are there links between stopping smoking and inflammatory bowel disease?

Digestive health
1

I stopped smoking 6 months ago and to be honest feel worse for it. Currently i am suffering from

UC and mouth ulcers. I have never suffered with mouth ulcers before and my bowel has been painful since stopping smoking. What i need to figure out is this: is it worth taking up smoking again or do i need to put up with abdo pain, bloody diarrhoea, mucous and faecal incontinence and always

having to use pads. I am only 55 and feel like i am 85. I am beginning to think smoking is the lesser of the two evils!! Have read on many forums how people give up smoking and then suffer the indignities of UC. Is there any medical evidence on UC and stopping smoking? If not, why not?

Any thoughts anywhere out there?

2

From what I gather it's not the smoking but the Nicotine that helps, so you don't have to start (the filthy vile) smoking again but rather you can use a healthy alternative such as patches smile

3

That is strange Gail39, I also gave up smoking last April and have now exactly the same symptoms as you, in fact ive had a colonoscopy to try to find the reason.

I would be interested to know if you have heard any more about a possible connection. Also my husband is suffering to

4

I was told by my surgeon that if I was a smoker my uc wouldn't be as active, but would like to be clear he

wasn't recommending I start smoking! It is the nicotine apparently, so maybe discuss with your GP.