability, as opposed to FMLA. HR was able to help me make that decision. :D
Posted 4/4/2018 7:04 PM (GMT 0)
Regardless of cause, you need to leap on this flare with a quick and appropriate treatment. Contact your gasteroenteroligist asap, get a stool test for possible pathogenic causes to your symptoms (like c diff), and up your meds as is appropriate (reintroduce nightly mesalamine enemas, take a daily 4.8-grams of oral mesalamine, etc.). Everyone knows flares are hell, so you want your time flaring to be as a short as is possible. I've worked through flares, it isn't easy as there will be urgency while commuting and while at your desk, many close calls, and a few accidents.

Anecdotally a number of people over the years have said periods of stress are more prone to flares (but not guaranteed to cause flares). Why? Prolonged stress has a number of hormonal changes to our bodies, we eat and sleep badly among other things and I am sure cumulatively these can have a negative impact that could affect our UC. Certainly, you want to limit stress within your life whenever possible but, ultimately, stress is a part of everyone's lives like-it-or-not.

What UC meds and dosages are you currently taking to treat your UC? Do you have a plan to increase doses and/or meds during this flare, and if so what?
Posted 4/5/2018 2:45 AM (GMT 0)

iPoop said...
Regardless of cause, you need to leap on this flare with a quick and appropriate treatment. Contact your gasteroenteroligist asap, get a stool test for possible pathogenic causes to your symptoms (like c diff), and up your meds as is appropriate (reintroduce nightly mesalamine enemas, take a daily 4.8-grams of oral mesalamine, etc.). Everyone knows flares are hell, so you want your time flaring to be as a short as is possible. I've worked through flares, it isn't easy as there will be urgency while commuting and while at your desk, many close calls, and a few accidents.

Anecdotally a number of people over the years have said periods of stress are more prone to flares (but not guaranteed to cause flares). Why? Prolonged stress has a number of hormonal changes to our bodies, we eat and sleep badly among other things and I am sure cumulatively these can have a negative impact that could affect our UC. Certainly, you want to limit stress within your life whenever possible but, ultimately, stress is a part of everyone's lives like-it-or-not.

What UC meds and dosages are you currently taking to treat your UC? Do you have a plan to increase doses and/or meds during this flare, and if so what?

My situation got better after I managed to control stress. I had to change my shift to achieve that. It's working so far. Diet helped a bit more. Sometimes I thing my stool is weird and ragged, that dismantles after a few minutes in the water. But my diet changed a lot and it may be playing a role in this change. Let's say that there's not so much "glue" anymore. Also my doctor says they think it's very strongly related to stress. He says nobody knows what causes it, but they think stress activates it.
Posted 4/5/2018 4:20 AM (GMT 0)
UC isn't strongly related to stress...I prove that daily.

q
Posted 4/5/2018 5:30 AM (GMT 0)
Hi All,
Thanks for the reponses

quincy- Right now I am on 30 mg of prednisone, stopped the sufalazine since it made diarrhea worse.

I do think that stress is related since I would get flare ups during finals. Also, when I worry and get anxious I could feel my stomach rumbling. I do believe that there definitely is a correlation between stress and UC due to past experiences. I think our bodies react to stress differently and for some reason our bodies take it out on our gut.. Im praying for a full recovery though and a peaceful mind.
Posted 4/5/2018 5:35 AM (GMT 0)
about the leave, I would love to get some time off even it is unpaid. But, I talked to my docotr about it and he said that I basically have to deal with stress that its going to happen the rest of my life and basically just have to control it with stuffing myself with meds.. Pretty discouraging to hear and dont think he would approve any more time off after the 2-3 days he did approve.

He also knows about my worries of hair loss from medicines/ the uc and he made a comment that basically its going to happen again because of this flare and if i don't listen and up my meds. I was literally in tears because I am terrified about losing my hair and he just knew how to hit my soft spot. I just prayed that its not going to happen and Im not accepting any of his negativity.

Anyways I do want to look for a new job that isnt so lonely and that I might enjoy more. Hopefully that will help.
Posted 4/5/2018 6:44 PM (GMT 0)
If it's any consolation, I'm losing my hair like freakin' crazy. It's EVERYWHERE. It's in my car, it's on my cats, it's on my fiance, it's ON MY COWORKERS.

I have long blonde hair which I'm very prideful of but. It's out of my control.
Posted 4/5/2018 8:24 PM (GMT 0)
Hairloss usually isn't due to medication but flares. If you're anemic at all, that will cause your hair to thin and fall out.

If you want to keep your hair and that's your biggest worry, go on meds. The chances of you losing your hair because of meds is lower than you losing your hair because of a flare.
Posted 4/5/2018 10:40 PM (GMT 0)
Its strange though because I have had ulcerative colitis for 10 years and have had flares before. But this is the first time I experienced telogen effluvium hair loss after a flare. I did lose a ton of weight though from the flare in a short period of time and i also weaned my son at this time from breastfeeding so I am not sure what the exact cause of it was

I do know though that mesalamines have caused me hairloss in the past- not so much but it was a little more than average. I was on Asacol and in remission but noticed hair loss in the time I took the Asacol before but didnt care so much because my hair was so thick
Posted 4/5/2018 10:43 PM (GMT 0)
Unlikely to be the mesalamine.
Posted 4/6/2018 4:38 PM (GMT 0)
My doctor thinks my thyroid could've potentially went haywire, causing the hair loss (if it isn't because of flaring, or my infusions). Waiting on the blood test results...
Posted 4/6/2018 11:32 PM (GMT 0)
Yeah, what really sucks is when you know that work is a major source of stress (that you need to reduce), and yet your health care is provided by your employer and without your job, you won't have any insurance to pay to go to the doctor. Then you really have some stress that aggravates the UC. Good times! confused
Posted 4/7/2018 3:05 AM (GMT 0)

1hopeful1 said...
The work environment is pretty gloom and I dread coming to work here.. I would love to get a vacation but there's so few people that work here it is almost necessary that im here every day!
My flare is not getting any better despite the meds and i can feel my stomach rumble when i start to over work myself and worry.

I feel like I stuck in a rut and quality of life for me is getting so bad with this flare. I just want to enjoy my life and be able to spend more time with my son as a healthy person.
Sorry for the vent you guys but I just feel like if I talk about this with anyone else, they dont really understand.

It doesn't sound like your issue is stress, it sounds like it might be depression and anxiety caused by a change in your daily circumstances. You went from college, where I am sure you were more active, going from class to class, being outside, surrounded by people, to a desk in a sparsely populated sad office. Add in the UC, and you have a mess.

I'd consider talking to a therapist to help you work out the change to your life, but also some next steps. This might not be the right type of environment for you, which is fine. I've been there -- the work was fine, but the environment was not good for my mental health. In the meantime, though, LEAVE THE OFFICE EVERY CHANCE YOU GET. Take your breaks outside and go for a walk. Eat lunch outside of the office. The sun & the fresh air will help a lot, so will the change of scenery. Spruce up your desk with things that make you happy. Try hard to engage with your coworkers (see who wants to get lunch).
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