Flare caused by major stress event?

I haven’t had a flare in years. I have mild proctor is that is limited to the last 2 centimeters of my rectum according to my last colonoscopy. Anyways I’ve been doing Canada twice a week ever since. Lately I haven’t been taking it on my regular days or I’d miss a day but my body has never missed more than a week. I got back on track and then hawaii had that ballistic missile threat. We spent almost 40 minutes waiting to die Saturday morning. Come Monday night and I’m starting to pass uncontrollable gas and pooping out mucus chunks. Next morning I’m in the worst pain in my lower stomach and pooping marrow stools. Can stress really set me into a flare when I’ve been doing everything else right? It seems so unfair. Be been doin canasa twice a day and it’s helping but stool is very narrow. I know it’s from inflammation. My worry is that the inflammation is higher up now... since I’ll get some colons spasms. From my last flare I remember colon spasms though around my belly button.... it’s bren a hard week. I’ve been having to hide this from my boyfriend and it’s so hard when he wants to get intimate and I just feel disgusted with myself. I don’t know how to tell him or if I even should. He wouldn’t understand and he doesn’t always know how to act in some situations like these.

Sorry to hear you were part of that scare! Heard about it on the news and it was terrible.

Can flares be caused by high stress? Yes, some of us say so.

Regarding the bf, you gotta talk straight with him at some point about what UC is, flares and remissions, and what that means. If he's somebody you plan to be with long term then that talk is going to have to happen eventually. As UC has periods of remission and flares, and you will eventually flare (as we all do). My DW isn't the best with health-related-issues and can be difficult/prickly around such subjects, so I get it.

Thank you guys for your responses.

I know I need to tell my boyfriend. Originally my plan was to only tell him if I ever got really bad but I hope it never gets to that point... I think I’m just more worried of what his reactions going to be. Is he going to be disgusted of where I have to put the medicine? Is he even going to try to understand that this is lifelong and invisible to most people? Obviously if he doesn’t I should just leave... I’m not sure if I’m ready to even cross that bridge right now but it would help a lot if he understood.

I think the canasa is helping a little. I’m still getting stomach pains but they’re not associated with BMs. My stool is very narrow... im also starting to notice purplish liquid from the canasa on my liners. I’ve had this before when I wasn’t flaring too... is this just oxidation? I don’t see any blood in my stool or when wiping.

Poophappens, if this guy real likes you/loves you then IBD isn't going to be an issue. In sickness and in health and all of that ;-)

Sure UC involves a taboo subject like bathroom habits and poop, but it is was it is.

Stress can cause sudden urgency and stomach issues for people without UC so I'd imagine it plays a role with us. I guess the question is whether the stress actually triggers the UC flare or if it just triggers stomach/bathroom issues that can lead to a flare if it is prolonged.

I cant imagine a flare could be triggered by a day or two or sudden or large amount of stress, most of us would probably constantly be in a flare.

I agree with whichever poster said it would probably occur from prolonged stress over the course of a period of time.

I do not think this was just stress.

The research is pretty clear that a single acute stressor of less than a day has never been shown to produce a flare almost immediately. That is magic and does not happen.

The research has show some association between chronic stress over months and onset of flares. The picture is less clear for weeks, but I think it can happen just to fewer people so was not picked up statistically.

Thinking is that hormone levels, especially cortisol stress hormone, trip um immune system in ways that facilitate flares. Maybe the chronic stress also has a direct effect on the gut microbes.

Anyway the relation is between chronic stress and flares - for some but not all people. The relation is not between a "bad day" and flares.

Possibly you were sub-clinical. Maybe you were simmering with inflammation that was just below noticeable symptoms. Maybe the stressful 40 minutes pushed you just above the "noticeable symptoms" line. But in such a case it would be wrong to say that the single stressor had caused the whole flare.

DBwithUC said...
I do not think this was just stress.

The research is pretty clear that a single acute stressor of less than a day has never been shown to produce a flare almost immediately. That is magic and does not happen.

The research has show some association between chronic stress over months and onset of flares. The picture is less clear for weeks, but I think it can happen just to fewer people so was not picked up statistically.

Thinking is that hormone levels, especially cortisol stress hormone, trip um immune system in ways that facilitate flares. Maybe the chronic stress also has a direct effect on the gut microbes.

Anyway the relation is between chronic stress and flares - for some but not all people. The relation is not between a "bad day" and flares.

Possibly you were sub-clinical. Maybe you were simmering with inflammation that was just below noticeable symptoms. Maybe the stressful 40 minutes pushed you just above the "noticeable symptoms" line. But in such a case it would be wrong to say that the single stressor had caused the whole flare.

Oh and back to the bf part, I told him I have an auto immune disease that affects my stomach. No reaction from him. It totally went over his head. I was hoping he’d at least show some concern....

It's so interesting that you ask about stress causing flares and you also seem to be in an unhealthy relationship. My first flare had a couple of root causes but the lifestyle trigger was a major relationship ending in a traumatic way. I have noticed this pattern in the IBD community. A lot of people have pro-longed lifestyle stress before the initial onset.

I'm not of the opinion that stress *causes* UC, but it can instigate it. If you have *any* low grade inflammation in your bowel, even if there are no symptoms, a stressful event could set it off. Pro-longed stress depletes the cortisol pathway in the body, so the body no longer has the ability to control inflammation. Adrenaline itself causes inflammation by putting the body into sympathetic mode in which it's fight or flight. In that mode, the body does not conduct major repair.

I'm really sorry to hear about your relationship woes. It took me a long time of living with this disease and having several relationships end badly to realize that I have no place in my life for someone who is needy, emotionally volatile, has poor boundaries, or can't take care of themselves (materially, emotionally, etc). We're all human and none of us are perfect but if you don't feel safe, loved, secure, and acknowledged in your needs at least most of the time then you're probably not with a keeper.

Your health matters more than anything. People come and go but you only get one body in this lifetime.

Glad your talk went well. Guys are a whole lot less grossed out by poop than you'd think. I'm sure it's a weight off of your shoulders not having to hide UC from him anymore.

Listening and understanding is all that we ask from our SO's. We might cancel plans last minute; don't take it personally (we really wanted to go, held out hope we'd feel well enough to go, but it would be pure misery for us and thus cancelled). Flares change how we act and what we need to be happy. Stuff like there's times we just want to stay home and not go out (netflix, a warm water bottle for our achy abdomen, a home cooked flare-safe food, and our own bathroom close by are our idea of a great date night). There's times intimacy is the very, very last thing on our mind when we're flaring and just feeling horrible (when all you think and worry about 24/7 is poop, have abdominal discomfort and all,we're just not in the mood;nothing personal). They don't need to show a lot of emotion to be good SO. However, hearing crap from them about their neediness and how we are disappointing them isn't needed either when we're feeling awful, and will get a SO's head torn asunder at race-car speed. SO-level-expert knows the signs and adapts, and is there when we need him/her. And hey, flares are temporary, so we'll be back to ourselves asap.

No two flares are the same. You might need mesalamine retention enemas and asacol might be needed this time. I've been on those since 2012 without issues and no side effects.

Anxiety never helps anything, messes with the bowels of even those without an IBD/UC.

Thanks ipoop. It helps to know there’s other people here who understand. And yes I think the fact he’s a boy and poop doesn’t gross them out helps a lot.

Has anyone tried budesonide? I told my doc about my symptoms and he said I may have to go on that and another oral medication... but I may need a sigmoidoscopy first.