Archive for the ‘Colitis Diagnosis Articles’ Category

You will have undoubtedly have been bombarded with facts and figures all about ulcerative colitis and no doubt a thought is lingering in your mind as to the question everyone would like answered. “How did this happen?” You were probably healthy before being given an ulcerative colitis diagnosis, leading a normal life. Now you have a disease which can have very serious consequences, so how on earth did that creep up on you?

Was is due to your lifestyle, was it caused by eating something over a period of time, was it due to emotional or mental pressure that sought an avenue for release, was it due to many of these factors, was it due to a Western lifestyle and diet whether measured as excessive or not, was it due to being in a country of the developing world?

The answer is a communal “we don’t know, but we have some ideas”. More resources than ever are being spent on research to try and find the elixir to breaking the stranglehold that the disease has on those diagnosed. Studies have found that 15% of people with inflammatory bowel disease have a relative also with Crohn’s or ulcerative colitis. So that equates to 85% that have no link to a relative. Comparisons have to be made with other diseases to see if this figure is around the “natural level of susceptibility” or not. It is suggested that some people are predisposed to cancer or heart trouble due to a relative suffering from it, so I would not put too much emphasis on this by taking the percentage out of context.

There has been recently more emphasis put on gene research and it has been found through several studies that of the 30,000 genes found in the human body some are possibly more likely to contribute to the onset of colitis. It has been found that an ulcerative colitis gene encodes a protein which is implicated in maintaining the barrier function of the large colon wall. Findings have suggested that an inherent defect in this wall may predispose to colitis. Furthermore, five genes which predispose to colitis are involved in aspects of regulation of the body’s immune system.

So where does that leave us? Well, apart from requiring a lot more research, it does contribute to a growing trend of research findings that gene make up is becoming a much more important factor in challenging understanding into the cause or causes of colitis. It may take many more years before there is enough quality evidence to suggest that one or several factors are the causes, then of course more years after that before the development of satisfactory medication is available to sufferers.

Until that day arrives, those with colitis have to accept that it has happened and use, in particular, the knowledge and experience of others to guide and help them through their daily experiences and ease their anxieties. It can make the difference in so many ways.

Being diagnosed by a doctor with a symptom is a worrying time and often what causes a lot of anxiety is the unknown, what lies ahead and how it will affect the person’s quality of life. When diagnosed with a disease, such feelings are multiplied many times as the consequences, both actual and imagined are magnified greatly in the patient’s thoughts.

When given a colitis diagnosis by a doctor or hospital consultant, the patient will have so many questions to ask to find out what exactly they should be prepared for. It can be difficult to source the really helpful information that can make a difference to the daily wellbeing of the sufferer though it is important to know the basics of what it is they are about to face.

The patient will face a period of time where they will be subjected to bouts of diarrhoea that will at times be frequent and uncontrollable. This will be accompanied by abdominal pain, though the degree of such symptoms will be related to the extent of the inflammation that has occurred on the large colon. There can be evidence of mucus and blood when passing waste all of which adds to the concern of the sufferer.

This period can last depending on the severity of the attack from a few days to several weeks. Some patients, though thankfully only a small percentage, have these symptoms continuously though for the vast majority once brought under control, they will reduce and be all but eliminated. The symptoms are brought under control by prescribed medication including the use of steroids.

During the colitis attack, the sufferer will feel tired and weak as the body is using all its energy to fight the disease. The amount and variety of food is normally reduced to a restricted diet which the sufferer can tolerate without exacerbating the symptoms. Many foods will be off limits during an attack and it can be a question of what food creates the least amount of reaction and waste that has to be evacuated. It is often the case that the sufferer is in fact not that hungry for periods of the attack due to the overall feeling of being unwell.

It is important to understand what happens to the colon with a colitis diagnosis and to be aware of how the sufferer’s actions during an attack can influence the length of it and the recovery period afterwards. To ensure that the attack is well managed, a sufferer needs to call upon the experiences of others who have been through such times and have the knowledge to make daily living easier. Such questions as how much rest is needed, what should be eaten, what degree of discomfort should be expected and how to manage it are typical of the information required to ensure that the sufferer can manage through the attack without needlessly suffering to a greater extent than they have to. The real life answers have been hard to find but can now be accessed from a survivor’s own extensive knowledge at The Colitis Experience