Doctors recommend keeping a food journal to see if certain foods trigger a reaction. Saclarides, MD , a colon and rectal surgeon at Rush University Medical Group in Chicago, suggests calling your doctor if you have any of these ulcerative colitis symptoms: Severe abdominal pain that lasts more than 24 hours A decrease in bowel movements along with abdominal pain Abdominal pain with a high fever Blood during a bowel movement that is too thick to see through Your UC Flare Management Plan Your doctor may help you deal with a flare by changing your medications or offering new ones.
There are also some things you can do at home to temper a flare. These include: Eat well. Foods that are high in fiber, like fruits and vegetables, should be cooked, not eaten raw. Drink plenty of fluids, but not alcohol and caffeine. And be careful to avoid greasy and gas-producing foods , which can worsen your ulcerative colitis symptoms. Soothe the burn. Frequent diarrhea can lead to anal irritation and even infection.
You can fight this by using sanitary wipes after bowel movements and by taking frequent, warm saltwater baths or sitz baths. Ask your doctor to recommend a protective or antibiotic ointment to put in the bath. Take over-the-counter medications. These include:. You can also use over-the-counter pain relievers, like acetaminophen Tylenol , to help manage pain.
There may be a link between emotional stress and UC flares. Some things you can do to reduce stress include:. According to a research review , taking probiotics along with aminosalicylates greatly raised UC remission rates. This supports the idea that gut bacteria affect UC.
More research is needed on probiotics for UC. Turmeric may be effective for treating UC, too. A research review found that curcumin, an active ingredient in turmeric, resulted in higher remission rates when used with the aminosalicylate mesalamine.
You may need surgery if you have colon cancer, serious complications from UC, or severe side effects from medication. In general, surgery for UC removes your colon and rectum. The procedure is called a proctocolectomy. Because you still need to pass stool, the surgeon will perform either an ileostomy or create an ileoanal reservoir. In an ileostomy, your surgeon attaches the end of your small intestine, called the ileum, to a hole in your abdomen to make an opening.
Alternatively, your surgeon may create an ileoanal reservoir. This pouch, made from your ileum, stores stool inside your body so it can pass through the anus. Side effects of an ileoanal reservoir may include having bowel movements more often and developing irritation in the pouch.
Your doctor can work with you to adjust your medication or look for other possible causes of the flare. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle, taking all prescribed medications, and avoiding known triggers can help prevent or reduce flare-ups. With effective treatment, you could have minimal or no UC symptoms for months or even years at a time. Read this article in Spanish. You may need to skip raw fruits and vegetables as well, but don't give up on this food group entirely.
Try steaming, baking, roasting or even grilling your favorite produce. Be smart about beverages. Drink plenty of liquids every day. Water is your best bet. The alcohol in beer, wine and mixed drinks can stimulate your intestines and can make diarrhea worse.
The same is true of beverages that contain caffeine — such as soda, iced tea and coffee. Carbonated drinks can also be trouble because they frequently produce gas. Manage stress. While stress doesn't cause ulcerative colitis, it may make your symptoms worse and may trigger flare-ups.
Exercise may help reduce tension and keep your bowels functioning well. Focus on activities you like, such as biking, walking, yoga and swimming. Your doctor can help you determine an exercise plan that's right for you. There is a problem with information submitted for this request. Subscribe for free and receive your in-depth guide to digestive health, plus the latest on health innovations and news.
You can unsubscribe at any time. Error Email field is required. Error Include a valid email address. To provide you with the most relevant and helpful information, and understand which information is beneficial, we may combine your email and website usage information with other information we have about you. Some people may spend years in remission, while others may have more frequent flare-ups. Corticosteroids may be prescribed to lower inflammation and alleviate symptoms during a flare-up.
Because they are steroids, they are typically only prescribed for short periods of time to help your body get back to a remission stage. Long-term medications can help keep you in remission and keep flare-ups at bay. A new medication for treating your UC might be needed if you have to repeatedly use corticosteroids to manage flares. Dietary changes may also help some people reduce symptoms and promote healing during a flare-up, but diet alone does not cause or cure the condition.
The foods that trigger symptoms are not the same for everyone, so it is important for people with ulcerative colitis to track what they eat and identify troublesome foods. Natural remedies are being studied, but none have been proven yet. The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health notes that supplementing your standard treatments with meditation may be beneficial during a UC flare-up to help reduce symptoms, and that prebiotics and probiotics have shown promise in bringing about remission and helping people stay in remission when added to usual care.
Still, ulcerative colitis is a chronic, incurable condition, and symptoms may reappear unpredictably.
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