Very new to this-just diagnosed

I was actually diagnosed a year ago but my general practice doctor didn't tell me anything about the disease, I thought it was gone.  Flare up started two weeks ago and had a colonoscopy yesterday to confirm UC.  Doctor wants me on clear liquid diet until the flare up calms down but I feel like my body cannot handle eating so little.  What foods have you been able to eat while dealing w/ a flare up?  Thanks, any advice is appreciated, this is terrible!

 

TxGirl, a flare can last for weeks or even months, and I'm sure your doctor wouldn't want you on a clear liquid diet for that long. Many of us do well using a low residue diet when flaring. You can find information at this link:

http://www.healthcastle.com/low-residue-fiber-diet.shtml

Do be sure you drink plenty of fluids because it's very easy to become dehydrated if you're having diarrhea.

LOL, I was pretty sure I was flaring because I was going 20-25 times a day, bleeding, having pain, etc. When you're in remission, you will have minimal to no signs of UC. No bleeding, diarrhea, pain.

Most people are able to achieve remission within a few weeks with 5-ASA medications. Unfortunately, they didn't really help me a lot. Nor did the other drugs they gave me. Fortunately, I responded very well to Remicade and am now living a normal life.

I'm glad to hear you're in the majority for whom Asacol is effective!

I'll be happy to answer any questions you have.

With my crohn's colitis I've been flaring to some degree (for the majority of the time being severe and then to moderate and severe and moderate) the entire 18 yrs I've had this DD. Flares can last anywhere from a day to yrs same with remissions (according to 4 different GI's I've seen over the yrs). And it's true, I've had the odd normal day once or twice in these 18 yrs.

:)

When I was really sick and flared, I was put on a no food diet, and was just on Ensure drinks for a bit. Then went on regular food a week later.

hello - clear liquid diets are usually only used just before colonoscopy. 'Resting' the colon doesn't seem to have any effect on UC, and most advice is to eat as healthily as you can. Everyone has different foods which 'work' for them, and you need to experriment and find what works for you. For 'gentle' foods try bananas, which have lots of soluble fibre so they make you feel full without over-working your gut. They're high in vitamins and potassium, too. I find porridge a good 'comfort food' for breakfast. Oatcakes are good for snacking. 'Fisherman's Pie' made with white fish topped with mashed potatoe is healthy, filling & gentle on your gut. Mashed potatoe can be made more interesting by adding peeled mashed parsnips, horseradish sauce or mayonaise. If you can tolerate wheat try macaronni cheese. Try eating little ammounts more often rather than big meals. On days when I can face nothing else I use Slippery Elm Food - I wonder if anyone else uses this - mixed up with milk, it's a natural anti-inflamitant and one mug full keeps hunger away for 4 hours or more. Best of luck.

Liza D - I've heard of Esure, but not tried it yet. Does it have that name in UK? Good luck.

TX Girl - I'd never heard of UC either until I had it. Spent months battling with it during pregnancy, thinking it was 'pregnancy-related' - if your head drops off whilst pregnant you're told it's 'hormones'!  I'm still trying to work out ways to tell people about it without using the S**t word every sentence. It's a literal pain in the arse! Glad you're starting to feel a bit better. keep smiling.