Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis tied to anxiety and depression

My husband has ulcerative colitis, at Xmas we called in to see his sister, she said something bad about one of my children, an adult now. My sister in-law is 80 ish I did not reply to her, my husband caught my eye, we made our excuse and left he knew I was upset. Next morning he had a flare-up and bled when he opened his bowel

Ulcerative colitis, is a disease like many others. it can be controlled by drugs, but sadly there is no know cure. i t to me is like a monster hiding and waiting to pounce without very much warning. everyone who is living with it can tell their own stories about it, and how it has affected their lives, be it restricting them and making movement outside at times almost impossible. i have lived with it for over a decade and at the moment am in remission, however i have to monitor it every day of my life, because it can flare up without much notice. it due to its medicational needs can affect other parts of your life, because it can make your immunity lower, leading people becoming more vulnerable to other disease and infections, such as URTI, which are not only painful but often hard to get over. to anyone who has Ulcerative Colitis, i send my deepest and best wishes, for speedy recovery , if flare up occur!!

i suffer with ulcerative collitis and a few days after Christmas  ate a Bacon Sandwich when out for a day, Wow for the next 5 days I  was so ill.I was staying at my daughters and didn't dare leave the house. the trouble is if you eat something which upsets your stomach with  UC  it takes longer to get over it than a normal person and it can be so debilitating and frightening. I have been suffering for about 15 years and I am shortly going in to hospital to have numerous polyps removed. I am hoping that this will help. Anyone suffering with UC has my sympathy.

Hi B.Tazzini 

 i hope that you are soon well again, a well as having to live with U.C i also have irritable bowel and an inscisional hernia from previous heart surgery, which affects my digestion and gives me lots of discomfort.

have you considered you may have an irritable bowel. i like you am getting to the stage, when i am having to question what foods i can eat, without causing myself to be unwell?

Hi Mr Chipps 

Thanks for your reply , I started off with irritable bowel which progressed to Ulcerative collitis. Yes foods do  have a great effect and I do find I cannot tolerate white bread. The only bread that helps is Oatmeal and very few shops stock it. I do find a teaspoon of dessicated coconut each day helps. Also I have cut out eating any skin on fruit /potatoes etc. I also find I can eat Berry fruits but not apples peaches oranges and suchlike. Peas are definitely a no go too.I get away with picolo tomatoes but can't eat ordinary larger tomatoes. Another awful side effect is explosive wind, some of which is blamed on omeprazol which I take daily. I have been offered a colostomy but that really would be a last resort as they say it would be total and not reversable.

Hi Tazzy

i take several medications for my health problems, and know that some of them can be counter productive due to their side effects

 one of these is Azathioprine, which is commonly used for helping to stop rejection in people who have under gone transplant surgery. it help me but has made my immune system much worse, and me more liable to infections and other health problems

 like you i suffer from wind and extreme bloating, which can make things hard to do. i have never thankfully had the offer of a colostomy and hope that i never have to have one, as i know people who are living with them and they not only affect them physically, but also emotionally. plus as you mention they are irreversable  and can lead to further problems through infetions of the bowel , from waering a colostomy.

so i hope that your health improves and that you may find ways of coping with your IBS/UC conditions

i take just under 20 tablets a day ,but have learnt to live with them and enjoy my life through my hobbies and voluntary work.

 please feel free to contact me again,if i can help 

Keith (mr chipps the poet)

Hi Tazzbar, 

Sorry to hear of your sufferings over Christmas. I have watched my husband get progressively more and more ill over the past 15 years, suffering severely the symptoms of what is identified as severe and complex Crohn's disease. 

The times when he is the most well is when he is eating according to his eating plan which was formulated by a dietician specializing in IBD. One of the key needs is protein however digesting protein comes with its own problems so we have been advised to use easy to digest protiens such as low fat sausage, burgers, protein drinks and anything that is minced or slowly stewed so as to make it easy to break down and extract the nutrients.

I hope you can take something away from our experience and good luck with managing your condition. My husband suffered terribly for four years before having a stoma and says its the best thing he ever had.

All the very best. 

I have just discovered Acidophilis , stops me running to the loo every 5 mins, obtainable on line or Holland and Barrett

I'm wondering how much of the disease is physically linked to depression and anxiety and how much of it is patients who don't get good explanations or psychological support? I know that when I was diagnosed I had to hound my GP and gastrologist to get answers about how I was supposed to live with this illness? I knew next to nothing and that, along with the pain, sent me into severe depression.

I think everyone who diagnosed with Crohn's should get a psychological referral, at least for the first few months.

Anyone else felt completely alone after their diagnosis?