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Flare triggered last night...why?

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Ulcerative Colitis
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Posted 12/9/2009 12:38 AM (GMT 0)
Hi all,

Very glad to have found this site. Long story short is that I've had UC since 1988. Been on Asacol for about 10 years and generally do well on it. I have a pretty mild case so I've been able to take Asacol breaks for months without any trouble. This year however, it's caught up with me and I've had several flares. I was seen by my GI two months ago and faithfully got back on my Asacol daily.

Here's the deal. Last night I had just a little bit of ice cream and today I'm in a major flare. I don't get it because I use 1/2 & 1/2 in my morning coffee (bad I know but I'm addicted!) and I don't have any problems. For the most part I can tolerate dairy. Something definitely was triggered, but I'm stumped and annoyed.

Shouldn't my Asacol have worked better? Now I have to get back on the dreaded Prednisone for a while. Do you have any insight? Thanks.

Posted 12/9/2009 12:53 AM (GMT 0)
I suspected my last two flares were triggered by ice cream also. My GI is adament that food doesn't cause flares. He says ice cream can give you D however.

Hope you get out of this flare soon! I've been in mine since early July. 40 mg of pred daily isn't kicking it. I started Azathioprine a week ago and am waiting for it to kick in....

Good Luck
Posted 12/9/2009 1:01 AM (GMT 0)
Wow, I hope you're feeling better too. There's so much debate about UC and diet that it makes it difficult. Fiber is usually seen as 'bad' but I find I need it to avoid flares. The whole dairy thing is weird because I've never had this happen after having some cheese or even cereal and milk (which I hardly have anymore). I've had ice cream before too and it hasn't done this. I've had cranberry juice lately. Could that have done something??
Posted 12/9/2009 1:43 AM (GMT 0)
The way I think about it is that if I have some inflammation in there already, even if I'm not that aware of it, and I eat a "danger" food, it'll bring on symptoms (bleeding, D, whatever.)

If there is no inflammation I can eat about anything.

But - what exactly are your symptoms - was this a one-time thing, or is it ongoing at this point? My beloved former doc always told me to look for the trend, not to assume I'm in a flare by the bm experiences of one or two days.
Posted 12/9/2009 5:16 AM (GMT 0)
I wouldn't necessairly say that you're flaring. I mean, it could very easily be food poisoning or just a tummy bug...give it a day or two and see what happens. And, if it does turn out to be a flare, you don't have to go back on prednisone? What doseage of Asacol are you currently on? If you're not at the maximum, you could raise that. And, there are rectal meds that I personally think should be used before resorting to pred.
Posted 12/9/2009 8:33 AM (GMT 0)
It wouldn't have triggered a "major flare" or any flare for that matter.
Many of us have inflammation and no symptoms....or symptoms that aren't recognised as early flare symptoms.

The ice cream could have given you lactose intolerance symptoms, and what you describe (except for blood if you are) would be a normal reaction.

If you have blood with the mix, your colon is in a fragile state as to have bled....that means obvious flare.

You should be on rectal meds anyway.....I say that term a lot.
If you're on and can tolerate asacol, you should at the very least try the Rowasa (if you're in the US).

Yes, you could also have picked up something else and that in combo with the ice cream lactose intolerance symptoms could have given you the explosive symptom.

Now, the big question...why did the doc put you on the asacol again?

quincy
Posted 12/9/2009 2:38 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks for all of your replies! I had major stomach cramps and bleeding. You're right, maybe I was mildly flaring but didn't know it and the ice cream took it up a notch. I had Coldstone ice cream, not what I usually get. I take 400 mg Asacol, 4 pills/day. I looked into Lialda since I'd have to take less pills, but since I'm currently without insurance, it came to over $500 for 30 days! Even with a discount prescription card, I'm paying $150 for the Asacol. Will be on my husband's insurance in January.

Feeling better today but sort of afraid to eat.
Posted 12/9/2009 4:08 PM (GMT 0)
There seems to be a lot of people with UC who have problems with dairy. I am one of them. I always thought I was just a gassy person. When I took a suggestion to cut out dairy for a week, all of a sudden I wasn't gassy anymore. That made me realize I am probably lactose intolerant.

Gassiness is not helpful to UC so I leave dairy out of my diet as much as possible, though I really do miss cheese. A chocolate shake incident this past summer made me feel like I would die (don't know what I was thinking).

I have been experimenting lately with goat cheeses to see if they have less of a negative effect on me. Goat cheese is supposed to be more easily digestible, but it still has lactose.
Posted 12/9/2009 7:27 PM (GMT 0)
You may have become lactose intolerant, that can happen pretty fast and although a high population of the world is lactose intolerant it seems that many IBDers often have lactose intolerance issues as well...you can get tested for it by your doc to confirm it.

Or it very well could be the ice-cream or something else you ate triggered your flare, researchers have not confirmed one way or the other how or if food/diet is linked to the disease/flares, so it's very bold for anyones else to say one way or the other either.

Or it could just be the nature of the beast, many take their meds religiously and eat right, exercise, ect and still end up in flares cuz bottom line is, the disease has more control than what we give it credit for.

:)
Posted 12/9/2009 10:11 PM (GMT 0)

I'm with one of the previous posters - I'm never sure I'm flaring until it last more than a couple of days.  One day and it could just be a bug or something you ate. 

My flares are never happen that quick.  After I'm flaring I look back and can pinpoint specific events - something I ate that irritated my stomach followed by stress or vice versa of the course of a couple weeks that put me in a full on flare not just one specific food or mis-step.

Posted 12/10/2009 12:10 AM (GMT 0)
You have a right to your opinions but so do I and Cold Stone Ice Cream is one of my hubbies favorites but he may get an upset from another dairy product so suffice to say we are all different. Calling chain store brands garbage is really uncool in my book.



To the OP, my hubby may have foods that cause him a problem for a few days but clear his system so being told you are in a flair after just one day seems rather sudden. Were tests done or just sx used to decide you were in a flair? I sure do understand the insurance issues.



I wish you the best and please know I hope you do well.



From the Wife of a Crohn's/Colitis hubby............33 year history and 3 major surgeries etc.



Holiday Greetings to all,



Kitt
Posted 12/10/2009 12:20 AM (GMT 0)
CrazyColitis, let's please try to keep comments on the helpful side of things.
Posted 12/10/2009 12:20 AM (GMT 0)
Reread and you are entitled to your opinion as I said.  So am I...................so we agree to disagree. No problem.

Regards,

Kitt

 

Posted 12/10/2009 12:52 AM (GMT 0)
Hopefully its just a little speedbump. There are ALOT of those with UC that won't ever turn into a flare. Just don't let them get you too down, and wait it out for a few days to see if you go back to whatever your normal is.
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