Questions???

Hi All,

      I've been following this site for about 18 months now and found some great advice and help, although only decided to join today as I need some extra help. I live in the UK and was diagnosed with Proctitis in Sept 2006 and originally put on Pentasa 4 x 2 a day along with vitamin supplement,mebeverine,zinc,vit c,aloe vera,bro-biotic and prednisolone when flaring although my consultant is reluctant to use steroids.

Pentasa worked reasonably well until Dec 07 and until this point I had 4 or 5 minor flares. At the end of Dec 07 I had flare which resulted in 7 weeks off work and meds were changed from Pentasa to colazol (balsalazide)3 x 3 a day and tapered down to remission, currently 2 x 3 a day. The wierd thing is I always seem to flare after visiting friends and family in Devon where the water is very soft,we visited 4 weeks ago and I took my own bottled water with me,but did drink boiled water from tap in tea etc and although I didn't flare whilst there I have felt as though i've been fighting with my body ever since, does any one else have issues with change of water or is it in my head?

 I've had 3 reasonably good months until now! I joined a slimming world group last Wednesday as since being diagnosed with Proctitis I have gained around 14lbs.I lost weight during my first flare and since being put on meds I have gained this amount,I find this bizarre as most other people seem to lose weight with this disease from what i've read.I decided slimming world would be ok as I can choose what I can eat

Since being diagnosed I have not been able to eat any fruit containing pips so opted to buy melon and grapefruit to see how it would go.I had 2 segments of grapefruit on Thursday and have been bleeding since Saturday,the diet also seems to base around low fat dairy ie.yogurt etc and I have eaten more than I normally would,could this be inducing a flare or is my body just needing time to adjust to new foods?Today I have gone sick from work as I am so sore,I'm not trying to lose loads of weight I just want to feel comfortable in my clothes again, this disease has taken over so many aspects of my life including my appearance that I just want to feel comfortable before my holiday in August.

Sorry its such a long thread but I have many questions and I am confused. I hope someone can help.

Thanks

Spudly, food doesn't cause flares, but can aggravate symptoms. If you're having those kinds of problems, your disease is not controlled. Citrus fruits tend to be difficult for us because of the high acid content. For me, peaches, pears and mangoes are good fruits when flaring. We are also more likely than the general population to be lactose intolerant, although yogurt usually doesn't bother us. Your GI can test for lactose intolerance.

I don't understand why you're not on rectal medications. Simply put, very little of any of the oral meds makes it to the rectum. Since the 5-ASA's are topical drugs which work by direct contact with the affected area, this makes it very difficult to get proctitis under control with oral medications. Ask your doctor about a mesalamine rectal preparation, enema or suppository.

Welcome to HealingWell. You've come to a good place, and I'm sure you'll get many more suggestions throughout the day.

Don't despair, when you are able to get into remission you will probably be able to eat most fruits again.