Secrets of How to Tackle a Colitis Flare Up

When the inevitable colitis flare up does happen it can be a very distressing period of time. It has the capacity to alter all of the normal daily routines of the sufferer's life and therefore it is important that knowledge is gained of how to face the consequences of a flare up and manage it to ensure the best possible chance of returning to remission as soon as possible.

Each sufferer has different methods of coping with a change to their circumstances due to the appearance of a flare up, with many recognising that any change to their bowel health requires immediate medical attention. There are other sufferers who stop their daily routines and rest completely for a period of a few days to a week or more in order to try and not antagonise the bowel and reduce any pressure put upon it. If this is unsuccessful, it is usual for the doctor to be made aware of the circumstances of the flare up and additional specific medication requested. Colitis symptoms that are caught early can often be easier and more responsive to treat due to their low intensity, although this unfortunately is not always the case. The sufferers that just carry on life trying best to cope often exacerbate the problems and are ultimately delaying the inevitable downtime.

It is very important to understand and appreciate those dramatic changes in bowel habits over a short period of time, where there is greater frequency in movements and the appearance of blood, signals that the opinion of a doctor should be sought. If this is then coupled with other symptoms such as the onset of fever, increasing abdominal pain, the feeling of nausea with or without vomiting, then the sooner a doctor is contacted the better as this normally signals that a full relapse is happening to the sufferer.

Through the increase in the prescribed amount of medication already being taken is usually the first step a doctor will take, additional medication such as steroids will be prescribed specifically to counter the active inflammation in the large bowel. It is very important to withdraw from daily activities to ensure enough physical and mental rest is had plus also a normal diet cannot be continued. The bowel requires a rest as much as possible from its usual functions and this must be accommodated through a complete change of diet during the flare up to very low quantity simple food.

There will be instances where a colitis flare-up does not respond adequately in a reasonable amount of time to the increased dosages of medications that are prescribed. Where severe flare-ups occur, this can result in nutritional deficiency due to lack of food being eaten plus also the danger of dehydration due to the amount of diarrhea, a period of hospital care maybe required in order for the symptoms to be stabilised. Thankfully this will only happen to a very small number of people who require intensive assistance to first stabilse then reduce the symptoms. The vast majority of those who experience a colitis flare up will be treated in their home with back up from their doctor.

It is recognised that at any time a colitis flare up occurs is a worrying period of time for the sufferer and their family. By adopting a recognised path of taking the medications, rest, adjusting and reducing diet and being aware of the progress of the symptoms, the sufferer should be able to manage the flare up themselves with support from their doctor. The most important issue to note though is that once a flare up appears, it just cannot be wished aware. It has to be faced up to and dealt with in a responsible way.