Hi John,

Thank you for writing and I am sorry to hear that your nephew is having a hard timing getting his UC under control. Having to deal with the emotional side of IBD as well as trying to get a flare-up under control can be very hard, as I'm sure you know.

I recommend that you have your nephew log on to our site www.healthcentral.com/ibd and read through the Shareposts, as well as the disease and diet information. I also encourage him to ask questions, here, and even write his own Sharepost telling us of his struggles and concerns so that our community members can lend an ear and their support. Another good resource for him will be the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America (CCFA), www.ccfa.org, where he will find information on local support groups in his area.

He also may want to read my book, Living with IBD & IBS: A Personal Journey of Success, which details my struggle to live a good and healthy life despite having UC.

Knowledge is power and the more information and suggestions he can get from other people, like you and me, who are living well with IBD I think the more he'll be able to learn and cope and live well with the disease himself.

You might consider writing your own Sharepost here and discussing how you came to the decision of having your colon removed and what the after experience was like for you.

Thanks for writing,

Elizabeth