Eliminate the Fear of Colitis Symptoms

It is only natural when diagnosed with colitis or during a period of severe symptoms that the sufferer worries about their health and what the future will hold for them. It is usual for most sufferers to enjoy longer periods of health in comparison to the time endured at the mercy of colitis symptoms. Yet this fact does not prevent real concern and worry over their present and future health.

There requires acknowledgment and appreciation that the severity of colitis symptoms varies greatly between sufferers. Approximately ten percent of those diagnosed have to endure what are virtually ever present symptoms which do vary in their intensity. Thinking that the symptoms will never disappear when first diagnosed is in the vast majority of cases untrue. For most sufferers there will be periods that symptoms are present yet these will be outnumbered by the amount of time spent enjoying full health.

There is a misplaced fear that everyone knows when someone is suffering symptoms and they will be viewed as different. Again this is not the case. When a relapse is occurring, the person should in fact withdraw from daily life, both their work and social life, in order to give themselves every chance to gain health again as soon as possible. If the daily routine is continued without any regard to the symptoms, this will undoubtedly have the effect of delaying the recovery and can even worsen the degree of suffering.

When diagnosed with colitis and periodically thereafter, there will be a requirement for a hospital consultant to monitor the extent of the ulceration of the large colon and this will require forms of x-ray to be undertaken. It is important to understand that the severity of what is witnessed with such tests will not necessarily correspond to how severe the subjective symptoms are. If there is a lot of ulceration present though the person is currently enjoying good health, that does not suggest symptoms are about to appear. The test will show the extent of the affected area of the colon yet as the symptoms are in remission, good health should be enjoyed. The information gathered will be of use as and when the next relapse occurs and then appropriate medication can be used to concentrate on the known area and extent of the ulceration.

Unfortunately a few sufferers do experience perforation of the bowel where a split forms in the colon and toxic waste can then spread into the bloodstream and cause infection. This only happens in a very small number of cases and only when severe symptoms have occurred over a period of time and the sufferer has not responded to the treatments for such complications. Any fear caused through expecting this to happen is misplaced as it is a fallacy to believe for all colitis sufferers that it will only be a matter of time before surgery is required and the bowel has to be cut out. The actual chances of this occurring are very small indeed yet by worrying and being fearful of this may just ignite sleeping colitis symptoms.

Whilst the disease can be very challenging at times, the sufferer, in the vast majority of cases, should enjoy long periods of good health. Colitis symptoms will appear when relapses happen yet by following the instructions given by doctors and hospital consultants and by discovering the knowledge and experience of those fellow sufferers, a person should be able to adapt their life accordingly and ease many of the often misplaced fears that have built up over time.