recurring flares vs time of the year
iuew
Posts: 624 Member
i've found that i experience more flare activity on specific dates. my symptoms seem to manifest in the early fall and to persist on and off throughout the winter. mid spring and summer are often symptom free.
has anyone else noticed something similar?
has anyone else noticed something similar?
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Replies
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No, but that's intertesting. I wonder if there is any realtion to that and seasonal allergies, though stressful periods can set anyone off. Good catch!0
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I would guess your fall/winter flares are due to lack of vitamin D. When I was first diagnosed with UC my doctor told me it was highly correlated with Vitamin D intake. He told me the closer you are to the equator, the less likely you are to get IBD (or if you already have it, it should be less severe). I lived in Alaska at the time and it's impossible to get enough vitamin D naturally in winter up there. I moved to Pennsylvania this summer and have seen great improvements already. Now that winter is approaching, I plan to get back on Vit. D. supplements.0
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i do take vitamin D supplements all year, so i'm not sure if that's the cause. i'm wondering if it's a particular seasonal food, but my hypothesis is seasonal allergies. i have noticed increased systemic inflammation starting in late August every year. this year, my symptoms have included tendonitis in one elbow, as well.0
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Yes definitely fall is the worst. My gastro told me that years ago. Why, I don't quite know. Maybe depression and stress.0
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I was diagnosed a little over 8 years ago and pretty steadily (until this year) I would have two flares a year spring and fall. I don't know the correlation either, this year it seems though I've had one small flare after another.0
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This is so strange. I've been telling my gastro for years that whenever the weather changes I flare. It's been so steady since 2006 when I was diagnosed. The fall is always the worst for me...0
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I find heading towards christmas the worst for me......i'm in Australia so that is our Spring.....maybe it has also something to do with end of year run down/exhaustion and stressful Christmas stuff coming up?0
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I have had UC for 30 years and I am convinced that my flares happen with the change of seasons. I live in Michigan and we are a 4 season state and my UC sure knows that!0
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Seasonal flares; that's interesting. The only thing I can count on is that stress triggers...
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I always become ill in late winter/early spring (so Feb/March here in the UK) and the flares generally end in the summer.0
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I've had this happen in the past few years, been diagnosed for 10. In both 2010 and 2011, I had flare-ups start in May, got scoped in June and on new or temporary meds (first steroids, then steroids and immunosuppressants), and was off the 'roids and back to normal by end of summer/beginning of fall. Thankfully it didn't happen in 2012 as I began to expect, but it did again this year, and worse. Now I'm off all my old meds and trying the biologics...really hoping they work and I can get back to normal functioning (and exercising and eating) soon!
I really don't know if it has anything to do with the time of year or maybe just stresses I experienced and didn't quite realize at the time. This year I'm in an entirely new environment/state and had a lot of big (good!) changes, did not feel stressed (just happy!) but who knows.0 -
I've noticed no pattern related to seasons. Or stress. Or what I'm eating. It comes and goes for reasons known only to it.0
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The environment and genetics play a role in UC. Stress creates a negative internal environment for the body.
So if your physical environment changes (i.e. the seasonal change), your body experiences some kind of stress and flare-up can be triggered. To avoid any flare-ups during seasonal changes, be ultra cautious and monitor your diet properly and engage in some cardiovascular exercises - exercising release endrophines (happy hormones) - helps balance the internal body environment.
I have been trying that and seems to be working fine for me.0 -
I've had UC since 1987 and in the last 10 years or so I've had yearly flares, typically landing in the hospital in late August. I remember a lot of them starting in June. Back then I thought it was the stress of having two kids in daycare all summer, and the extra $700 a month it cost me. I was a single mom and I spent most of those summers behind on my bills. STRESS! Now they are older, and the flares still to be in late summer or early fall. I have also wondered about the affect of drinking water. Down south here, our municipal water facilities have to use more chemicals in the water treatment facilities during the summer. to kill bacteria. I think they may be strong enough to alter a person's bacterial balance in their colon, assuming you drink their water. I think that bacterial balance is the key to everything. You keep that "flora" balanced and consistent and I think you can avoid flares. Not that doing so is an easy thing; there are so many variables. It really takes constant attention to your fiber intake, your water intake, the cleanliness of your fresh foods, and your lifestyle. I'm sure there are people out there with UC that can do all that. Unfortunately I am not one of them. I seem to miss some key thing at some point and end up with my yearly flare.0
