Gas Pain & Ulcerative Colitis: Be Proactive Rather Than Reactive

Most everyone who suffers from ulcerative colitis has had to deal with the problem of gas pain. Some gas pain is just a mild annoyance, while other gas pain is so bad that it will double a person up. In my case, I have had it so bad that I have felt like I was going to pass out and I have sweated profusely.

Before discussing coping with gas pain, however, it is important that a person with ulcerative colitis not jump to the conclusion that the "gas pain" they are feeling is a reaction to gas from their ulcerative colitis. Acute conditions such as diverticulitis and appendicitis may be at play.

Several months after I had been diagnosed with ulcerative colitis, I had a terrible attack of what I thought was gas pain. It turned out to be a gallbladder attack, which can be very dangerous. Severe feelings of "gas pain" that persist need to be checked out by a doctor, not just chalked up to ulcerative colitis.

In most cases, however, gas pain will be the culprit when ulcerative colitis is involved.

While we can look at "gas pain" as the overall generic tag for pain, the fact is that sometimes pain we experience will be from stress. I was surprised to find that our gastrointestinal systems are the second only to our mind in reacting to stress.

Most medical professionals agree that the best way to cope with gas pain from ulcerative colitis is to avoid it by taking proactive steps instead of reactive steps.

Drink fluids and, in most cases, eat fiber. This creates bulk that minimizes gas and gas pain. Something like Metamucil can be used as a fiber supplement to build bulk. When a history of gas pain has been established, medications such as an anti-inflammatory (Alulfidine) or a steroid (Prednisone) can be taken for relief not only from gas pain, but for ongoing relief of the overall ulcerative colitis condition.