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Originally Posted by dlishsguy
both are fairly healthy in high times. i know they use cortizone during flare ups, but they wean themselves off it until the next flare up. ive heard of people becoming cured of it over many years. is this true?
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Unfortunately these diseases are not curable without flat out removing the colon, and that generally only works in ulcerative colitis and not in crohn's (since Crohn's often involves part of the small intestine too).
Inflammatory bowel disease has a lot of variation from person to person. For one, I suggest if you're not seeing a specalist (preferablly at a large university hospital where they are more the cutting edge of health care) that you see one, they can work wonders over what a primary care physician would do, or even a more local specalist.
Take your meds, by all means take them. They will help.
Pay attention to triggers. This is the hard part, because for everyone it's going to be different. You said foods don't seem to matter to much, nevertheless pay attention to what you're eating. There may be something in there triggering attacks, or at least making them worse that you didn't realize. Try and write everything down that you remember eating in the days before a flare up and do so a several, then compare. See if there is anything common between the flares.
If stress is a big cause, then obviously, avoid stress. I know this is essentially impossible, but using relaxing activities when you're starting to feel stressed (meditation, scented candles, whatever) may help stave off a flare up.
In all honesty though, if you're only flaring every 2 years, that's considered pretty good. I've seen a lot of people who have multiple flares a year and can't eat anything but a few bland foods else they'll end up sick and on prednisone to help keep the flare down. Be grateful you're not one of them.
Yes it sucks, but sometimes you just have to play the hand you're dealt right? Who knows, perhaps we'll figure out a cure in your lifetime. Be glad we have some ways of controlling it now and think of how hard it was for those in the early 1900's with UC who had nothing for it and would have bloody diarrhea all the time, eventually killing them.