Living with ulcerative colitis can be very challenging. Patients of this disease will have to deal with pain in the abdomen and several digestion related issues in their daily lives. It is known to adversely impact the digestive tract. There can be extreme discomfort at the time of flare-ups. A patient can find life extremely difficult while dealing with symptoms like abdominal pain, fever, weight loss, and chronic diarrhea.

What is Ulcerative colitis (UC)?
It is a serious inflammatory disease. It is caused due to inflammatory bowel movements in the digestive tract. It can affect your daily life adversely. The worst part about this disease is that it relapses in the individual. It is characterized by flare-ups. You need to know fist what is an UC flare-up. Well, it is a term to refer to an exaggerated condition in the disease. It refers to a state when things turn worse. These flare-ups can be caused due to a number of factors. Some of these include:

Side-effect of certain medicines
Hormonal imbalance, especially during pregnancy
Sudden withdrawal from medication
Any infection or other medical condition
How to deal with the UC flare-ups?

Doctors often prescribe corticosteroids to deal with the flare-ups. Some of the most common drugs are Prednisone and budesonide.
Doctors prescribe the intake of steroids, 5-Aminosalicylates, antibiotics, and biologics.
Lifestyle changes are helpful in treating this disease. You can work towards detoxification and de-stressing yourself to get rid of the flare-ups. Take up some exercises, meditation and Yoga for best results.
You can also control chronic diarrhea by keeping a check on what you eat. You should avoid eating fibrous diet. Fibres are tough to digest for patients with UC. You must maintain proper hygiene as well to stay away from diarrhea.
Surgical Management of Ulcerative Colitis

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is an inflammatory disease of the colon and rectum limited to the mucosa, and may vary in severity from a mild intermittent disease to an acute fulminant and potentially fatal disease requiring urgent surgery. Management of ulcerative colitis depends on severity, extent, and duration of the disease, response and tolerance to medication, patient age and comorbidity as well as patient preference.

Surgery plays an important role in the management of UC both because of the premalignant nature of the disease, and because of the periodic failure of medical management. The underlying rationale for surgical treatment of the disease is that the disease is confined to the colon and rectum, and therefore proctocolectomy is curative. The goal of surgical therapy for ulcerative colitis is to remove the disease with as little alteration of normal physiological functions and lifestyle as possible.

Four surgical options exist for patients with ulcerative colitis and each has its own advantages and disadvantages.

The surgical choices are:

Proctocolectomy and Brooke ileostomy.
Abdominal colectomy and ilcorectal anastomosis.
Proctocolectomy and Kock pouch.
Restorative proctocolectomy with ileal pouch-anal anastomosis (IPAA).
The choice of operation requires consideration of the advantages and disadvantages of each option and must be tailored to an individual patient's needs and circumstances. Important factors to be considered in the choice of operation include the indication for surgery, age, associated medical conditions, body habitues, and quality of the anal sphincter. Extensive preoperative education is required which should include discussion with a specialized Gastroenterologist.

Ways To Deal With Ulcerative Colitis!

PTSD or post traumatic stress disorder is a confusion that develops in a few people who have encountered a shocking, unnerving, or dangerous event. It is natural to be scared during and after a traumatic event. Fear triggers numerous brief and instant changes in the body to protect us from the threat or to stay away from it. Here are a few myths and facts about PTSD:

Myth 1: Everyone who has been through a life threatening event will develop PTSD.
Fact: In reality, a great many people who are exposed to such events will not get PTSD in most of the cases, and a lot of them see a decrease in the symptoms gradually over the months or even days. The number of individuals who may be diagnosed after an event that can result in PTSD ranges from under ten percent of people after twelve months of exposure to general trauma. Where as, thirty seven percent of the individuals are exposed to deliberate trauma.

Myth 2: People who are weak, get PTSD.
Fact: It is not clear why a few people get PTSD and others do not. Women are twice as prone to be determined to have it than men are, however, women will probably have numerous mental issues since they will probably look for help, and accordingly get an analysis. Individuals who are presented to interpersonal injury, for example, rape or fighting, will probably have more pronounced PTSD symptoms than survivors of mishaps, accidents or natural disasters.

Myth 3: After a specific measure of time, one should be over the trauma.
Fact: Depending on the nature of the trauma, it might stick around. Furthermore, in some cases, a person may seem to get over it. However, something triggers the recollections and they get tormented by symptoms again. Additionally, as individuals age, the movement that keeps the long-term memory far away from the brain, starts to diminish, exposing the person with seasoned recollections.

Myth 4: The trauma was such a long time ago that it is past the point where it is possible to recover from the trauma.
Fact: The good news is that it is never past the point where it is possible to address your shock or trauma. In fact, most of the patients are middle-aged child sexual abuse survivors. There is a great deal of reasons that somebody would hold back from getting treatment, yet the decades isolating them from their trauma are not an obstruction by any means.

Myth 5: I should have the capacity to handle this myself.
Fact: Frequently it takes more strength to get help than to battle alone, especially for specific events. Cases of individuals who might be particularly hesitant to connect include men who have been conditioned by the society to not express sentiments or show helpless. Marginalised people have a more troublesome time looking for somebody who can relate to them. 

Myths and Facts About PTSD!

Ulcerative Colitis is a chronic inflammatory disease that affects the lining of the intestine and the rectum. It is located just above the anus. Patients suffering from ulcerative colitis tend to have small ulcers in their rectum and the colon. These eventually flare up leading to diarrhea, bloody stools, anemia and abdominal pain. The inflammation starts from the rectum and eventually, spreads to the colon. Ulcerative Colitis tends to flare up and remit in an alternate phase. The remission can last from few weeks to few years.

Methods adopted to diagnose Ulcerative Colitis-
Ulcerative Colitis is very similar to an inflammatory bowel disease known as Crohn s disease. The only differentiating factor is the fact that, ulcerative colitis affects the colon whereas, Crohn s disease affects the digestive system and the small intestine. A doctor might prescribe certain tests such as the colonoscopy, blood tests, CT scan, pill camera, stool sample tests etc.

Why is surgery necessary to treat Ulcerative Colitis?
An estimated 40 percent of all Ulcerative Colitis patients need to undergo surgery to recover completely. The reason surgery becomes necessary to treat ulcerative colitis are the following:

Drug therapy and medication become ineffective.
Without undergoing surgery, the condition might increase the risk of developing cancer.
The colon has the risk of getting ruptured if surgery is not performed on time.
There could be excessive bleeding.
Toxic megacolon might set in.
Types of surgery available to treat Ulcerative Colitis
A procedure where the entire colon is removed is known as the colectomy. In case both the colons are removed, the procedure is termed as proctocolectomy. In this procedure, an external pouch needed to be attached to the stoma that collects the stools. There is another method known as pouch surgery. 

Pelvic pouch or ileal pouch is also termed as IPAA. This procedure doesn t involve permanent stoma. In this procedure, both the colon and the rectum are eradicated from the body. The small intestine is then used to form a J-shaped pouch, that serves as the new rectum. The pouch is then connected to the anus. The whole procedure is done via two surgeries.

What are the surgical complications of this procedure?

There could be an excessive bowel movement.
There are instances where an inflammation of the pouch is observed. This condition is known as pouchitis.
There could be a situation of intestinal blockage from adhesion due to surgery.
There could be pouch failure that can happen inside within 5 few years. This is observed in 4 out of 100 patients who are treated. In this case, the patient should go for a permanent ileectomy.

Ulcerative Colitis - What You Need To Know?

Is Constipation the Only Cause of Piles? + It's Symptoms

Piles, which are also called hemorrhoids, refer to the swelling of the veins near the anus and rectum, which get irritated during bowel movements, causing pain and bleeding during stool motions. The veins near the rectum or the anus may rupture during strained bowel movements and thus, cause the blood to come out with the stool. This can be very painful for the patient and has a very disruptive effect on their lives.

Causes of Piles

There may be many causes for piles or hemorrhoids and the cause may vary from patient to patient. Let's have a look at a few of them.

Straining when passing a stool - This is by far the most common reason for piles and this is what causes the irritation on the veins or causes them to rupture

Chronic Constipation: People suffering from chronic constipation due to gastrointestinal problems may also suffer from piles due to putting pressure constantly to relieve themselves.

Lifting a heavy weight or doing strenuous work: This can also put physical stress on the anus or rectum and cause swollen veins, which may then rupture during the passage of stool.

Pregnancy - Pregnancy causes many hormonal changes in the body and the strain may also result in piles.

Symptoms of Piles

Some of the symptoms of piles or hemorrhoids are:

- Painful bowel movements, which hurt the rectum or the anus, accompanied by general tenderness within the region
- Bleeding or seeping of a bright red color blood onto the stool on the toilet or even on toilet paper
- Itching in the anal areas, which may be continuous or intermittent
- A swelling or lump near the anus, which is painful
- A mucus-like discharge from the anus

There may be one or more factors present in particular cases and if there is a pain in the rectal area, it is best to get it checked out by a doctor as soon as possible.

If you would like to consult with me privately, please click on 'Consult'.

Is Constipation the Only Cause of Piles? + It's Symptoms

Asthma is a condition that can flare up anytime; be it at your child's soccer practice or during the middle of the night. Whenever the condition sets in, it leads to your child struggling for breath. For a parent to witness this situation can be hard; but you should know the techniques to keep the situation under control.

Here are a few tips on how to manage the situation:

1. Find out the triggers in your home: Asthma is triggered due to substances that your child may be allergic to. Examples are cigarette smoke, fur of pets and dust. If possible, keep your child away from the known triggers so that the condition does not flare up again.

2. Keep records of the following: It is good to have an action plan ready for your child when the bouts of asthma strike. When you visit the doctor to discuss about your child's condition then make sure that you have these records at hand.

The triggers that caused the bout of asthma
How many times did your child have wheezing episodes?
The number of times your child has been admitted for the same reason
The medications that your child is currently taking, dosage and/or whether they have been changed
How often does he/she need medications if he/she has acute symptoms?
3. Knowledge of the test your child may require: Asthma control test is a type of test that allows parents and children to grade asthma symptoms without a doctor. A pulmonary function test is used to detect the capacity of the lungs and flow of air.

4. See how your child responds to the treatments: You should consider changing the treatments for your child if he/she has recurrent symptoms of asthma attack and require frequent visits to the Emergency Room even after taking medications for an extended duration.

5. Long term treatment plans require patience: Any asthma treatment plan requires patience as they might not immediately cure symptoms.

How to Manage if Your Child Is Suffering From Asthma

Irritable bowel syndrome is a disorder that is diagnosed on the basis of its symptoms. It is characterised by intense abdominal pain, discomfort, bloating and change in bowel habits. One of the primary symptoms of IBS is abdominal pain. It may also be accompanied with frequent diarrhoea or constipation. There might also be a feeling of partial or incomplete evacuation. The symptoms are sometimes relieved by the proper bowel movement. Other symptoms, in this case, include depression and anxiety. In rare cases, there is also a possibility of sexual dysfunction and a reduced libido.

Causes of Irritable Bowel Syndrome 

The exact reason behind the occurrence of IBS is not known. It is a disruption of the brain-gut axis that is known to cause the problem. It is also caused due to small intestinal bacterial overgrowth.

Triggering factors 

IBS is intensified or triggered by the following factors:

Foods: Edibles like chocolate, milk and alcohol might lead to constipation or diarrhoea. One must also avoid carbonated beverages and some fruits and vegetables. These might lead to bloating and discomfort.

Stress: The condition gets worse with any type of stress.

Hormones: In women, the symptoms occur as a result of the hormones during menstrual periods.

Complications: It is not associated with any fatal condition. But it can lead to diarrhoea and constipation and aggravate hemorrhoids.

Adverse Impacts of the Disease-

IBS has an adverse impact on your lifestyle. It will limit your ability to get social or carry out your daily professional activities. You will find it difficult to cope up with the symptoms while living away from your comfort zone or home. You will not have a good sex life. You will get depressed and may even feel suicidal in extreme cases.

Treatment of Irritable Bowel Syndrome-

IBS is treated broadly by bringing in certain changes in the lifestyle. To begin with, you are advised to check your diet. Include fibre in your diet, if you are suffering from constipation. Also, avoid oily, spicy and hot food items. Besides, you are prescribed medicines such as stool softeners and laxatives and antispasmodic drugs and proton pump inhibitors.

Homeopathic medicines-IBS requires prolonged treatment. Homoeopathy works best to get you relief from the symptoms and cures it, from the roots. Here are certain homeopathic remedies that are helpful in treating the disorder.

Argentum nitricum

Asafoetida

Colocynthis

Lilium tigrinum

Lycopodium

Natrum carbonicum

Nux vomica

Podophyllum

Sulphur

Aloe

It has to be kept in mind that these are just basic remedies. There are over 150 Homeopathic medicines that can be used for treating IBS. Thus, consult your doctor for the best remedy for you as per the symptoms.  

Treating Irritable Bowel Syndrome With Homeopathy

Don't wait any longer, manage your Massage Specialist online with a Lybrate doctor today

Consult for Massage Specialist - Online and Easy!

FilterClear All

COMMON SPECIALITIES

COMMON ISSUES