Ulcerative colitis anyone????

[TheRootedNomad]

I was wondering if there is anyone else out there that has ulcerative colitis and if you were ever a smoker ???? It seems I had been self medicating for years by smoking and that that was why I was able to stay in remission without any maintanence medications so well. I quit smoking back in early January and have been out of remission for several weeks now. just wondering if anyone has had a similar experience?

[kaykwilts]

My DH has it. He sees a doctor annually and takes medication. He takes asacol tablets and when he has flareups he has to take prescription enemas.

[acidcookie]

If I'm correct this is what my boyfriend was just diagnosed with. Though he doesn't smoke. Used to back in the day, not that heavily though, I don't think. Hm.

[TheRootedNomad]

(Kay: I'm allergic to the asacol ..... it makes me worse. )

(sorry this is long....needed to explain so you all would know where I was coming from)

I was originally diagnosed at 15 and it took 6 months of steriods and a long hospitalization to get me in remission. I was told I had a 90 something percent chance I'd have colon cancer and need a colosotomy within 10 years. (Scary stuff in the eighties for a teenager) I did much better than what I was told I would do and it seems things have come along way since then and the gloom and doom prognosis is given out like it was to me then. I had to stay on maitenance meds for awhile but was then weened off. I only had one or two minor flare ups which I used a sulfur drug for until my pregnancy with my second son. I tried to be really good with that pregnancy and tried to quit smoking.....Didn't make the connection then but I ended up with a major flare-up with my obstetrician and my gastoentestinologist (sp) scaring me because they couldn't seem to agree on the best corse of treatment for me and the baby. (I ended up changing gastoentestinologists) Anyway all future attempts to quit have not lasted but a couple of days so there were no issues. I haven't had a cigerette since the 6th of Jan. (which should be a wonderful thing) and haven't even needed the nicotine gum since the end of Jan. By the biginning of the second week of Feb. I am in major flare-up. When I finally got in to the doctor he confirmed what I suspected....quitting smoking probably triggered the flare-up. He says he's even beginning to treat some of his paients with nicotine patches as maintanence meds...even though it's not widely accepted. Well anyway they're having a hard time getting me back in remission. My body does not like all the newer drugs. So we're back to trying old school Azulfadine (Sp) and probably prednisone (yuck...steroids). Part of me says ... Just pick up the cigeretts it was cheaper than the doctor and the drugs and I felt better than this....but of corse I know how stupid that would be. Once I'm back in remission I am going to ask more in depth about the patches as maintanence. Was just kind of curious about that nicotine connection, and how many others have experienced it???

[AheeK]

There is a wide streak of bowel disease running through my family: my aunt has Crohn's and my mom and brother have ulcerative colitis. I've read about the link between smoking and colitis and I've always thought it's a terrible choice to have to make. One of my brothers (not the one with the colitis) smokes, and he says he won't quit because as soon as he does, he knows he's going to get colitis. My mom smoked way back in the day, but she quit well before she started having kids, and she didn't get colitis until she was pregnant with me. She takes asacol and used to take prednisone. Both her and my brother are in remission now, and I know there are TONS more options for treatment now than there were back in the 80s when my mom was first diagnosed. I hope you find a treatment and doctor that work for you and go into remission soon.

[kaykwilts]

Earlier I couldn't think of the name of the enema but it just came to me. It's Rowasa. Not sure of the spelling.

I have never heard of nicotine relieving symptoms. My DH has never smoked and would never consider taking it up. In addition to the ulcerative colitis he has mild asthma and cigarette smoke would certainly aggravate his lungs.

[acidcookie]

Not to mention all the other cancer and heart and lung related problems smoking causes. My boyfriend takes regular medication to treat it and it seems to be going just fine.