The practical Advantages of having a Stoma!

JustAThought

Thelonious Monk wrote: »

My Dad has had UC for over 30 years now, suffered with it badly at times. He took up smoking a few years ago, 5 a day maybe, and now no hardly any symptoms, and his quality of life is a lot better. It seems to work for some people.

that’s bizzare. Is that a thing? A unofficial hit & miss cure - smoking!?

I know 4 people affected by it - its like a new plague - NOBODY ever had it before and now it is literally destroying lives all around me. Shocking ‘disease’.

Thelonious Monk

Thelonious Monk wrote: »

My Dad has had UC for over 30 years now, suffered with it badly at times. He took up smoking a few years ago, 5 a day maybe, and now no hardly any symptoms, and his quality of life is a lot better. It seems to work for some people.

I gave up smoking about 6 years after diagnosis. It has been noted that for some reason smoking appears to improve symptoms of UC but it certainly isn't recommended to smoke on that account. UC seems to be related to a defect in the mucus production/quality. I have one copy of a CF gene, which may possibly be contributory, and occasionally get spates of respiratory issues. In UC it seems that elements in the mucus kill the resident good gut flora, allowing others to reach pathogenic level, giving rise to severe ulceration. During surgery it was discovered that I had almost definitely already suffered a silent perforation of the colon as there was evidence of an old abscess from the transverse colon under the diaphragm, causing masses of adhesions which led to some of the very troublesome symptoms. Only colectomy was able to help me.

Thelonious Monk

JustAThought wrote: »

that’s bizzare. Is that a thing? A unofficial hit & miss cure - smoking!?

I know 4 people affected by it - its like a new plague - NOBODY ever had it before and now it is literally destroying lives all around me. Shocking ‘disease’.

Yeah it seems to be. Something to do with nicotine suppressing the immune system, which is overactive in individuals with ulcerative colitis.

He's been to see countless specialists over the years and this is all that seems to manage the illness.

Thelonious Monk

Deleted User wrote: »

I gave up smoking about 6 years after diagnosis. It has been noted that for some reason smoking appears to improve symptoms of UC but it certainly isn't recommended to smoke on that account. UC seems to be related to a defect in the mucus production/quality. I have one copy of a CF gene, which may possibly be contributory, and occasionally get spates of respiratory issues. In UC it seems that elements in the mucus kill the resident good gut flora, allowing others to reach pathogenic level, giving rise to severe ulceration. During surgery it was discovered that I had almost definitely already suffered a silent perforation of the colon as there was evidence of an old abscess from the transverse colon under the diaphragm, causing masses of adhesions which led to some of the very troublesome symptoms. Only colectomy was able to help me.

Ah yeah I don't think it's a cure for all, but honestly it has changed my Dad's life.

A medical research article reference regarding the effect of nicotine on colonic mucus, the defect in which seems to be the cause of the disease rather than maybe simply being autoimmune:

Nicotine & Ulcerative Colitis