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Living with ulcerative colitis means dealing with a steep learning curve to try to figure out your triggers and the best management methods that work for you. While you likely do everything you can to avoid a future flare, it’s possible to make ulcerative colitis mistakes without even realizing it.
“While so much of how your ulcerative colitis plays out is largely out of your control, ther are a handful of mistakes many patients make that can easily be avoided,” says blank” data-vars-ga-outbound-link=”https://mdmercy.com/centers-of-excellence/digestive-health-and-liver-disease/our-doctors/the-center-for-inflammatory-bowel-and-colorectal-diseases/matilda-hagan-md” data-vars-ga-ux-element=”Hyperlink” data-vars-ga-call-to-action=”Matilda Hagan,M.D.” data-node-id=”1.1″ class=”body-link css-inlxvj emevuu60″>Matilda Hagan, M.D., associate director for the Center for Inflammatory Bowel and Colorectal Diseases at Mercy Medical Center in baltimore.
Meet the experts: blank” data-vars-ga-outbound-link=”https://mdmercy.com/centers-of-excellence/digestive-health-and-liver-disease/our-doctors/the-center-for-inflammatory-bowel-and-colorectal-diseases/matilda-hagan-md” data-vars-ga-ux-element=”Hyperlink” data-vars-ga-call-to-action=”Matilda Hagan, M.D.” data-node-id=”2.2″ class=”body-link css-inlxvj emevuu60″>Matilda Hagan, M.D., associate director for the Center for Inflammatory Bowel and Colorectal Diseases at Mercy medical Center in Baltimore; blank” data-vars-ga-outbound-link=”https://www.memorialcare.org/providers/ashkan-farhadi” data-vars-ga-ux-element=”Hyperlink” data-vars-ga-call-to-action=”Ashkan Farhadi, M.D.,” data-node-id=”2.5″ class=”body-link css-inlxvj emevuu60″>Asrikan Farhadi, MD, gastroenterologist at memorialcare Orange Coast Medical Center in Fountain Valley, CA; blank” data-vars-ga-outbound-link=”https://mdmercy.com/find-a-doctor/raymond-cross-md” data-vars-ga-ux-element=”Hyperlink” data-vars-ga-call-to-action=”Raymond Cross, M.D.” data-node-id=”2.7″ class=”body-link css-inlxvj emevuu60″>Raymond Cross, M.D., a gastroenterologist who specializes in inflammatory bowel disease at Mercy Medical Center.
Of course, it’s unfeasible for your care provider to be on top of every aspect of your life, and equally tough for you to know about all of the factors that could be unintentionally tripping you up.So, if you have ulcerative colitis, it’s crucial to talk to your doctor about any questions you have.Still, there are some common missteps doctors who treat ulcerative colitis see regularly. these are the biggest ulcerative colitis mistakes that could be unintentionally getting in your way.
1.Taking a watch-and-wait approach when symptoms arise.
dr. Hagan says she has a number of patients who notice they’re having blank” data-vars-ga-outbound-link=”https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/digestive-diseases/ulcerative-colitis/symptoms-causes” data-vars-ga-ux-element=”Hyperlink” data-vars-ga-call-to-action=”symptoms of an ulcerative colitis flare” data-node-id=”6.1″ class=”body-link css-inlxvj emevuu60″>symptoms of an ulcerative colitis flare-things like stomach cramping, diarrhea, feeling a constant urge to have a bowel movement, and passing blood with stool-but hold off on making a doctor’s appointment. “So many people say, ‘Maybe I’ll just wait and see how things go,’ when really, that just delays the diagnosis of a flare,” she says.
Treating a flare right away is crucial, says Dr. Farhadi. Otherwise, you run the risk of more damage to your colon, including inflammation that gets so bad, it causes a hole to develop in the intestinal wall that requires surgery to fix.
Many UC patients have a higher tolerance for the kinds of gastrointestinal tract issues that would send other people to the doctor right away as they’re used to grappling with pain,Dr. Farhadi says. So, call your doc rather then telling yourself what you’re dealing with is no big deal.
“Maybe I’ll just wait and see how things go,’ when really, that just delays the diagnosis of a flare.”
2. Skipping medication when you’re not having a flare.
One of the most difficult things about an ulcerative colitis diagnosis is that it can feel like a lifelong sentence. After all, it’s a chronic condition that you will likely be dealing with for the rest of your life, says Dr. Hagan. This is crucial to remember. “We work to get patients into remission and to remain in remission-but when symptoms aren’t present, many people can be tempted to think that their colitis has been cured and that they can stop taking their medication,” she says. “Yet if you do this, you’re not taking into account the fact that your maintenance medication is helping you maintain remission.”
If you’re experiencing a side effect from one of your medications or feel like it has stopped working, have a conversation with your doctor before you make any changes to your treatment protocol, she says.
3. Taking certain pain medications.
An estimated blank” data-vars-ga-outbound-link=”https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8370940/” data-vars-ga-ux-element=”Hyperlink” data-vars-ga-call-to-action=”63%” data-node-id=”14.1″ class=”body-link css-inlxvj emevuu60″>63% of Americans use non-steroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAID) drugs at least once a year, which includes pain-relievers like aspirin and ibuprofen. Even though they work well to relieve aches and pains for most people, it’s critically important to steer clear of NSAIDs if you have UC, says Dr.Hagan.
That’s as NSAIDs work by blocking two enzymes in the body: one plays a role in the inflammatory process and the other regulates substances that protect the digestive system. For colitis patients who already have inflammation (or the propensity toward developing inflammation) in their digestive tract, this is a particularly bad combo. “NSAIDs can worsen bleeding in the small intestine and interfere with the stomach and intestinal lining’s ability to make protective mucous,” says Dr. hagan.
Research also shows that NSAIDs can cause a relapse in symptoms for colitis patients who are in remission.
If you’re looking for over-the-counter pain relief, acetaminophen (a.k.a. Tylenol) is a much better choice than NSAIDs like Advil, Excedrin, or
