I posted a few weeks ago about wanting to quit again after I started smoking again in April after being quit for 9 years. I have a disease called ulcerative colitis that had been in remission since Christmas 2016, but when I started smoking again in April, I started getting gut pain pretty much immediately, and it worsened over 2-3 weeks. Smoking was also making me somewhat constipated (I know that is weird, but my gut is not normal due to the UC). So, in May, I quit for 6 days and put myself on prednisone (steroids), and I felt completely better within a few days. I usually get better after 2-3 days on prednisone, so again, I did not know if it was the quitting or the pred that helped me. My doctor didn't think it was a flare-up, he just thought I was constipated and told me to take Miralax. Due to stress, I started smoking again after I felt better, and I felt fine for about 2-3 weeks, then I started getting some constipation again and then the gut pain hit with a vengeance starting last weekend. By Monday, I was in a pretty severe flare, much worse than in May, with severe pain, rectal bleeding, constant trips to the bathroom, etc., and after two days on prednisone, I was just getting worse. I went to the ER on Tuesday, at my gastroenterologist's suggestion. He thought they would admit me, but they didn't. They sent me home with a whopping 12 pain pills, that only lasted me 3 days. So, I decided to quit smoking and see if I would improve. I had half a cigarette Wednesday, June 13 in the morning and haven't had any since. By Thursday morning, I was already feeling a ton better. I am still flaring, but I am a lot better than I was just a few days ago. The weird thing is, typically, smoking actually HELPS people with UC. Most people get diagnosed with UC after they quit smoking, but for me it never worked that way. I got it when I was a smoker and when I initially quit in 2009, I did not have a flare-up. Most people with UC who quit have a flare-up of symptoms. Some people even go back to smoking to treat their UC. So, I either actually have Crohn's Disease or my UC is just not the norm, or this is all a coincidence and my symptoms aren't related to smoking (what my addict mind wants to be true so I can go back to smoking...).
Anyway, so I wasn't "ready" to quit smoking yet, but due to serious health concerns, which I am not 100% are related but they seem to be, I decided I had to at least try. It has been a little bit of a struggle, but I guess when you are in severe pain, it is a lot easier to quit than normal. Ha. I also had hydrocodone the first two days, so I guess that probably took the edge off. My mind still wants to smoke for the stress relief. But I just keep reminding myself I can't do that because I was literally in so much pain, I thought I might pass out and die this past week.
