Eating my words: stress and flaring

OK, folks. Watch carefully now, I am eating my words. <CHOMP> <CHEW> <SWALLOW>

I have long been convinced that stress and UC have not been related in my life.
I still believe that the onset of UC is caused by a physical trigger (see all the kids with UC.) But as for flares....?
I have been through incredible periods of stress, illness in the family, my son's onset of pancolitis, some sudden deaths in the family - no flares.
BUT, last week, I had a horrendous number of stressful situations come up at work and at one point realized I was nearly shaking with the stress, and certainly felt knotted up inside... and - ta da! for two days I saw some blood.
I doubled the amount of probiotics I was taking, and have tried meditative breathing... and haven't seen blood since.

So... I'm thinking, there is stress and there is stress. Different kinds, each kind affecting us differently, affecting each of us differently....
Sigh. There is always something new to learn, isn't there....?

     Since May I have been in a constant flare.  Took prednisone for two and a half months, which I hate to do and my GI doctor hates me to take it too, but sometimes ya gotta do what ya hafta do.  Bowels were semi ok for about a month and a half but now getting worse.  Trying to stay off the prednisone at least until my colonoscopy on the 17th.  Right now just taking the Colazal, 6MP and rectal meds.

     Stress used to trigger flares....now...if someone looks at me crooked I go into a flare.

Every time I have flared it has been in response to a stressful situation. For me at least, there is a link!