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What do you do once a flare up starts?

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Crohn's Disease
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Posted 6/11/2012 6:10 PM (GMT 0)
I have started a flare up yesterday. I don't have intestinal pain as I'm on Entocort but I have severe abdominal pain in the middle of my abdomen, D and nausea. Unfortunately, I have a lot of important work and can't stay at home. I managed to skip today but have to go to work till the end of the week. I increased pentasa to 4g; pentasa enema causes me more pain but I have to take it coz of tenesmus and rectal pain. I also take a lot of antispasmodics though this makes my intestines slow and eventually I get fecal impaction. I feel overmedicated and weak coz of the variety of antispasmodics. I haven't found a suitable GI yet so I'm w/o a doctor.
What do you do when a flare up hits?
Any advice will be highly appreciated.
Posted 6/11/2012 6:21 PM (GMT 0)
I go back to basics, meaning I simplify my foods (low residue, easy on the tummy, no wine, less black tea, more water).

I usually don't change my meds (because I never go off them) but if I had a flare up in rectal symptoms (more mucous, more blood, more tenesmus) I would up the enema.
Posted 6/11/2012 6:25 PM (GMT 0)
Thank you, Kazbern. What do you mean by upping the enema? Isn't the dose one enema before bedtime? One surgeon once told me to take two pentasa enemas per day and two steroid enemas as well. But my previous GI would only recommend one enema at night and if very sick I could add a steroid enema. What's the maximum dose of enemas?
Posted 6/11/2012 7:12 PM (GMT 0)
I don't use any enema anymore because I haven't had any symptoms of rectal inflammation in a long time. So for me, it would be to reintroduce the enema, and I'd go to a nightly enema if I had blood & mucous. If it was just mucous, I'd probably go to every other night. And I'd keep that up until all evidence of the flare had gone away.

My 1st diagnosis was ulcerative proctitis and that was in 2001. It took me, no kidding, until about 2007 to get rid of most of the symptoms. On my last scope, in 2008, I still had inflammation and I used my enemas for a while longer. It has been a long time since I had mucous or blood in my stool.
Posted 6/11/2012 7:45 PM (GMT 0)
Oh, I got it. I have sometimes mucous but the rectal pain, swelling, stabbing pain and leakage has never gone away since 2011 when I was diagnosed. I never knew it would take such a long time for symptoms to subside.
Posted 6/11/2012 8:09 PM (GMT 0)
I was never fully compliant with my enemas, because they made me uncomfortable (did not know to squeeze out the air until I came to this forum in 2009) and slowed my bowels down. At best I probably used them every other night for a few years. At worst I would skip nights (to have relations with my husband, because I was pregnant, because I forgot, because I was already constipated....the list goes on) and get it done twice a week. Don't follow my example, LOL.
Posted 6/11/2012 11:40 PM (GMT 0)
I won't -lol. But it seems I did the same. I never took the enema every day for a period more than two weeks though my doc insisted on that and though I take tablets on a regular basis. This could be why I never become better. I start skipping it coz of boredom and by time my anal canal becomes more sore coz of the tip of the enema. I remember to take only when I'm in pain.
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