Chronic fatigue and colitis

What I don’t understand is I feel tired all the time even when it seems like I am in remission, but I’m not even sure I know when I’m in remission. I thought a flare = blood in the stool, but that’s not always the case with me. The other thing is, I don’t have a severe case of colitis. Mine is in the lower part of my colon and compared to other colitis sufferers, my case is mild. So why am I tired all the time? I’m not anemic. It could be because people with colitis don’t absorb nutrients and that could make me tired. But all my blood tests are normal and my doctor checked my thyroid and that is normal. Also, my hormones are normal. So what’s up with me?

I feel so frustrated because I feel like crap and the doctors can’t find anything really serious, but I’m scared. Who wants to feel tired and crappy all the time? I wonder if it’s a combination of things that are making me feel so sick—colitis, arthritis and moderate allergies (that cause chronic sinusitis) can all cause a person to feel crappy. It’s to the point where I can’t work anymore and I HATE that. I’m even having some mental problems that are freaking me out. Am I depressed? I have no idea. I suppose I could be depressed. I have good cause to be depressed having to deal with not one, but several medical conditions.

I don’t think I eat well either. I keep reading that a person should eat at least nine servings of vegetables a day. Nine? I don’t even eat that much in a day. How am I supposed to get in nine servings of vegetables? Most days I don’t want to eat much at all. Is that the same for most colitis sufferers? I’m trying to make my lunch more nutritional. I told my doctor what I was eating for lunch—crackers with cream cheese and her response was that it wasn’t very nutritional and was more like a snack rather than a meal. Hmm. She’s probably right. I’m trying to make improvements to my lunch by adding some tuna salad instead of cream cheese to the crackers. Crackers feel better on my tummy. The thought of eating nine servings of anything a day makes me feel queasy.

What do people with colitis like to eat?

Colitis Chick

My mad and tired colon

 

Technorati Tags: ulcerative colitis,chronic fatigue,fatigue and colitis,foods for colitis flare,colitis,coping with colitis

Managing Colitis

Sorry I haven't posted in a while. I just got fed up with dealing with being sick all the time. I had a hard time finding the right treatment for my colitis and I am still not sure about the current treatment I am on.

The good news is that after my last colonoscopy in February (I think) the doctor confirmed that I only have colitis in the lower part of my colon. Speaking of colonoscopies--am I the only one that can't finish the prep drink? This is the second time that I couldn't finish it all. I even started drinking it early and sipped ginger ale in between to keep from being bloated. The ginger ale did help and I recommend that as a way to get through the prep. I'm a small person and I don't eat or drink  much anyway so why do I have to suffer and drink all of that? They should do the doses by weight. Grrr.

Anyway, back on topic. I told my doctor that I had a bad experience with Asacol so what does he do? He puts me on Sulphasalazine, which is known to had worse side effects than Asacol. And guess what? I took my first dose on Christmas Eve and it triggered a major migraine. I spent Christmas Eve alone in bed (not really alone--my faithful dog was at my side) and missed my family gathering. So then I said I would try Asacol again. I already have a problem with headaches and Asacol made them worse. So, on to Plan C. Since I have colitis in the lower part of my colon, the doctor said I could get by with a rectal treatment. Now I was told that I was being given suppositories so I imagined a small gel-like pill that I would have to insert, but no, it's more like an enema. I have to do this every night. It's not too bad, but I think it's giving me diarrhea so I have to talk with my doctor.

Has anyone read the side effects for these colitis treatments? One of the most common side effects is colitis. WTF? I give up.

Diary of a Mad Colon—News = Stress = Flare

The news that plays 24/7 is bad for my colon. Seriously. There is never anything good to report these days. It’s non-stop catastrophes, intolerance and hate. I don’t remember being this affected by the news, but it never used to be on all the time. Plus, I had a life then, before I was sick. Now, watching television is one of the few highlights of my day. The problem is even with many channels to choose from, there isn’t anything worth watching so I usually end up on the news channels. Not anymore. I have decided that I have had enough. Every time I watch the news I end up angry and stressed out. And that isn’t good for my health because I end up with a colitis flare.

Stress is a funny thing because the right kind of stress can be good for you. Meeting a deadline is an example of good stress. I call it motivation. Being bombarded with negative news reports is the wrong kind of stress. It eats away at me and I want to lash out. I have reached the point where I don’t even care about what is happening anywhere. All the disasters, all the murders, all the politicians spewing crap—I am becoming hardened to everything and I’m not sure that is good. When they showed the Chilean miners being rescued, I didn’t give a crap. In fact, I was mad because they broke into my television show to announce the rescue. I didn’t care. I am so sick of it all that I have put armor on to protect me, but the armor also tunes out the rare good news.

Do I have to be unfeeling to protect my health? Probably not, but it’s better then having a flare. I still care about people close to me; I’m just tired of sympathizing with strangers beamed into my living room every day and night.

Cheers and good health!

Colitis Chick

My Mad Colon

Technorati Tags: colitis flare,ulcerative colitis,stress,news and stress,causes of stress,stress and colitis,health issues,self help,ranting

Technorati Tags: chilean miner rescue