Hi.My son was diagnosed with UC last year, but in fact he started with symptoms a year earlier, at 12. I heard that UC in children is more easily cured, or I would say kept in remission for several years, compared to those who got the illness at older age. Is this possible?
Q: Are children more likely to cure from UC?
Answers (2)
8/24/09 6:58pm
Hi Surena,
I can't say I've ever seen any research on kids and UC. And it's hard to say how they do over time because we all react so differently to treatment, diet changes, stress, etc.
There are many support options for parents and kids with IBD that can be found through the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America (ccfa.org) that could be helpful to you and your son. They even have support groups, camps, etc. that might be fun for your sun to participate in.
Having him learn now how to manage his UC will be a huge benefit to him in the future. Learning whether certain foods make his symptoms worse is helpful, as is teaching him methods of managing stress. Making sure he's not too overloaded with extracurricular activities and sports along with school will also prove to be important in helping him maintain remission.
So far, there is no cure for UC other than having a total colectomy - removal of the colon - and that is only used typically as a last resort when all other options of maintenance haven't worked. But, many of us live very good lives despite having IBD.
My best wishes to you and your son,
Elizabeth
8/27/09 9:01pm
Hi YRP,
What is "normal" for UC/IBD is different for all of us. A flare for me can consist of 10, 20, 30 diarrhea BMs per day, usually with blood, joint aches, fatigue, etc. Remission for me is not having diarrhea, no blood, no achy joints, etc. I can still have 2 - 6 BMs per day.
I'm 41, have had a UC Dx for 10 years and have been on Asacol in varying doses for those ten years. I've changed my diet drastically, most recently I've gone gluten-free - see my Shareposts on the main IBD site page to read more about this - learned to destress as much as possible, and refuse to let IBD be who I am.
If you're interested I wrote a book about my journey to get where I am today, it's titled: Living with IBD & IBS: A Personal Journey of Success - www.ibdandibs.com.
UC can be a pain in the butt, literally and figuratively, but we've come so much farther today than where things were even 10 or 15 years ago.
Patience can go a long way in learning how to live well despite IBD.
Regards,
Elizabeth
10/ 6/09 8:05pm
I was first diagnosed with UC when i was 13 years old. I remember complaining about it as young as 9 or 10 years old. I was initially given a 20 mg of prednisone and tapered off by 5 mg a week and i was also put on sulfasalazyne. Well after staying on the sulfasalazyne for about a year i came off and didnt have any problems for about 6 or 7 years. However when i was about 21 or 22 i got a very bad flare up that hospitilized me for about 2 weeks. I am now 32 years old and have been having on and off again flare ups. I think the most ive gone without a flare up now is a year to a year and a half. I do agree that probiotics can help but i find that taking them (for me) while having a flare up tends to make things worse. I have tried everything available short of clinical trials. Right now i am on colazal 750 mg and imuran. This combination has seemed to have had the most success, but i still get occassional flare ups and have to get on prednisone every so often. So to answer your question, for me it seemed to go into remission easier and longer when i was younger.
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Thank you for being so positive and helpful. My daughter was just diagnized with UC and after taking Asacol was quite normal ( 1 to 2 bowel movements no blood or pain ). somehow due to diet she triggered a relapse with 4 to 5 bowel movements with some blood. The Dr put her on prednisone 50 mg. she is better, eats a lot but her frequency is still 4 to 5 bowel movements. they are formed and regular with no blood though. Is that considered normal.