My alcohol experiment with colitis

juju0010 said...
I I also really do believe the other substance contributed to the problem.

Agree. My colon got overactive, imagine cartwheels.

So here's round 2 of the experiment.

Yesterday we had a party at the bowling alley for work. Started at 3pm. I had two cranberry vodkas (doubles) and two shots of Jager. This was all over about a 3 hour period. I hadn't eaten much that day because we had pizza for lunch and I was skeptical so I only ate two pieces. In other words, I was pretty toasty.

I took a nap when I got home for about 1-2 hours and woke up with a hangover. Had a beer with dinner and felt better. Had one more beer last night and that was it.

No pain all day yesterday, but I did have 4 BMs. All were formed and large with minimal blood. One even had NO blood.

This morning I woke up with a familiar pain I haven't felt in almost a week. Left-sided. It's gone now, but I'm definitely worried about the next BM as I expect to see blood again. I'll post an update later today.

Yes. This thread seems more like an excuse to drink.

Glad that some of you find this thread "stupid" and "an excuse to drink"

I've said this from the beginning: I know that people who have social lives that involve drinking will search this board for answers. Just like we all do for all types of things UC related. I simply wanted to post a small case study of my experience with alcohol for others to benefit from. If you don't like the thread, don't read it.

This is my last post on the thread anyways. Here are round 2 results:

Had a BM around noon yesterday, same as they've been all week. Drank a few beers yesterday afternoon and then went out last night. Didn't drink THAT hard, but I ended up taking a cab home if that tells you anything. Woke up this morning early with some pain and then woke up a little later with none (just like yesterday).

BM today had a lot of mucus and was not as formed as they've been recently. Also some blood.

So alcohol definitely had a negative effect for me and I'm in a mild flare. I would say if you're flaring bad, I wouldn't touch alcohol...at all. If you're flaring mild to moderate, I would use precaution. I'll probably cut the drinking off again for a few weeks so I can finish healing.

My conclusion is that it's better to stop drinking completely for now and get 100% healed, and then resume (responsibly) once in remission. Drinking while flaring just prolongs the flare.

There are many people who have social activities that involve drinking due to their jobs, and they don't drink. My ex used to say that the goal is to not drink during such engagements so that you can remain clear-headed and in control of your actions. He would often just take a sip during toasts. That was it.

The reason why it's stupid to experiment with alcohol and colitis is that alcohol is hard on the liver, and many of the medicines we are prescribed for our flareups are hard on the liver. Damage to the liver is not easily detected. So while you think it might be okay to drink alcohol during a flare, you could be damaging your liver without knowing it. Plus, there is no reason to drink alcohol while flaring. Alcohol will not get rid of a flare.

having been conducting this experiment myself, i will share my observations

1. quality matters- this is obvious to most, but is even more important i think when it comes to beer. i brew my own and only drink high quality beer, most of which is bottle conditioned (contains active yeast). as much as i thought this would be detrimental to my uc, it has proved otherwise. if i drink cheap beer, which is i believe pasteurized, i will get the runs. however, bread, of almost any time, will really mess me up, pizza dough being the worst, tortilla wraps (uncooked) beaing the least bad

2. bar/party/late night drinking is usually accompanied by poor food choices (pizza, grease trucks/fast food/snacks) which are probably more responsible for any symptoms

3. not coming home sometimes means skipping meds, try to plan ahead, i keep a bag packed with the essentials

4. i didnt read the entire thread, but seriously, moderation is the real answer. i know some of you are more sensitive to the symptoms, and the first night out may screw you up, but find your level of tolerance and enjoy. a hard night out here on occasion- i am fine. a week straight, and i need a few days of the enemas to reduce inflammation

5. the prednisone and alcohol comment earlier is definitely worth considering ---> long term cost/ short term benefit.. i have been on prednisone a long time on low doses, but when i know i am subjecting myself to stresses like these, i will up the dose for a few days then work my way back down (im not a doctor so dont treat my comments like that!) doesnt hurt to consciously drink water with each drink

6. maybe in my head, but a night of drinking jager specifically leaves me feeling better and passing surprisingly normal stools. i dont really drink liquor often (personal preference) so i cant speak for that (except the jager). i will say though, that the negative experiences generally include rules 1-5 HAHA

this is just my experience, and some of it defies conventional wisdom... hopefully this does not affect anyone negatively. i have been living a pretty rough lifestyle for someone on uc, lot of travel, minimal sleep, inappropriate food, and a lot of drinking. if anything, my observations reflect what has treated me the best of everything available

dont think that you cant live a "normal" life becasue of this. i am the opposite of that. i made it through the really bad times (drawn out for a long time- my own fault) and turned my life around better than it was before i got sick. if i can do it, you can! good luck