Hiya, im looking for advice on Ulcerative Colitis.
I’m currently in hospital after a particularly bad flare up of UC, i had chronic diarrhoea for a week and ended up so severely dehydrated my blood pressure was 60/40 and my heart rate 158… big mistake thinking i could avoid hospital and deal with it at home…
this is my second flare up requiring hospitalisation in 3 weeks despite being on a decreasing dose of prednisolone from 40mg (this week im on 25mg) and i was also started on mesalizine 4800mg.
since this is the second flare up my doctor has seriously recommend i quit smoking/vaping. i have cut down to 2 or 3 cigarettes a day and mostly vape 3mg of nicotine. i was wondering if anyone has any experience or knowledge as to if quitting smoking completely and starting to vape nicotine free would be as beneficial as quitting vaping and smoking completely.
i ask this seemingly obvious question ‘should i quit’ because i have spoken in depth with my therapist about quitting as i know it’s bad for my physical health, but she believes the negative physical impacts are less significant than the benefits it provides. i have severe anxiety and have been in psychiatric units to help deal with it and i find smoking has always been a big help. it allows me time outside to calm down and just take a minute to breathe, i also find that the deep breathing associated with smoking/vaping helps the anxiety and the nicotine is obviously helpful with stress.
however, after two hospitalisations in 3 weeks, if quitting both would improve my symptoms i will give it my best shot. im just wondering if its the nicotine that could be worsening the UC or if its simply the act of vaping that will aggravate it.
Thank you,
Emily