Colitis Diagnosis - What Does It Mean For You? - By: Michael Tasker

Being diagnosed by a doctor with a symptom is a worrying time and often what causes a lot of anxiety is the unknown, what lies ahead and how it will affect the person's quality of life. When diagnosed with a disease, such feelings are multiplied many times as the consequences, both actual and imagined are magnified greatly in the patient's thoughts.

When a doctor or hospital consultant gives a colitis diagnosis, it is usual for the patient to have many questions to find out exactly what lies ahead and what they need to prepare themselves for. It can be difficult to source the really helpful information that can make a difference to the daily wellbeing of the sufferer though it is important to know the basics of what it is they are about to face.

The patient will face a period of time where they will be subjected to bouts of diarrhoea that will at times be frequent and uncontrollable. This will be accompanied in additon by abdominal pain, though the degree of such symptoms will be in realtion to the amount of inflammation that has occurred within the large colon. When passing waste, there will often be in evidence some mucus and blood which no doubt adds to the concern and anxiety of the sufferer.

This period can last depending on the severity of the attack from a few days to several weeks. Some patients, though thankfully only a small percentage, have these symptoms continuously though for the vast majority once brought under control, they will reduce and be all but eliminated. The symptoms are brought under control by prescribed medication including the use of steroids.

During the colitis attack, the sufferer will feel tired and weak as the body is using all its energy to fight the disease. In relation to consumption, the amount and variety is normally scaled down to a very restricted diet, one in which the sufferer can tolerate without it causing the exacerbation of the symptoms. Many foods will be off limits during an attack and it can be a question of what food creates the least amount of reaction and waste that has to be evacuated. It is often the case that the sufferer is in fact not that hungry for periods of the attack due to the overall feeling of being unwell.

It is important to understand what happens to the colon with a colitis diagnosis and to be aware of how the sufferer's actions during an attack can influence the length of it and the recovery period afterwards. To ensure that the attack is well managed, a sufferer needs to call upon the experiences of others who have been through such times and have the knowledge to make daily living easier. Such questions as how much rest is needed, what should be eaten, what degree of discomfort should be expected and how to manage it are typical of the information required to ensure that the sufferer can manage through the attack without needlessly suffering to a greater extent than they have to.

About the Author

Michael Tasker has survived the worst of colitis since 1994 including ileostomies and a j pouch and can now provide exactly what your doctor or a leaflet can't. The real everyday tips and tricks to make your colitis experience easier from someone who has been through it all. Your everyday exepriences can be made better if you have access to the info that a colitis survivor has ammassed. http://www.thecolitisexperience.com

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