Key Facts To Know During The Early Days Of Living With Colitis

So you have been advised that you could have this disease yet what does this mean

for you in regard to living with colitis? What is does mean is the potential for a major change to your daily routines yet life can still be lived. The secret is to know how to manage it effectively so you can still have a full a life as possible and this can be done when you have the knowledge and understanding about what you face.

The disease relates to the inflammation of the large intestine, otherwise known as the large colon. The extent of this inflammation can be from just a few inches inside the rectum to most of the left hand side of the colon and in some severe cases, over half of the entire colon is affected. The cause is still unknown though recent medical research does point to some gene influence.

This will require a visit to a hospital to be formally diagnosed. This shall be undertaken through the use of such means as a barium enema, internal examination plus also the use of a sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy to confirm the extent of the inflammation. This is where a flexible camera is inserted into the bowel to examine the lining and determine the characteristics of the attack. Often, a sedative is given to reduce the discomfort.

So what are the symptoms that you can expect to occur when faced with a colitis attack? The first sign will be slight abdominal discomfort that will grow to a level dependent on the extent of the inflammation. Blood will soon be in evidence in stools and their formation will change to more of a diarrhoea form. It is important to not be duly concerned if at times the only thing that is passed is a varying quantity of blood. Frequency of toilet visits can increase to several times per hour when the attack is at its most strongest. You will be faced with increasing amounts of weariness and there will be a desire to sleep a lot. You have to realise that this is in fact beneficial because as must rest as possible should be sought in order for the body to use all the available energy it has, and it won't be a lot, to fight the attack.

Medication will be prescribed to try and bring the inflammation under control. Through using steriods it is acknowledged as an effective means to enable the reduction of symptoms with the subsequent calming of the inflammation. The downside is that they do have unwanted side effects such as tiredness, mood signs, and increased hormonal activity. You will also be prescribed anti inflammatory medication that will be used not just during an attack but also when in remission to try and keep the colon lining from becoming inflamed once again. For the unfortunate few, and it is a few, the only answer to bringing an end to the suffering is undergoing surgery for the removal of part or the entire infected bowel. This is a major step to take that has life changing ramifications and should only be considered when all other methods of trying to live with colitis have not been successful.

As can be surmised, living with colitis is challenging, unpredictable and can have a major impact on your daily life. Yet through effective colitis management, you can bring some order to your life and reduce the effect that it has. An important part of living with the disease is to ensure that the sufferer is aware of all the available knowledge that others have of colitis that can make a significant difference to their quality of life. Only by trialing and testing such, can a colitis sufferer find relief and undertake as much of daily life as normal whilst still living with such a challenging disease.

by: Michael Tasker

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