How to Boost Your Health After a Colitis Relapse

Now that your colitis relapse is reducing and the symptoms of diarrhoea and passing blood, abdominal pain and tiredness have subsided, you can forget about your troubles as you are back in remission and life has returned to normal. Or has it? Those that think life is back to the usual daily routine where they can completely forget about their health will only quicken the day when the colitis symptoms reappear.

When you have been diagnosed with colitis, whilst a normal life can be lived, the sufferer has to be aware of not only the possibility for the disease to enter a relapse phase but also of equal importance to understand how to care for themselves when they are nearing the end of an attack and are entering a period of remission. There are three points to be aware of and take action after suffering a relapse to ensure that as full a recovery is possible and to reduce the possibility of a quick reoccurrence of the relapse.

Medication: Are you taking it? It is very easy to get out of the habit or just forget to take it for a few days. You should ask yourself why your doctor has prescribed it for you. Its use is to reduce and keep at bay the inflammation in your colon. The most common, mesalazine is normally required to be taken every day, perhaps more than once per day. If you feel you can reduce the dosage by substituting something else (even the use of diet) then great, but don't assume that since the last relapse has died down, you can safely ignore colitis.

And if you were given a course of steroids to take, even though you will be feeling much better since the colitis symptoms died down, make sure you finish the prescribed course. Stopping abruptly the taking of steroids can be dangerous. If there is any doubt, make sure you consult your doctor.

Diet: Are you getting sufficient nutrients to build yourself to make up for what was lost during the last attack? It can take months to replenish the body depending on the ferocity of the attack. It is not wise to immediately reintroduce your normal diet. Foods should be gradually added to your daily intake and of course monitored to ensure that none are creating unwanted symptoms.

Supplements: After the worst of the symptoms are over, it is most likely that body weight will have been lost and to face a general feeling of being run down and to tire easily. It is often beneficial at this point of recovery to take some vitamins especially iron supplements to counter the loss of blood. It is not unusual for the colitis sufferer to look somewhat anemic which is also the result of both mental and physical tiredness endured over a long period. Once again, it is very important to consult your doctor as to what action is most suitable for your circumstances.

These are just three aspects of colitis management that you need to be aware of when emerging from a relapse and entering a period of good health. Taking the time to consider and understand these is very worthwhile as compared to the alternative that can so often occur. And by finding out the knowledge of those sufferers who have endured relapses and found health again will assist you greatly in ensuring you are doing the right things to get your health back and reduce the chances of a relapse happening again.