A couple of questions.

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Hi im new to this, my friend recommended it, i was diagnosed with IBD about 3 years ago, i left it nearly a year before i went to get help, i was convinced i had bowel cancer and was soo scared, i would always tell people to get it checked first time because i was a mess when i eventually went to the docs, i had lost 24 lbs, was anemic, stressed, tired and moody etc.

I had lost alot of blood and nearly had to get a blood transfusion but i just about had the limit. Anyway, its been up and down since then, only recently has the doc told me it is ulcerative colitis and not crohns, although i am in the "mild symptoms" category, i dont think im 100% happy because i get symptoms all the time. So i have a couple questions id like to ask the experts, because thats what you are, you people have what i have so ...

i always seem to be on the pan the day after a night out, should i stop drinking at the weekend?

whats the best alcohol to drink if i was on a night out?

what alcohol should i stay away from?

does smoking make it worse?

what suppliments should i use to help me?

does certain foods make it worse?

how come when im work and im working in a place myself i always feel i need the toilet, but when others are there im fine?

how come when i get slightly nervous i need the toilet?

is there anything i can take to stop the spasms and constipation?

Thanks in advance :)
 
Hi Nico85,

Welcome to the forum! I am sorry to hear about your diagnosis 3 years ago, but this disease can become manageable over time (and we will do our best to help you with this!)

There is no set rule for IBD sufferers related to what to eat/not to eat. It would be good to browse the forum a bit (especially the Food and Diet subforum) as there are a lot of discussion there related to food/alcohol consumption.

The amount of alcohol (if any) that each of us can tolerate will differ. Ideally you should limit your alcohol consumption as much as possible if it is causing you problems the next day. You can try expirementing to see what the optimal alcohol consumption for a night is without feeling bad the next day by limiting your drinking to one drink one weekend, 2 drinks the next and so on. I personally found that I had trouble drinking beer (harder alcohol in moderation was not as much of a problem) but once again this will differ for everyone and some people can not tolerate any alcohol.

Smoking has actually been found in studies to be beneficial for some reason for people with Ulcerative Colitis. This means that if are a smoker, it probably is safer for some weird reason to try not to quit. There is some uncertainty over this (see this link) so overall I would suggest not going out of your way to smoke more, but if trying to quit makes you feel worse it may make sense to consider smoking.

The treatment and food subforums have a lot of discussion related to different supplements/foods/diets people try so I suggest you look there.

I also can not say for certainty why your symptoms occur in some situatons and not others. I have found that reducing stress as much as possible (including eating as well as possible and getting enough sleep, in addition to trying to not react to harshly to the stress from everyday life) can help minimize the impact of symptoms.

Hope this is of some help and that you find all the answers you are looking for here :).
 
Hi Nico and :welcome:

This is a great place with loads of friendly and experienced people. Mike has given you excellent advice so all that's left for me to say is, good to see you here and welcome aboard!

Take care, :)
Dusty

PS. I'll ask for your thread to be moved to the Your Story forum so more people see it and you can be welcomed. Hope that is OK........:eek:
 
how come when im work and im working in a place myself i always feel i need the toilet, but when others are there im fine?

how come when i get slightly nervous i need the toilet?

Hi Nico and welcome!! I would have thought this would have been the opposite!! User Ameslouise has had flares associated with attempts to quit smoking. She has crohns though not uc. I hope you find the answers you are looking for here! Good luck and stick around:).
 
Hi Nico
and welcome

I can't add anymore than what Mike has advised, only that vodka is the best drink for me, it's pure, not full of crap like beer and wines!
I've read about the smoking and UC thing too!
glad you found us, have a read thro the sections on diet
lotsa luv
Joan xxx
 
Hi again, thanks alot for all your advice, its appreciated!

I just feel sometimes i can eat certain things one day and be fine and then the same thing the next and my bowels cant cope with it, its hard to find a diet that will work for me. I keep telling my consultant this but he keeps saying that my UC is nothing to do with diet and i can eat anything, but when i have a flare up then stay away from spicey food, dairy, and any food with seeds or skins because there harder to digest.

But i do realise my biggest problem is a saturday morning after a night out, im a 25 year old guy from glasgow so u can tell i like my weekends, and to be honest, if i didnt go out drinking and having fun on a friday night then i wouldnt have much of a social life, and i refuse to let my disease beat me.

I also appreciate there are people in here who are in a much worse position than me, it would just make my life that little bit easier if i could manage my life a bit better.

I know im still learning and understanding my UC and it did take me a while to accept i had it, but now its more about trying my best to educate myself.

Thanks again for all your points and helping me, and ill be reading alot of threads on this site because its more than helpful :)

Nicky
 
Hey and welcome, everyone has given you great advice.

I know its hard but adjusting your lifestyle could really help. Binge drinking def doesn't help with the gut, well not mine and obviously not good for anyone. I find that wine really irratates me so stick to Vodka like Joan. I always thought smoking was really bad for anyone who has an IBD, I always got told this but a lot of people on here do so its diff for everyone.

Trying keeping a food and sympton diary this might help you discover if you have any trigger foods. Also cod liver oil is great for inflamation but does nothing to me when flaring.

Like everyone has said everyone is different so its hard to say what is best for you, but you will be sure to get some great experience and advice here.

Good luck
Jo x
 
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