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Ulcerative Colitis Personal Stories
Please send us you personal story, it help others coping with the same issues.
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Joel's Story
I had been diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis in 200, actually 2 weeks before I got married. With medication they (the Dr's got it under control). However they advised me to quit smoking which in 2003-mid 2005 I had done. In that time period I had some of the worst flare-ups one could possibly imagine. The only way that it could be treated effectively was with higher dosages of Prednisone, which made me a wreck in other ways. So anyway I had done a little research on the net and I found smoking and UC were related. One article I had read said that UC flare-ups happen more in people who do not smoke and those who used to smoke, however the nicotine will decrease the number of flare-ups one has due to UC.
I have to admit that I was reluctant at first, being that I had gone 2 1/2 years without smoking. But what made me consider this option was what a Dr in Albany NY asked me, as well as other Dr's responses. The Dr. in Albany asked me if I had noticed any correlation between the time that I had quit smoking and the time the flare-ups started up. I didn't answer him at that time because I didn't know. But the more I thought about it, there definitely was. Other Dr's had told me to stay on the meds. And when I asked them about the nicotine on UC they wouldn't give me a straight answer. So at 150lbs (down from 190lbs) I decided to make the decision to start smoking again. With that decision made I had noticed that within 2 months the flare-ups had stopped and also very little blood (almost none at all now). And my weight is starting to go back up and the amount of meds that I am taking has decreased. Do I say that smoking is the answer, no. Do I think that they should do more research into nicotine on UC yes. However I will add that I'd rather smell like an ashtray than be stuck to a toilet all the time. This is my life and I just wanted to share a little bit of it. Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Joel R. Denza
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