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 I have smoked for sometime now. When I smoke, I have no symptoms of colitos. I have quit smoking 3 times and 3 times my colitos came back and put me in the hospital. Has anyone else experienced this? I don't want to smoke, but it is alot easier than medication.

Reply posted for hawk.

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Reply posted for purplesusan.

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 Reply posted for chelle.

You sound the same way I am. I want to quit, but I won't. I have no symptoms of colitos. Been that way for a few years now since the last time I quit. Don't bother trying to explain that to any of your friends, they won't believe you.

 Reply posted for Hawk.

It's good to know that I am not losing it. I had told my doctor the same thing - that when I try to quit smoking I flare up. He responded by saying "You don't really think that smoking helps - do you?" I just ignored him and kept on smoking. I smoke about a half a pack a day, and have no desire to quit. I am already HUGE from the steroids - I don't want to add more weight from trying to quit smoking.

 Reply posted for Hawk.

I just finished reading 100 questions about UC and Crohn's and they discussed this very issue and they said a safe alternative is the nicotine patch.  I have Crohn's and want to quit smoking because it works the other way for me....keeps me sick and it is so tough to quit so I really feel for you.  It is really sad that you can quit but then get sick from your' UC.  I wish you the best of luck and hey maybe the nicotine patch will help keep the symptoms at bay.  Good Luck!!!!  Kim ;)

 Reply posted for Hawk.

Just want to say thank you to all of you for your advise. We are the only ones that know what we have to deal with. My friends think I am nuts. I am still a runner of some sort, but I am into rock climbing, hiking and I workout, so thats why all my friends don't believe me.

I am also a captain on our Fire Dept. and all the guys downthere don't believe it either.

Hope you all stay well and my thoughts are with you all.

Dave

 Reply posted for Hawk.

Well the literature about UC states that if you are a smoker, when you quit you'll flare up and it'll be worse than if you are not a smoker. If you have Chron's you should quit smoking at once. I have UC, tryed to quit and I almost die, I had toxic megacolon so 2 GI doctors told me (off the record) that I shouldn´t quit smoking. It was hard at first 'cause I was taking 6MP and being  chemotherapy, the nausea didn´t help my smoking habbit.I used to smoke 2 packs a day, then 5 cigarettes a day...Now is 5 cigarettes a week at the most. And I feel fine.

When I get a cold or bronchitis, I use the nicotine patch, but even that, is not as "helpful" as the cigarrette, for is not for sure what substance is the one helping your colon stay on remission.

Hope this helped a little

 Reply posted for Hawk.

I read something about smoking in a crohn's and colitis book were a women when she quit smoking her colitis would fare up and when start smoking her colitis would go away so they gave her patches to wear. The doc did not recommend smoking but your not the only this has happen too.

 Reply posted for Hawk.

This is so interesting to hear.  I was sick with constant diarrhea as a 17 year old and was given valium for nerves.  By the time I was having my 3rd baby at 25 I was so sick that I couldn't nurse her. A new doctor said it was nerves from having 3 small children and gave me valium. When I was 32 and my oldest turned 12 I started smoking (hoping to deal with my demonic daughter - LOL).  I wasn't sick anymore until I quit smoking.  Within a year I started with the bloody diarrhea and was diagnosed with Crohn's disease.  Now at 50 there are days when I truly want to start again.

 Reply posted for Hawk.

    My friend goes to a homeopathic doctor and they actually recommended smoking oddly enough. Their are obvious risk factors for your health that are deadly if you smoke, but then again look at all the side affects from the medications we take. it's just a matter of which risk you are willing to take. Some people opt to smoke others try nicotine patches. It's strange to think that smoking is a diarretic for most normal people but has an opposite affect on us with Colitis or Crohns.

 Reply posted for Trissy.

There's a very well established link between quitting smoking and the onset of Ulcerative Colitis (just google "smoking ulcerative colitis" for many articles, but here's a very good one from the England's National Association for Crohns and Coliits http://www.nacc.org.uk/downloads/factsheets/Smoking.pdf).  The reverse is true for Crohns (ie, smoking makes Crohns worse).  I am one of the many people who developed UC within a year of quitting smoking. 

 In any case, given the fact that UC can be controlled in most people with meds that have few side effects, and that the long term effects of smoking are so bad, most people think the trade off is clear.  I would concentrate on finding a doc who specializes in Inflamatory Bowel Disease and let him get your UC under control.

 Reply posted for Hawk.

You should talk with your doctor about quitting smoking with  the nicotine patch. There have been studies out that the nicotine creates a lining in the colon that protects it.
I am not a smoker and never have been but I had been suffering from a u/c flare for a few months and my Doctor recommended the nicotine patch.
Surprisingly it helped relieve the symptoms the only problem was that I could not handle the side affects which was to bad because in a 2 weeks time I went from going to the bathroom 10 times a day to 2-3  with minimum bleeding and mucus.
Right now I am slowly going off my meds- enemas, pred., asacol and hopefully will stay in remission.
Talk with your GI and see what they say its worth a try.