For the last few weeks my disease, Ulcerative colitis, has been flared-up. It has been over 5 years since I have had any major issues and boy did I easily forget how terrible it is! It does not only effect me physically but puts a strain on my family when I don't feel well, especially Heath (we all know caretaker isn't high up on his list of strengths). I just got back from the gastro and now have a lot more drugs to use and have been poked and prodded with tests as well. I have a lot of friends and family praying for me so if you haven't already, please put me on your prayer list. Pray for healing and good test results.
Another frustrating aspect of this is that after all my hard work on eating healthy and having a nutritional diet it all goes out the door. I have to be on a low residue diet which really means anything that has little to no nutritional value! Although it is fun to eat foods that I have cut out for the last few months I can only imagine what this will do to my body weight and health along with adjusting back to eating right once I am in remission! I have nothing to eat at my house because I don't buy that junk anymore! Ahhh!
For those who are unfamiliar with UC I have included the wikipedia summary. Beware it isn't pretty but I have spared posting pictures on this blog entry! :)
Ulcerative colitis (
Colitis ulcerosa,
UC) is a form of
inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Ulcerative colitis is a form of
colitis, a
disease of the
intestine, specifically the large intestine or
colon, that includes characteristic
ulcers, or open sores, in the colon. The main symptom of active disease is usually constant
diarrhea mixed with blood, of gradual onset. IBD is often confused with
irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), a troublesome, but much less serious, condition. Ulcerative colitis has similarities to
Crohn's disease, another form of IBD. Ulcerative colitis is an intermittent disease, with periods of exacerbated symptoms, and periods that are relatively symptom-free. Although the symptoms of ulcerative colitis can sometimes diminish on their own, the disease usually requires treatment to go into
remission.
Ulcerative colitis occurs in 35–100 people for every 100,000 in the United States,
[1] or less than 0.1% of the population. The disease is more prevalent in northern countries of the world, as well as in northern areas of individual countries or other regions. Although ulcerative colitis has no known cause, there is a presumed
genetic component to susceptibility. The disease may be triggered in a susceptible person by environmental factors. Although dietary modification may reduce the discomfort of a person with the disease, ulcerative colitis is not thought to be caused by dietary factors. Ulcerative colitis is treated as an
autoimmune disease. Treatment is with anti-inflammatory drugs,
immunosuppression, and
biological therapy targeting specific components of the immune response.
Colectomy (partial or total removal of the large bowel through surgery) is occasionally necessary, and is considered to be a cure for the disease.
The clinical presentation
[4] of ulcerative colitis depends on the extent of the disease process. Patients usually present with
diarrhea mixed with blood and
mucus, of gradual onset that persists for an extended period (weeks). They also may have weight loss and blood on rectal examination. The disease may be accompanied with different degrees of abdominal pain, from mild discomfort to painful bowel movements or painful abdominal cramping with bowel movements.
Ulcerative colitis is associated with a general inflammatory process that affects many parts of the body. Sometimes these associated extra-intestinal symptoms are the initial signs of the disease, such as painful, arthritic knees in a teenager. The presence of the disease cannot be confirmed, however, until the onset of intestinal manifestations.
