Increased susceptibility to bugs?

Hi all, I just wondered if any of you have problems with recurrent viruses since been diagnosed with uc? I was diagnosed with proctitis two years ago and since then have had countless coughs, colds, and tonsillitis, a ridiculous amount, t feels like one after the other sometimes! I am a children's nurse so am exposed to a lot of infections but prior to diagnosis I never got ill and thought my immune system was rock solid! Am currently feeling sorry for myself in bed with yet another hacking cough and cold

With UP, you should also be on rectal meds...fyi.

Regarding your susceptibility for upper respiratory infections/viruses, etc....some may be related to initially having an autoimmune issue of reaction, the other would be that you're exposed to many viruses/infections and your body might be overloaded and not able to fully heal properly.

Seems your tonsils might need to come out...I suggest you pursue that issue.

have you seen an ENT?

Are you on antibiotics for your infections?

Kids don't take precautions regarding hand washing, snot wiping, hygiene in general.....so you being exposed to an onslaught of health issues on a continuing basis can have your body overrun.
Especially if you've not had a break in a while.

I can certainly relate to long periods of being sick....one doctor refused to treat my ongoing bronchitis/chest/sinus infections when I was first diagnosed with asthma. I ended up with scarred lungs from the process.

Hope you're able to regain your footing. Once you deal with the infections and how to catch them early so that they don't get you as often, you'll feel much better.

I think it's a separate undiagnosed issue for you. Definitely see an ENT, an allergist and a pulminologist.

I had one ENT say to me that they didn't know what to do with people like me.....I'm under the wire of criteria regarding allergies, reactions, infections. He said more study and treatment needs to be studied for those of us who are in that group.
Eventually, I saw an ENT who was a specialist on asthma...she helped me a lot, and I never wait if I have an infection that should require antibiotics.

Hope you feel better soon!
q

Hi all thanks for your replies. No I haven't seen ent yet I'll ask for a referral from my gp cos it's getting ridiculous now! Re the pentasa, when I was first disagnosed literally knowing nothing about the disease they gave me a choice between oral meds and rectal. At that point it was a no brainer! However now I know that rectal meds would've been the better choice and don't understand why they even gave me a choice? Having said that I've been symptom free for two years. I'm seeing my Ibd nurse next week to discuss all if these issues and hopefully get it sorted.

Omgoodness yes! I've always had some sort of AI thing going on because I got psoriasis before UC. So I was sick a lot as an older teen. But when I got diagnosed with UC as a young adult, I was constantly sick. With serious illnesses. It sort of tapered off, than would pick up again...it was a cycle until I was 30 and had my tonsils out. Now I very rarely get sick.