Ulcerative Colitis

Home care

No one knows what exactly causes IBD. The goal is to control and relieve the symptoms and prevent complications, so you can lead a full and active life. No medicine can cure the disease. In some cases, surgery to remove the whole colon can be healing. But surgery causes other side effects, so medicines are often preferred. Discuss your options with your healthcare provider.

Diet

Your diet did not cause your condition, but it can affect it. Unfortunately, there is no one diet that works for everyone, so you have to experiment. Below are some recommendations, but what works for you may be different. Keep a food log to figure out what you are sensitive to.

• Eat more slowly. Eat smaller amounts at a time, but more often. Remember, you can always eat more, but can't eat less once you've eaten too much.

• High-fiber foods are complicated. While they may help constipation, they can make bloating, cramping, gas, and diarrhea worse.

• Eat less sugar.

• Try cutting out dairy products if you feel you are sensitive to lactose.

• Try cutting out foods that are high in fat and fatty meats.

• You can control bloating and passing excess gas. Be careful with "gassy" vegetables and fruits like beans, cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower.

• Be careful of carbonated drinks and fruit juices. They can make bloating and diarrhea worse.

• Caffeine, alcohol, and stimulants may make symptoms worse.

Lifestyle

Stress doesn't cause IBD. But it's a factor in flare-ups, and how you feel and react to your condition.

• Look for things that seem to make your symptoms worse, such as stress and emotions.

• Counseling can help you deal with stress. So can self-help treatments such as exercise, yoga, and meditation.

• Depression can be a part of this illness and antidepressant medicine may be prescribed. This may actually help with diarrhea, constipation, and cramping, as well as symptoms of depression.

• Lack of sleep can make symptoms seem worse.

• Alcohol use can make symptoms worse.

Medicines

Your healthcare provider may prescribe medicines. Take them as directed. In most cases, you will need to take the medicines for the rest of your life. For acute flares, additional prescription medicines can be prescribed. Call your provider if you need these.

• Ask your healthcare provider before taking any medicines for diarrhea.

• Don't take anti-inflammatory medicines such as ibuprofen or naproxen.

• Think about taking nutritional supplements. This is especially true if the diarrhea is prolonged, or you aren't eating, or you are losing weight.

Follow-up care

Follow up with your healthcare provider, or as advised. Tell your provider if you lose more than 5 pounds over 3 to 6 months, and you aren't trying to lose weight.

If a stool sample was taken, or cultures were done, you will be told if they are positive, or if your treatment needs to be changed. You can call as directed for results.

If X-rays were done, you will be told of any new findings that may affect your care.

You may need a test regularly to look into the colon. This is called a colonoscopy. It allows your provider to see inside the area that has been inflamed. The provider can take tissue samples to check its health. It's very important to tell your healthcare provider if you plan to get pregnant, or find out you are pregnant. You will need to discuss your disease, medicines, and plan as early as possible and preferably before you conceive.

Call 911

Call 911 if any of these occur:

• Large amount of bleeding from your rectum, or in diarrhea

• Trouble breathing

• Confusion

• Very drowsy or trouble waking up

• Fainting or loss of consciousness

• Rapid heart rate

• Chest pain

When to seek medical advice

Call your healthcare provider right away if any of these occur:

• Small amount of bleeding from your rectum, or in diarrhea

• Frequent diarrhea or belly pain that's not controlled by your medicine

• Fever of 100.4ºF (38ºC) or higher , or as directed by your healthcare provider

• Nausea that does not get better, or repeated vomiting