Wednesday, September 28, 2011
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/09/26/us-antibiotic-crohns-idUSTRE78P4Z320110926
This is a must read article if you have IBD and have taken antibiotics in the past. While antibiotics can be helpful, even life saving in the right circumstances, they can also be devastasting to the good/ba...
How do you feel about the flu shot for folks with colitis? I completely agree with you, btw, about antibiotics. They have been very problematic!
I think whether or not to get a flu shot is up to the individual depending on age, how they are feeling with their IBD at the time, and the state of their immune system. I used to get a flu shot every year - but that was when my IBD was really flaring, my immune system seemed depleted, and I wasn't eating a well balanced diet of foods like veggies and fruit.
The past few years I've not gotten a flu shot as my UC has been calmer, my immune system seems somewhat stronger, and I'm eating a healthier more balanced diet.
On a personal note, I also wasn't willing to be a guinea pig the first year or 2 that new flu vaccine came out with the swine flu scare. I simply didn't feel it had gone through the proper channels of testing to know that I wouldn't have a rare side effect of some sort. I seem to be that 1 in a million who reacts to things oddly. So, elected not to get the flu shot the past 2 years because of that. I am feeling quite strong this year, any wounds I've sustained like a cut finger or bruise heal quickly, and I am eating very well these days so think I'll forego the shot again this year.
Assess how you're doing and the risks if you get the flu then make your decision.
Cheers
Elizabeth
Thanks for your thoughtful response! It is such a tough call to make since the flu seemed to really trigger a bad flare a few years ago. But we did not know as much about the role of a good diet at that point. Our GI specialist kept insisting that food would not really make a difference. Well, we know better now.
Thanks for your posts. It really helps to know there are others controlling IBD -- and in a healthy way!
The thing is, back in the day GI's were never taught anything about nutrition in school so they really, truly don't know or understand the role diet plays in these disorders. That will change in the years to come as more and more people in the field are seeing the positive results of changing diets. I know there are a few universities now requiring nutrition classes for their GI students and we have a number of them come to another web site I write for asking for personal info. from patients. So, there is hope for future IBD patients to get this valuable information from their doctors. It's just rough that we, right now, have to either figure it out on our own or look for a decade to find a doctor who can help.
Cheers,
Elizabeth