Coping with Ulcerative Colitis: Find the Support You Need

Coping with ulcerative colitis takes a lot of patience, some research to find the best ways to cope with the symptoms of the disease and a very strong support system. Family and friends can be a good support system but, unless they have ulcerative colitis, they cannot be the only support for you. Doctors are also a good support team but, just as friends and family cannot understand your troubles unless they have ulcerative colitis.

Sometimes, well-meaning friends and family can suggest ways that they think will help you cope but, sometimes, these suggestions are not helpful for ulcerative colitis. There are many things that work for regular bouts of diarrhea that do not work for ulcerative colitis. Because of all of these factors, it is very important to find other people with ulcerative colitis that can offer tried and true techniques and support from someone who has been in your shoes.

There are many places to find support groups for people with ulcerative colitis. Sometimes, you have to get creative and go to a support group for people with stomach troubles, gastrointestinal problems or digestive tract troubles. I know someone who even went to a support group for people with colon cancer. If you have to go to a support group that is not specifically for ulcerative colitis, you may have to weed out the information that is not applicable to you.

In Jonesboro, Arkansas, there are support groups available for people with ulcerative colitis at St. Bernard's Regional Medical Center. You can find out more information from your doctor's office or you can call Health Line for more information.

If you want to help others with ulcerative colitis, consider talking to your doctor about making a packet or information sheet of the things that have helped you to cope with ulcerative colitis. If you are willing to write it and print a few copies, the doctor may be willing to pass the information out to other ulcerative colitis sufferers. If you do this, consider putting your contact information on the paper so people can contact you. This is a good way to meet others with ulcerative colitis.

Now, sometimes, people with ulcerative colitis are too embarrassed by their condition to seek face to face support. In this case, I suggest that you find a support group on the Internet where you can maintain a certain level of privacy. This also works if you are in the middle of a flare up and cannot possibly leave the house.

You can find an on-line ulcerative colitis support group by doing a search for one on any search engine. A good list of ulcerative colitis support groups, chat rooms, forums, detailed information and email support can be found by going to the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America web site. This is where I found the first support group that I participated in on-line. This is a very comprehensive site that is full of very good information for anyone with ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease.

The most recent place that I found other people with ulcerative colitis is at Daily Strength. This site has over 800 people who are active in their support system for people with ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease. I have found this site to be extremely helpful because there is almost always someone on-line who can offer help and support, even if I just need someone to talk to about the pain or the depression that I am feeling at the time because of my ulcerative colitis.

Another place that you can seek support is through your church. Sometimes, a pastor or priest can put people with certain conditions in contact with each other so that they can help to support each other.

Lastly, if there are not any support groups in your area, consider starting one. This may take some time to get started but, it is a possibility that can help may people in your area. If you live in a rural area, consider trying to start a phone support system where the ulcerative colitis sufferers can simply call each other for support. If you do a phone support system, it is a good idea to print out a list of people who are willing to accept calls. Be sure to include the times that they are willing to accept calls on the list. Some people may be available for a couple of hours a week while others may be available any time of the day or night.

Remember that you do not have to only seek support from one place. You can be active in more than one support group and you can seek suggestions and tips from multiple sources. The most important thing is that you readily pass on the things that help you to other people who have ulcerative colitis.