Being diagnosed by a doctor with a symptom is a worrying time and often what causes a lot of anxiety is the unknown, what lies ahead and how it will affect the person's quality of life. When diagnosed with a disease, such feelings are multiplied many times as the consequences, both actual and imagined are magnified greatly in the patient's thoughts.



When a doctor or hospital consultant gives a colitis diagnosis, it is usual for the patient to have many questions to find out exactly what lies ahead and what they need to prepare themselves for. It can be difficult to source the really helpful information that can make a difference to the daily wellbeing of the sufferer though it is important to know the basics of what it is they are about to face.

The patient will face a period of time where they will be subjected to bouts of diarrhoea that will at times be frequent and uncontrollable. This will be accompanied in additon by abdominal pain, though the degree of such symptoms will be in realtion to the amount of inflammation that has occurred within the large colon. When passing waste, there will often be in evidence some mucus and blood which no doubt adds to the concern and anxiety of the sufferer.

This difficult period can remain, depending on the severity and strength of the attack, from a few days to several weeks in some cases. Some patients, though thankfully only a small percentage, have these symptoms continuously though for the vast majority once brought under control, they will reduce and be all but eliminated. The associated symptoms are brought under control with the use of prescribed medication such as steriods.

During the colitis attack, the sufferer will feel tired and weak as the body is using all its energy to fight the disease. The amount and variety of food is normally reduced to a restricted diet which the sufferer can tolerate without exacerbating the symptoms. Many foods will be off limits during an attack and it can be a question of what food creates the least amount of reaction and waste that has to be evacuated. It is often the case that the sufferer is in fact not that hungry for periods of the attack due to the overall feeling of being unwell.

It is important to understand what happens to the colon with a colitis diagnosis and to be aware of how the sufferer's actions during an attack can influence the length of it and the recovery period afterwards. To ensure that the attack is well managed, a sufferer needs to call upon the experiences of others who have been through such times and have the knowledge to make daily living easier. Such questions as how much rest is needed, what should be eaten, what degree of discomfort should be expected and how to manage it are typical of the information required to ensure that the sufferer can manage through the attack without needlessly suffering to a greater extent than they have to.