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Ulcerative Colitis
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Posted 12/25/2007 4:02 PM (GMT 0)
Hi, I'm new to the group.  Just got home from the hospital yesterday.  I am having a severe UC flare up.  My question is, I am going to the bathroom constantly (every 2 hrs) and I'm wondering what to do for the diarrhea.  Can I take imodium?  I need some relief!   Thanks
Posted 12/25/2007 4:52 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Sharon58, and welcome to HealingWell. What meds are your currently taking and when did you start taking them?
Posted 12/26/2007 3:25 PM (GMT 0)
What does your diet look like currently? You might be consuming something that's aggravating your colon and causing the diarrhea or making it worse. You might experiment with the traditional BRAT diet for easing diarrhea... bananas, rice, applesauce, toast. The book Listen to Your Gut offers dietary suggestions for controlling diarrhea. Cautiously increasing fiber might help, too. You should also be drinking plenty of fluids to stay hydrated. I wouldn't recommend using Immodium except in emergency type situations where you have to travel or be away from bathroom facilities.
Posted 1/1/2008 12:22 AM (GMT 0)
It's finally calmed down.  I am taking 30 mg Prednisone, 12 asacol and an antibiotic twice a day.  I started the Predisone and antibiotic on the 19th of Dec.  I had to be in the hospital for a few days.

Posted 1/1/2008 3:44 AM (GMT 0)
Do you know why they prescribed the antibiotic? I'm just curious b/c I was also prescribed one when first diagnosed. Glad things have calmed down a bit.
Posted 1/1/2008 4:30 AM (GMT 0)
With an antibiotic, it's especially important to take a good probiotic to replace the good bacteria in the colon that the antibiotic kills along with the bad. Usually it's best to take it at least two hours after the antibiotic.
Posted 1/1/2008 6:26 AM (GMT 0)

  

I personally avoid things like this because of the side effects.

 

Last time I took it I got nausea and a headache. Not to mention getting so blocked up I ended up with abdominal pain.

 

My doctor has given me a fantastic Chinese herbal remedy for diarrhea called:

 

 “Ginseng & Atractylodes Combination 342”

 

It is manufactured by Sun Ten Pharmaceuticals in Taiwan.

 

It's the best thing I have ever used. It works immediately (doesn’t taste that flash though!)

 

It is available in Australia, so maybe it is available in the USA too?

Posted 1/1/2008 12:07 PM (GMT 0)
My whole colon got inflammed.  It's been acting up since the end of October.  They also gave me Remicade ( i think that is spelled right) while in the hospital and am supposed to get another dose on Friday.  It's an IV antibiotic.   I'm not sure what a probiotic is.   Thanks for the help.

Posted 1/1/2008 12:48 PM (GMT 0)

Also, any suggestions on things to eat while having a flare up and diarrhea?  I don't really have an appetite but am trying to eat to combat the lose of fluids and nutrients.

Sharon58

 

Posted 1/1/2008 12:55 PM (GMT 0)

Sharon58 said...
I'm not sure what a probiotic is.  

 

I have had these links saved under my favourites for a while now and often refer to them. I have found them informative and useful - they may explain things to you too:

 

http://www.usprobiotics.org

 

http://health.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=72149

 

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/455964

 

http://www.scienceblog.com/community/older/2003/F/20033964.html

(you may need to copy and paste them)

Posted 1/1/2008 1:15 PM (GMT 0)

Sharon58 said...

Also, any suggestions on things to eat while having a flare up and diarrhea?  I don't really have an appetite but am trying to eat to combat the lose of fluids and nutrients.

Sharon58

 

 

Avoid all fats, including meat and dairy. Avoid high-sugar and high-salted foods, spicy foods, dried fruit... etc…

 

Stick with plain, small helpings. Graze rather than trying to eat at set mealtimes.

 

Drink lots of pure filtered water. Don't drink straight from the tap. Filter jugs are quite cheap. If you can’t afford one, boil the tap water first and let it cool. Drink water at room temp.

 

I have a recipe for a plain potassium broth somewhere. I have been looking for it for days, if I find it I will post it here for you.

 

When you are up to it, maybe try plain broths OR a peeled & grated apple OR homemade plain apple sauce / puree OR old ripe mashed bananas OR dry toast OR plain crackers.

 

Rest a lot. Get out is the fresh air if you can (i.e.) sit in the garden.

 

If you can't eat, don't worry too much. As long as you are drinking plenty of water.


 

Posted 1/1/2008 3:13 PM (GMT 0)
Sharon, you'll find that we each have our own list of what foods bother us. I have to limit or eliminate fatty and spicy foods, as well as those that are high fiber. Most of us have determined over time what bothers our individual bodies. Some can't tolerate milk, coffee, carbonated drinks. Others follow very restricted diets by their own choice. You may want to keep track of what you eat each day and note what things repeatedly cause you problems.

Probiotics are OTC medications that contain "good" bacteria that normally inhabit our colons and help with digestion and colon health. Those of us with UC tend to have trouble maintaining healthy colonies of these bacteria in our guts. Antibiotics can be particularly problematic for us because at the same time they are killing the "bad" bacteria, they also kill the "good." Many people here will flare when on antibiotics.

I take Nature's Way Primadophilus Reuteri, which I purchase on line. Your local health food store or pharmacy will probably have varieties of probiotics available also.
Posted 1/1/2008 5:13 PM (GMT 0)

Sharon58 said...
My whole colon got inflammed.  It's been acting up since the end of October.  They also gave me Remicade ( i think that is spelled right) while in the hospital and am supposed to get another dose on Friday.  It's an IV antibiotic.   I'm not sure what a probiotic is.   Thanks for the help.

Hi Sharon. Remicade isn't an antibiotic. It's a biologic drug (administered through IV) that targets specific proteins in your immune system to control inflammation. Or maybe you knew that and I read your post wrong?

Food suggestions: yogurt, bananas, rice, applesauce, toast (low fiber), eggs, peanut butter, cooked carrots/green beans.

Posted 1/1/2008 7:04 PM (GMT 0)

Nope, I thought it was some sort of antibiotic type drug. 

Sharon

Posted 1/1/2008 10:21 PM (GMT 0)
I just got five books from the library on UC (which I'm sure some of them are older books) but they all contradict each other on what to eat to help or prevent a flare. I just found out my aunt also had UC and she just avoided lettuce and onion during. She also said she always ate small amounts of food. She thinks she is healed because she hasn't had any symptoms in 5 years and has been off her medication for 2. But she also thinks that IBD comes from IBS which is comepletey wrong as far as Ive been told.
Posted 1/1/2008 10:24 PM (GMT 0)
food won't help a flare heal or prevent it from happening.

Many people find it difficult to understand food / UC symptoms...for it seems to make sense food is a cause because eating increases the digestive tract to start working.

quincy
Posted 1/1/2008 10:40 PM (GMT 0)
Sorry my list was for diarrhea in general, not for a UC flare up.

Peeled & grated apples are often suggested as a cure for diarrhea, as is water and avoiding fatty foods.

Not aimed at UC, just general advice for diarrhea - although obviously they are based along the same lines.
Posted 1/1/2008 10:44 PM (GMT 0)

quincy said...


food won't help a flare heal or prevent it from happening.

 

Sorry I have to disagree with that point because it can and does for me personally.

 

Also found homemade pure juice fasting or water fasting for a day or more, will stop a flare / prevent a flare / prevent a flare from getting worse.  

 

That's just from my own personal experience and experimenting.

Posted 1/17/2008 12:00 AM (GMT 0)

I went to the doctor today but didn't get the answers I wanted so I thought I would ask ya'll.

When do my taste buds return?  Nothing tastes right.  I am only taking Asacol, weaning off Prednisone (5mg) and Mercaptopurine.  I also feel like there is something on the back of my tongue.

How long after you eat something before you know if it is effecting you?  Hours? 

Thanks!

Sharon58

Posted 1/17/2008 12:41 AM (GMT 0)
For me nothing seems to work in a flare but when simmering that is when I
can tell the effects of food and such. So my suggestion would be retry when
the colon calms down if no help during flare. Example, when colon is doing good if
I eat frosted flakes and drink beer for a few days straight my UC symtems get worse.
That has been repeatable for many years with me. Yes frosted flakes and beer are a great combo
and I love it. Bottle(ok many bottles) of beer and a box of frosted flakes.MMMMMMM If I ever hit complete remission
I am getting drunk and eaten FF for a whole weekend.
Good luck and I really hope you get some relief. Flares suck.
Posted 1/17/2008 1:19 AM (GMT 0)
Its rough, I am newly diagnosed and I am basically afraid to eat.

I had an intestinal infection for most of December. I was going every 1/2 hour, mostly liquid and I was loosing a lot of my good bacteria.
I am seeing a natural doctor and getting all kinds of powders & pills to build up my good bacteria.

The important thing- is do not take Immodium. My doc said it suppresses the colon and suggested Pepto instead (which didn't help me, but then again I was fighting an infection)
Posted 1/17/2008 8:17 AM (GMT 0)
But are you on other meds MisKay?

You have to eat in order for probiotics to work as well.

Do you know what all kinds of powders and pills you're taking?

What does your naturopath say about eating?

Welcome to the forum, by the way!
quincy
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