Archive for May, 2009

The main point to understand is that in the vast majority of cases, in fact virtually all, once you have been diagnosed with colitis you have it for life (unless surgery is called for). The colitis symptoms of diarrhoea, abdominal pain, tiredness, and general discomfort may disappear after the first attack and not come back for a long time. If this is the case, count yourself one of the “lucky” ones.

The majority of sufferers tend to fall into the pattern of first attack then a period of remission (this can last for a period of months to years) before another attack. A few unfortunately have continuous symptoms that can be controlled to an extent with medication and lifestyle choices. During periods of remission your health will most likely be back to normal so don’t alarm yourself that you will never gain a degree of good health again.

At the beginning of the first attack, the first and only aspect on your mind, once you have consulted your doctor, should be your own wellbeing. Everything else in life now comes secondary. It may well be hard to accept, even appreciate at the beginning of your first attack, but you will need all your strength and determination to enable you to get through the worst period that is coming and ensure your rehabilitation back to health is as soon as possible.

If you are to have anything like an average to a full attack, you simply won’t be physically able to conduct your usual daily activities. This means that if you work, you are going to have to inform your place of work that you will not be able to attend for a period of time. Your social life outside your home will stop and even daily life in your home will have to change. Your family or other house members will have to do the jobs that you did. In fact, you should do absolutely nothing apart from concentrating on steering yourself through this illness.

There is differing experiences of this and everyone is different, but for a normal attack of colitis, you should probably be accepting to the fact that you will be off work for perhaps one month. This can differ depending on severity of the attack. Your condition will worsen for a period, then the medication that your doctor provides will slowly take its effect on the colitis and you will then benefit from a slow improvement.

Once you feel you are getting better, you will not be able to jump into your daily activities again because you will be tired and possibly rather weak. It will take time to start building yourself up because you will not have been eating as normal for a period of weeks. Even once you are back to work, it is not like that a switch can be flicked and you are back into the routine, full of vigour. It takes time, you must be realistic of what you are capable of doing and in no way should you be pushing yourself. You must take time to understand this colitis remission process or you could be heading straight back into trouble.

A colitis attack has the potential to last for many weeks and the sufferer can be at the mercy of quite ferocious colitis symptoms that can have a very debilitating effect upon them. Tiredness, both mental and physical, acute pain and a general feeling of being worn out results yet the subsiding of the symptoms should not mean that life can get back to normal quickly.  

After a period when you started to wonder if life will ever return to anything near normality, you begin to feel an easing of the symptoms. The pain is subsiding, the blood is less, going to the toilet is less frequent, you feel a little bit of strength returning and you feel ready to try and eat a little more, This process is not quick. But day by day you will notice a difference. The blood will stop, though there may still be some discomfort and pain.

Your bowel is still inflamed but at least the wound has started to heal. Trips to the toilet will reduce to perhaps only half a dozen times in twenty four hours and you will feel really elated that the worse is over, especially that the pain is reducing by the day. You may even feel a new sense of freedom. How? Well, you will probably have been trapped in your home for weeks not being able to get out. Remember, cutting down on movement can greatly reduced the pain and discomfort. That first time back outside is incredible, the sense of freedom is acute. You have the ability to get outside, move in fact, without the associated pain and the need to get to the toilet fast.

But this is not to say that you should go wild and celebrate with abandon. Quite simply, the last thing that you want to do is put yourself at risk of a quick return to what you have just been through. And that can happen if you do not have care in what you do in the following weeks when you are recuperating from the colitis attack. Your body has taken a battering and, if the attack has been strong, you will be under strength, underweight, and under nourished. The feeling of tiredness will appear quickly if you undertake too much physical exercise too early in the rehab process.

What you must accept is that it is a slow yet steady process to reintegrate yourself into everyday life. You need to avoid both physical and mental stress and slowly build yourself up over a period of time. For a successful rehabilitation, it is essential to accept and understand this and to be aware of the successful path to follow to ensure that the remission period that you are now entering will not be cut short due to some avoidable action which results in the swift return of the colitis symptoms. 

You will enter a period when the pain and discomfort remains the same, where your condition is not deteriorating any more but is not getting any better. This does not mean to say that the medication that you have been prescribed is not working and is not garnering strength to reduce the colitis symptoms that you are suffering from. Quite the opposite in fact.

It just takes time to bring the strength of this disease under control. This period is the toughest time. You are tired physically due to less sleep and the effects of this disease on your body, tired because of having to go to the toilet so often, tired because you are not eating normally and mentally tired ensuring you keep going.

This can be a period when you may start to lose your fight, lose your strong will to see an end to the relapse. It may also be the time when you just want a quick reminder that the outside world exists. Going outside will require effort, movement and strength. None of these your body has or needs right now. You think about eating something you shouldn’t and in quantities that you know will have serious repercussions. Keep a firm grip against such temptations as they will only bring self induced pain and trouble. There will be plenty of time later on when you can enjoy such things and not put yourself at risk.  

The problem of hunger is never far away. Whilst you are feeling very poor with the pain and the tiredness you may still have some form of appetite, maybe not on the scale as before, but oh for some food. Don’t be surprised if you start to imagine a plate of your favourite food just waiting to be eaten as the pangs of hunger become ever stronger. Now you maybe are wondering “why don’t you just have something to eat?” It is not that eating stops entirely, it is just the awkward matter of what goes in must come out. And in the process of the waste reaching the inflamed part of the bowel and then being passed out, pain and discomfort have to be endured. Therefore, the amount and what you eat changes during an attack.  

It is vitally important not to give into temptation during this period. Whilst you do require taking on some nutrition during a colitis attack, too great a quantity or eating food that will only exacerbate the symptoms will if anything be a retrograde step and will only deliver yet more uncomfortable or extremely painful consequences. It is essential to understand what is a sensible eating plan during a colitis relapse and the how to achieve the required nutrients without the worst of the possible resultant symptoms.  

The first period of the colitis attack after you have been diagnosed by your doctor will bring more frequent trips to the toilet; that is guaranteed. Now don’t get alarmed, but be prepared to have well over a dozen trips to the toilet over a twenty four hour period. It could even be every hour! This will include being woken up during the night with the urge to go. Accept that you will have broken nights sleep for the next few weeks.

As colitis is a debilitating disease, you are going to feel really tired. Therefore, during the day it is essential that you catch up on lost sleep, that being either sleeping in to late in the morning or taking a sleep in the afternoon. Sleep assists the body in fighting disease and aids recuperation and this is going to be a vital component in your fight to become healthy again.

The amount of pain that you will have to bear will unfortunately get worse. This will steadily increase as the inflammation of the bowel becomes more pronounced to the point where the medication that you’re prescribed starts to have an effect. One of the most effective ways of reducing the pain is to try and eliminate movement. The effect of movement on the bowel is to antagonise the inflammation which of course means a surge of bloodied stool to be emptied in the toilet. The more movement means more surges which, in turn, means more irritation due to stools passing over the inflamed part of the bowel which creates pain.

Often the most comfortable positions, or least painful, is when lying still in bed or on a sofa. By laying flat on your back, it is the most comfortable position and won’t put undue pressure on your inflamed bowel as laying on your side will. This can result in visiting the toilet fewer times from adopting this position.

By trying to eliminate movement, you should forsake venturing outside. Remember, you have to accept that life is put on hold. It won’t be you who decides this, it will be the colitis attack making you adhere to this if you wish the speediest possible recovery. You will have plenty of time to join the outside world when you are feeling better. In the meantime, if you are up to it, have the outside world visit you, reminding them that colitis is not infectious in any way.

It is essential to seek out and understand the proven methods of dealing with colitis symptoms in order that the period of a relapse can be endured without unnecessary suffering. The disease can be extremely debilitating and any advice of how to deal with it should be sought and used.

It’s open!

You will be able to find the best books dealing with the subject of colitis, including coping, treatments, diets and colitis symptoms.

All in one very convenient place.

Available now at The Colitis Experience Store

I have categorised the article sections to give your easier choice to access the colitis articles.

You can find articles on colitis diagnosis, colitis diet, causes of colitis, info and how to manage your daily experiences when in remission and and during a relapse, deal with and how to defend yourself against colitis symptoms plus how to deal with the prospect of colitis surgery.

These are the articles that you should ensure you read, understand and take action to ensure that you are best equiped to defend yourself against whatever colitis throws at you.

There will be more colitis articles added on a regular basis.

I would be delighted to read your comments and hear about your own experiences and  problems.

Remember, I am here to help you with your own colitis journey.

Michael

The Colitis Experience

There comes a time when a percentage of colitis sufferers reach the point when they are faced with the prospect of surgery to remove the large intestine. Whatever the varying reasons for this, the prospect of having a major organ taken out of the body is both alarming and anxiety ridden for the patient.

Often, colitis surgery is undertaken due to the symptoms having reached an uncontrolled state. The patient will by then have been admitted to hospital and will be administered high dosages of powerful steroids which will not have the desired effect of bringing under control the diarrhoea and blood being passed.

The operation to extract the diseased large colon is major and will take approximately four to five hours. The patient will require the formation of an ileostomy which shall be used as the end point of the bowel to evacuate waste. The end of the ileostomy is in fact the end of the small bowel which is brought through a hole formed on the abdominal wall. It pokes out by approximately two to four centimetres and a bag is attached to the surrounding skin to catch and store the body’s waste.

After surgery, the patient will feel sore from both the surgical wound and internally. As the small bowel will have been handled and inspected it will feel quite raw though the bonus is that it will not be in an operative state. After such major surgery, the bowel goes into a period of abeyance which can last for a few days before it reawakens and starts to function again.

The ilesotomy will remain for a period of time to let the body heal before further surgery is undertaken. The length of the period will be determined by the health of the patient when they were admitted to hospital. Some patients, often older, prefer to keep the ileostomy but this is not the only option available. Many decide to have further operations to form what is known as a j pouch which is an internal area formed from the small intestine and used to store the waste until evacuation and does away with the need for an ilesotomy.

Colitis surgery is major and can take the form of one or several operations where the formation of an ileostomy can be either temporary or permanent. It is a time of major anxiety about the procedure itself and how to cope not just in the immediate days after but in the long term as well. Questions such as what does it feel like not to have a large colon, how is the diet affected, how is daily life affected by wearing a bag are commonly asked. By finding practical answers to problems, the patient will be able to ensure that their immediate post surgery period and living with an ileostomy or j pouch is made much easier and the anxieties that are present can be addressed. The answers are now provided to you by a survivor who has experienced it all and can provide you with knowledge few doctors are able to offer. It is all available to you at The Colitis Experience

Whilst suffering from abdominal pain and passing some mucus and even blood in the stools can be alarming, many people who find these symptoms suddenly appearing often think the worst and confuse them with another more serious condition. It is normally the case that the lesser symptom, inflammatory bowel syndrome will be diagnosed rather than inflammatory bowel disease, otherwise known as colitis.

Sufferers of colitis will be faced with symptoms that are much more pronounced than those associated with inflammatory bowel syndrome. The colitis symptoms will not suddenly appear and for the person to be immediately incapacitated. What happens is that a part of the large colon gradually becomes inflamed and the open wound that is created starts to excrete mucus and blood. This can be in varying amounts depending on the degree of the inflammation. The person will start to notice that their stools will start to contain such mucus and blood and the stools themselves will change their form to a more diarrhoea like consistency.

In addition, the sufferer will experience some abdominal pain and find that when passing a stool that this action will create sometimes acute pain as the waste passes over the inflamed part of the large colon. Tiredness and lack of hunger can also be felt as the body is trying to fight the disease though due to the general overall feeling of being unwell, the person may not desire much food.

Depending on the severity of the attack, the colitis symptoms can last for anything between a few days to several weeks. Some people find themselves in remission for long periods of time whilst others may face periods of reoccurring symptoms.  

Taking all this into consideration, the sufferer must accept that their life will most likely have to be put on hold for a period of time for the worst of the symptoms to pass. But there is a real dilemma here. Often, the person will not know how long the attack will last, how strong the symptoms will be, what affect it has on the body, what should and shouldn’t they eat, and when they can realistically start to get back into their usual lifestyle again. Plus also, whether they can just pick up their life where they left it as if no attack had happened.

It is also common for the sufferer to be anxious about the future, whether the attack was a once of occurrence or if a pattern of relapses will develop and what severity will they take. There is a clear need for information to try and answer such dilemmas which, if left unanswered, can turn into anxieties causing possible stress. And that is the last thing a sufferer will want. The experience of a survivor is invaluable to understand what you are now facing and use such knowledge to your benefit. You can now access such valuable information at The Colitis Experience 

As anyone with colitis knows, there is always a question mark over what foods to consume and what diet to follow whether you are in either remission or suffering from a relapse. A real challenge appears when the patient encounters a period of relapse where the inflammation of the colon becomes active and eating presents a painful problem.

It is of course essential that during a relapse the patient maintains some food intake to provide the fuel to fight the disease. Continual pain, physical and mental tiredness all take their toll and without a planned colitis diet to follow during this testing period, the patient will become even weaker and may not have the sufficient residual strength to fight the attack. Weight will be lost, that is inevitable, as the daily intake of food is reduced quite considerably so it is vital to establish a colitis diet that works for the patient and to try and stick to it.

There requires to be a level of consumption of food that will sustain the patient yet not create the problem of increasing the frequency of painful toilet visits that are already having to be endured. Waste that requires to be evacuated has to pass over the inflamed part of the colon which creates discomfort and pain for the patient. So the balancing act is between sustaining the nourishment for the patient yet trying to reduce to a minimum any further resultant pain and discomfort.

A colitis diet during a relapse should thus avoid large portions plus any food that has the tendency to create intestinal gas. Strong flavoured such as foods with herbs and spices should be avoided as should anything high in acid content. As small portions will be about all the patient can manage, there should be a tendency for higher calorie food to be consumed which can in fact take the form of snacks rather than set meals. This is not a time to worry about putting on weight by eating foods with a high calorific content. The patient’s problem will be trying to stem the weight loss. Plus, the maxim of consuming a certain amount of fresh fruit and vegetables per day does not have to be part of a colitis diet during a relapse.

If during the height of the relapse, the patient feels too unwell to take much food if any, there are special drink supplements available which contain vitamins and minerals and are regarded as food substitutes where the patient still benefits from the intake of such without having to physically eat.

Through trying different foods, the patient will be able to create their own colitis diet for the periods that they endure a relapse. The target is a small but constant supply of nourishment without an unacceptable increase in the amount of painful toilet visits. It is vitally important that the sufferer is able to eat at anytime whether they are suffering from a relapse or in remission. By gaining from the experience for others they will be able to create their own diet plan and then review it periodically. You now have the opportunity to gain such experience from a survivor at The Colitis Experience

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