First flare after stopping RX drugs

I’ve heard it will be worse. I’ve hear your old meds may not work the same. And it’s a very scary thought considering what I’ve gone through with this DX. But when I went RX free (stopped taking my asacol, imuron, and prednisone) my symptoms improved and I had the longest and best remission I have had in years. I finally gained some weight back and I haven’t been able to do that since my UC started 3 years ago. I owe this mostly to my diet. I can see the correlation to junk food and my UC symptoms.

My current flare: My UC was doing so good I began to consume more bad things. I even went out a couple times to drink. I stick to vodka b/c it seems to work best for my UC. I figured I was doing worse when I started to see some mucus on my stools. Well one weekend I drank some beer. It did affect me but not too much. The following Tuesday I ate a hamburger and fries at a local place and by Wednesday I was bleeding once again. Bleeding, then bloody looser stools. Then it got to mucusy blood usually in the mornings. But that’s not the worst part. The worse was my aching joints. That part of my UC symptoms was worse than I remember with a flare. My colon was sore (not during eating or digesting, just hurt my lower back) and my back and chest obviously had major inflammation going on somewhere. But I have been eating better and it’s the third week of my flare and things are improving. Blood is decreasing and stools are starting to form. I am so excited to be at this point in my flare considering it’s the first flare I have had to fight without using doctor prescribed drugs. I can post some of my UC tips I live by later if anyone would like. I’m not sure what exactly I am doing better for my UC, but I am so happy it seems to work.

I just find it hard to fathom how a healthy college athlete would get a crazy disease like this. I've relied on my body and pushed it to its limits at times and I think that I didn't have to get UC. And I didn't ever think I would have colitis this long much less be on prescription meds the rest of my life. So I dedicated a lot of time and effort to my colitis. I'm a guy so I had to learn how to cook. I took extremely detailed notes about my body. I tried a lot of different things to try and treat my colitis, but what it all comes down to is mostly what I consume. Call me crazy, but I feel guilty eating something non nutritional especially when im flaring. People trip out when they eat with me b/c of what I am eating. I drink mostly water I eat mostly steamed vegetables and I really do notice a diffence with my digestion when I stay to far off my normal diet.

about my flare: I have to say I am still improving. But i have been at this point with my meds before and stayed way to long so I am curious to see if I continue to eat healthy if I can clear all my symptoms. SOrry this is so long, but I just want someone to read a thread that isn't about meds b/c not too many Gastroenterologists would even mention what you eat. When i was diagnosed my GI told me I could continue to eat whatever b/c it was all the same when it gets to the gut.