Why Finding a Treatment Plan for Ulcerative Colitis Sometimes Takes Years

I found out that I have ulcerative colitis many years ago. After my diagnosis, it took me a few years of trial and error with my diet and various medications and therapies to find the combination that works for me.

In my case, finding a treatment plan was difficult because I have allergic reactions to some medications. This made finding medication to control my ulcerative colitis difficult to say the least. In some cases, I wasn't allergic to one particular medication, I just couldn't take a common combination of medications.

My doctor and I have had to work very closely to find things that work for me. I am now on two medications, a semi strict diet and a regular exercise program.

My whole system will be thrown off again in a few months when I stop breast feeding my youngest son. When this happens, I will have to go back to my old bland diet that I ate when we were trying to find a treatment plan to control my ulcerative colitis.

Luckily, this time, I have what may end up being an advantage. My doctor said that we are going to go back to the treatment plan that I was on, including the medications, before I got pregnant with my one year old son. She seems fairly confident that I will be able to go back to this plan without having to adjust too much. I sure hope that she is right.

Because I am a female, it is slightly more difficult for me to find a treatment plan that works because a woman's hormones can sometimes interfere with the treatment. One example of this is that I have to modify my diet during menstruation. Hormonal changes mean that slight adjustments may need to be made throughout the month.

My doctor has me keep a journal of my menstrual cycle. She also has me keeping a food journal, symptom journal, medication journal and an activity journal. When I go to see her, we make adjustments to my treatment plan after reviewing all of these factors.

Since I have been keeping these journals, it seems to be much easier to adjust my treatment plan and diet. In my very humble opinion, any woman who is having difficulty finding a treatment plan that helps to control her ulcerative colitis should keep detailed records every day so that she can find out her triggers and see what seems to help.

There is a treatment plan out there that will work for you. It just takes time to find it. Be willing to try different things and get a second opinion if that is what it takes to live a normal life again.