My Wife is a Hero During My Ulcerative Colitis Flare-Ups

Ulcerative colitis is something of a guessing game, both with treatment and flare-ups. You can experience several weeks or even months of normal productivity, then be hit by an excruciating flare-up that can last several days. In many cases, flare-ups involve blood in the stool, severe diarrhea, and sometimes even severe complications, such as infections or toxic colitis. I've been lucky in that my case of ulcerative colitis is most frequently in remission, but I've had several debilitating flare-ups that have resulted in hospitalization.

The last of these, which occurred in November of 2007, was probably the worst I've endured yet. It began during the early hours of the morning on November 17, waking me from a deep sleep. I was confused, disoriented, but I was sufficiently lucid to make it to the restroom (thank God), and I spent most of the next six hours on the toilet.

My wife, God bless her, woke up to my moans and came into our restroom to check on me. She sacrificed sleep to make me a pot of green tea, which sometimes soothes my stomach and intestines, then checked on me repeatedly to ask if I needed to go to the hospital. The major complication I face during a flare-up of ulcerative colitis is dehydration, and although I'll avoid the hospital whenever possible, it sometimes isn't an option.

By the sixth hour of gut-wrenching cramps and diarrhea, when I could no longer drink even green tea, I agreed with my wife that the hospital was probably the best idea in my current condition. She'd already called her mother to put her on alert that we might need to leave, so she called her again to ask her to come over to stay with the kids. I can't tell you how amazing it feels to know that my family will be there for me in a pinch; I know that many others lack such a strong support system.

The other complication that ulcerative colitis sufferers frequently face is the trip to the hospital. I refused to let my wife call an ambulance, and she finally relented, but I had to make sure that I could endure the ride across town without making a mess in our SUV. Furthermore, the 'road humps' in our neighborhood can make even a healthy person queasy, so I had to be careful to avoid rocking around in the passenger's seat.

Thankfully, I made it to the hospital without any unpleasant accidents, and there weren't many people in the ER, so I was immediately given an intravenous drip to guard against dehydration. I was weak, irritable, and in pain, but my wife sat with me and helped me to the bathroom each time I needed to go. One thing I've learned is that ulcerative colitis is an effective test of the marital bond.

Once I was able to see a physician at the ER, I explained which medications I was taking, and he prescribed an anti-inflammatory and a pain killer. I was kept overnight because of the dangers of dehydration; additionally, I was bleeding more than normal for an ulcerative colitis flare-up, and they wanted to make sure I was in no danger of infection. I don't take antibiotics on a regular basis, as some Crohn's sufferers do.

By the next morning, the ulcerative colitis flare-up was not nearly as debilitating as it had been the night before. My wife stayed with me at the hospital, helping me to the restroom when needed and reading to me from a bedside chair because I couldn't focus on the words. I've discovered that between my ulcerative colitis and her frequent dealings with osteoporosis and hyperthyroidism, we've grown closer as a couple than if we were two healthy adults.

I am also lucky in the fact that both of us work from home, so I was able to set myself up in the bedroom with my laptop and a continually refilled mug of green tea when I returned home from the hospital. My flare-ups of ulcerative colitis usually last no longer than five to seven days, after which I feel like a human again. However, the residual symptoms can last up to a month, which include sensitivity during bowel movements and a general cramping of the stomach muscles.

What always amazes me, however, is the phenomenal strength that my wife exhibits during one of these intense ulcerative colitis flare-ups. Regardless of how tired she might be, she takes immediate control of the situation, and allows me to focus on the symptoms and feeling better. She's sacrificed quite a bit over the years so that I can stay home and work, and I am consistently reminded of her strength, dedication and selflessness.