Another question about possible flare

I know I posted a few weeks ago thinking possibly I was heading into a flare, but then I read some posts that suggested that once off steroids certains 'symptoms' may establish and this will possibly be the norm for a person and not necessarily mean a flare. so I settled back and stopped worrying but kept an eye on what was happening.  That made sense to me.  I don't want to become obsessed with this disease when I'm not in a flare if you know what I mean. The pain in my lower back (right) has become worse and worse and is at it's worst just before I have to go to the loo. I'm like an old lady with the joint pain which has become worse over the past week and I'm going to the loo much more frequently with cramps althouth they're not bad, yesterday it was 10 times in total.  Formed but the first bm had a small amount of blood.  I've already been twice and I'm only up a half an hour.  The gurglings in my lower abdomen (actually they're more like internal farts ) are now present too.

So a few questions...

How long before the bloody D happens do any of you notice symtoms?  Days? Weeks? My doc said to contact him with first symptoms of bloody D. 

Does it just sneak up and 'just happen'? I have been thinking that it takes time for the inflamation to get to the point that it's bleeding and so it can't just happen? But maybe it does just happen.

And what symptoms if any do you experience before a flare? I know everyone is probably different.

Thanks in advance.

Lynda

 

For me, I can usually tell by my joint pains. When my knees and back start really hurting then I know that a pending flare is coming up. It can be any where from a day to a couple weeks. Uc is so unpredictable though so I don't gage my flares soley on my joint pains. I usually wait until I start with the cramping before I go to the toilet to know for sure that I am entering a flare.

I believe that it takes a while for the inflammation gets to a point in which you see the bloody D so that is why it is important to know your body and understand your Uc. It can take a while before you can do this and recognize the signs of an oncoming flare. Which btw, it sounds as if you are Lynda. You should contact your doc and tell him what is going on before it gets any worse.

You have to remember too that once the bloody D starts that it may be harder to get your flare under control. If and when you start entering a flare, once you recognize the symptoms and be proactive in your care; the easier it will be to get the flare under control. Do you know the extent of your Uc as in where in the colon it is? I know they have different prescriptions in Ireland so I am not sure what Asacolon is. Is that an oral pill or rectal? If it isn't rectal you can try to see if they have any rectal meds.

Our flares present themself differently. To me it sounds like you are in a flare and the enemas probably would help. But one week isn't going to be sufficient. For the enemas to work properly, you need to be on them for 2-3 weeks at least and then tapered off.

Hi...definitely do the rectal meds and you should never wait till you see the bleeding as a sign of a flare.

The doc will probably want you back on prednisone, you could hold off on that and suggest to him you want to try the rectal meds for a while instead of the pred.

My thoughts on pred...it's an easy solution with long term headaches as far as getting things controlled while trying to get off it. UC starts at the rectum, and really you should have been on rectal meds while tapering the pred and continuing afterward with that as your treatment and maintenance meds (in conjunction with the oral 5ASA).

Go back on the rectal meds...use them faithfully and make sure you get enough refills.

quincy