Antibiotics

Maybe antibiotics and maybe junk food + stress for 2 years.

I don't think antibiotics caused it.. but I do think it brought about my first flare. Everything I read and understand is that this is kind of a genetic thing. BUt I can say that I was doing fine with NO symptoms till I was put on a strong antibiotic for infected poison ivy by an ER doc. was told to take it with food, no one said a meal. I took it with a piece of bread or some such. nothing much cause I was tryin to loose a couple pounds and was watchin my diet. By the end of the antibitoic, I was complaining to my Pharm about feeling bloated and full all the time like I just couldn't put another bite of food in my mouth. He regonised the signs of me heading towards C-diff. And immediately told me to stop takin the antibiotic, started me on probiotics, and had me see my family doctor. She agreed with him. after a month of probiotics, I was feeling fine and quit takin them. Doc said it was okay I was prob fixed. about two months, maybe three, I started to have D...every couple days, That was in nov 2007, by Feb 2008 I was having it everyday and really having troubles in the morning. Family doc sent me to a GI, who diagnosed me with spastic colon and put me on pamine forte ( spelling ?? ) That was in April. When that didn't work, they scheduled me for a colonoscopy and In Aug 2008, I was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis. Kept getting worse till about first of Dec. They tried all sorts of medicines and such. By Dec, they had me on what I take now, and then I tried gluten free diet. Fixed me about half way in just alittle over a week, maybe two. about 18 days ago, I started the spinach/sunflower diet from here and have been steadily improving ever since ( till today, bad day ) But Am not stressing over just one day.
Anyways... Like I said earlier, Not sure I believe that the antibiotics caused this, But am pretty sure they brought on my first flare.

UCWarrior what treatments works best for you? I don't know if you have a thread explaining how you live med free b/c I hadn't seen it. There aren't many people living med free with UC. Does you body naturuly regulate itself after a flare? How severe is/was your colitis?

Over the years I have tried all the fancy diets, all the new supplements, and I take what seems to work for me from each of my experiences. I compile them all together and use it as a guideline from which to follow to get into and remain in remission. I make a serious effort to heal completely between each flare, I have about 2 a year now down from 8-10 when I was a noob. I want to get to 1 a year and eventually skip years. No meds.

I don't feel that one particular diet or supplement works of and in itself. It is a combination of what works for the individual pieced together from trial, error, and listening to one's own physiological signs. The body speaks but some choose not to listen or haven't bothered to learn the language.

I have learned to become my own doctor thru research. My body has been my professor and guides me thru right and wrong. I don't feel that many are interested in the dynamics of how or why I stay med-free so I don't actively pimp my regimen. I just give advice on what works for me.

Got2believe- sorry I forgot to answer your questions. I was dx'd with severe left side ulcerative colitis. I don't believe it is severe anymore.

My body does not completely self-regulate after a flare. It usually takes me a few weeks to coax it back to normal. If I stray at all in my regimen it puts me at risk of a repeat flare.

I had surgery a few times before I got UC and I wonder if the antibiotics I took are related to my IBD. I do remember when I was younger I had issues with urgency and D here and there and now I wonder if it was the IBD. I have definitely taken more antibiotics than a lot of people but I am not sure if it caused my UC. I have been treating mine with 5 ASAs and I just hope they continue to be helpful. I always ate pretty healthy but I did deal with a lot of stress in my personal life. I took medications like Kefelex, Flagyl, Bromelain and Duricef

Mine was definitely caused by Antibiotics. UC may be genetic for some, but it's complete bullcrap in my case. It wann't immeadiate. It started to get looser and about 4 months after heavy broad spectrum antibiotics course I got my first clear signs, heavy diarrhea full of blood.

Now I take only azamun. I also do occasionally fecal transfusion if it's bad. I have (had) pancolitis. Now I don't know. I don't have any good remedy.

My first flare up happened after taking anti biotics. I was doing bird surveys in wetlands in Ohio when I got left sided pain, diarrea, blood and mucus and weight loss. The doc gave me anti biotics which didn't help. I had 2 fairly bad flare ups 2 weeks apart that lasted about 2 weeks each. I was diagnosed with uc the following year. I have been able to control it fairly well with sulfasalazine and now asacol and occasionally prednisone. However, my symptoms have changed over the last ten years. Now I dont experience the pain or weightloss just diarrea and blood. I have had periods of time without meds where Ive felt completly normal. I am currently loosely following a low sugar, low salt, no processed food diet with extra spinach, it appears to be helpi ng.

I had three rounds of antibiotics over 2 years for various infections- strep throat; ear infection; etc- that coincided with the period just before my UC relapse after around 10 years of being med and symptom-free and actually thinking I didn't really have IBD for that matter. More recently I had a bad flare that lasted around a year after antibiotics for dental surgery- antibiotics I stopped after 2 days but by then that was too late. That was in spite of taking lots of extra probiotics spaced a few hours apart from the anti. That said, I sometimes wonder, if only I could analyze my micro-flora accurately enough, if there is some antibiotic cocktail which could put me into remission. There are certainly Crohn's and pouchitis patients who are on long term antibiotics, but it would seem to have some big risks.