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remission times and flare up times ?

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Ulcerative Colitis
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Posted 6/26/2010 4:22 AM (GMT 0)

I am newly diagnosed with UC, 55 yr old. My mom had it and never thought I would get it, but here it is.

It's all new to me, GI did a sigmoidoscopy to confirm if it was UC  or c dif .  started me on asacol and mesasalamine oral/and/anal.

I  have been on the asacol and other drugs for 3 days now and tonight I was nauseaus, is this normal with others? will it go away?

My question is how long does the average patient go between flare ups ? 

How long can a person be in remission?

What is your first clue that you are going to flare???

Posted 6/26/2010 5:15 AM (GMT 0)
I don't think anyone can answer your questions because it is different for everyone. There are patients who go for years between flares and other patients who can't ever get out of a flare. It depends on the individual situation. It also seems like sometimes certain drugs will treat your symptoms and other times, those same drugs may not help as much.

For me, the first sign of a flare is usually gas and loose movements, then it starts getting more frequent. It could be more severe where you first start noticing cramping or D. I don't think it is always the same.

I didn't really notice ever having side effects from Asacol or rectal medications but I guess it is possible. I hope you feel better soon.
Posted 6/26/2010 7:40 AM (GMT 0)
hi..welcome to the forum! I'm impressed your doc started you on the oral/rectal 5ASA (mesalamine) med regimen. Where in the colon is your UC...limited or throughout?What other drugs are you on?I never had nausea when I started the meds, but nausea is something I get when flaring. You might consider to take a half dosage of dramamine or ask the doc for dicyclomine which is an antispasmodic. With colon/rectal spasming can come nausea. Strangely, when I'm nauseated, I like to eat..lol....


You might also try Zantac, if the nausea is caused by reflux..



Regarding between flares....depends on what's going on in my life or if I've been sick with colds for a long while...etc.

I taper the enemas and stay on them twice a week, and my flares are very mild at this point in my life....again, stressing the rectal meds for treatment and tapering to maintenance is helpful in continuing remission. As well...treating earlier by increasing the enemas to nightly at the lesser symptoms rather than waiting until they're so obvious that the flare is quite bad. But it takes time for it all to be firgured out from experience.



q
Posted 6/26/2010 8:35 PM (GMT 0)
As far as where it is located, I believe it is near rectum, as it was visualized on sigmoidoscopy and appeared to be lower portion.
My GI doc is 74, and I am hoping and praying he has seen it all and knows the best treatment, so I am just following his initial instructions until followup appt next week. I did have nausea last week b/4 I started the meds, so hopefully it is just because of the flare.
Any diet suggestions, while I am in a flare up ? Been eating canned peaches, cottage cheese, jello, bagels.

Ooh, and I am not on any other meds, as I was perfectly healthy until this month. I think it started with antibiotic clyndamiacin for a tooth infection and extraction, then I got shingles, and next the UC was diagnosed.  all within a matter of 3 weeks.

Post Edited (runleeny) : 6/26/2010 2:39:22 PM (GMT-6)

Posted 6/27/2010 1:00 AM (GMT 0)
Take a look at some of the threads dealing with probiotics. They may help you. There are many members on this forum who swear that their UC began with a course of antibiotics just like you, and that they were helped with probiotics.
Posted 6/27/2010 1:12 AM (GMT 0)
thanks to all of you. This website if answering questions that medical staff can't. You are a Godsend!
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