Quitting smoking and flare up

After having a really bad flare up last year (I was hospitalized), I decided that I wanted to live a healthier lifestyle this year. This included quitting smoking. I quit about a month ago and all was going fine with the exception of my UC. I started having more and more mucus and then this morning, I realized I was having a full blown flare up. I had a small bowel movement that looked like it was 60% blood, 10% mucus and 30% feces.

It really sucks.

I'm currently on 12 Asacol per day (maximum dosage). Doesn't seem to be helping all that much. Should I go on Prednisone? I was on Imuran but it gave me horrific joint pain.

What about enemas? Or do enemas not matter all that much with flare ups?

Lastly (and I hate to say this), but should I start smoking again? I really don't want to but I might have to if the non-smoking life is nothing but one long flare up.

I don't have any meds other than Asacol nor do I have a regular doctor here (I'm going to try a hospital tomorrow morning but I doubt going to the hospital will be much of a help).

Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

Maybe this is something I should consider... For me, too, it might be a quality of life thing.

Do you think I could get away with only smoking a couple per day? I was a month into quitting so this is a major defeat for me if I were to start up again. :(

Post Edited (Wavefunction) : 2/22/2011 5:02:41 PM (GMT-7)

Yeah. I really don't want to start smoking again. I've already told people I quit, everyone would be disappointed in me... and I just don't want to smoke again...

So I should take Canasa suppositories or Rowasa enemas? I'll see if they're available here. I'll try this before I consider starting smoking again.

Durango Kid said...
I can totally idenify with your situation. Sounds much like what I am going through. I went back to smoking after flaring for 16 months and within 10 days my flare went into a 95% remission. For me it's a quality of life issue. I also have to wonder about the side affects of remicade compared to smoking, as I'm pretty sure this would be the next step for me. I have been keeping the smoking to around 6-8 per day. I want to try the e-cigs at some point. This was a very tough decision for me. Good luck!

You never tried Remicade, even after a sixteen-months flare? I didn't even know people could really flare for sixteen months... you must've had quite a few months of "light" flaring. If I think of my most severe flares, I would've died without surgery (probably a colectomy) after a couple of months when the symptoms were at their most extreme - literally. I cannot imagine a sixteen-months flare, without major fluctuation in the severity of the flare over that period of time.

I would opt for nicotine replacement. I am an ecig fan myself..

Gavriel said...

You never tried Remicade, even after a sixteen-months flare? I didn't even know people could really flare for sixteen months... you must've had quite a few months of "light" flaring. If I think of my most severe flares, I would've died without surgery (probably a colectomy) after a couple of months when the symptoms were at their most extreme - literally. I cannot imagine a sixteen-months flare, without major fluctuation in the severity of the flare over that period of time.

There has definately been fluctuation in severity.  At one point I was on 40mg prednisone.  We tried azathioprine which was working (so I had some relief there), but my LFTs were not good on it so I had to discontinue.  Tried mesalamine enemas at one point, but they weren't well tolerated.  Back on a low dose of oral pred and hydrocortisone enemas.  As of now I'm trying to taper off the hydro enemas and as I stated am about 95% in remission.  I believe my UC is still active, but the smoking has enormously reduced the inflamation.

Actually Gavriel, smoking tends to worsen things for Crohns sufferers- it does tend to help things for UC patients though. Personally, I last bought a pack of cigs about 10 days ago- I had been smoking 3-4 cigs a day for probably around 7-8 years. I bought nicotine gum, & promptly started chewing whenever I felt edgy, irritable, etc. It really helped- and my UC symptoms haven't worsened one bit. I had been having maybe one cig here & there, a few puffs, etc. And I decided I really missed my cigarette in the evenings! Some people have a glass of wine, or a drink- I have a smoke. SO- I wound up buying a pack yesterday, & having one last evening. It was enjoyable.... I guess my point is, if you can limit yourself to 1-3 a day, & even supplement with gum/lozenges, etc. that should help with the UC. I've chewed a couple pieces of gum today so far, & plan to have another evening cig tonight- it's a nice reward at the end of the day!

HI WAVE, Ive read that nicotine patches are good for colitis, but u would have to research on it.

Try not to rejustify smoking again....don't even go there. Congratulations on quitting!!

Use the enemas nightly and a suppository some time during the day after your major bms.

OR....just use the enemas nightly and save the suppositories for tapering...which we/I can explain at a later date.

Are you on fibre supplements? Are you on probiotics?

Keep us posted as to how your first administration of the enema goes....

q

FWIW, I just finished 3 weeks of nicoderm patches, starting first week 7mg, second week 14mg and third week 7mg.   The reason I went back to 7mg for the third week was that on 14mg my dreams went from 'moderatley vivid' to 'freaking horribly morbid'.

I have to say I am dissapointed as I thought it just may have worked for me, being a former heavy smoker, albeit 20 years ago.

I may give it another try, maybe the gum but has it not occurred to anyone on just how long do we have to continue nicotine therapy before realizing it ain't doing the biz?   In my case I gave it 3 weeks but then I'm a bit impatient.        If it did happen to work, and you reach remission, do you stop taking it cold turkey and maybe suffer nicotine withdrawal?      If after quitting the nic. would it not lead to a relapse and then you'd have to step back onto the nicotine carousel?

Wavefunction said...
I'll stay quit of course. Screw cigarettes, who needs 'em. :)

 

 

Yay!!! Good to hear. :)