Pregnant/started rowasa enemas and see no improvement yet-please help!

I am 24 weeks pregnant and have been suffering with a flare consisting of blood and mucus-really no urgency.  I started using Rowasa enemas based on a referral from Quincy who is a strong believer in Rowasa.  I began using the enemas on 7/8/10 and I still continue to see the blood and mucus-is the Rowasa suppose to help with this or does it just stop urgency?  Also how long does it take for it to start working.  I am also taking Apriso....I am very scared for my baby because of the blood loss which is making my iron low-really I am just ready to shake this flare asap...if anyone is going thru this or has gone thru this issue, please give me some advice. 

P.S. I have a doctors appt soon, but just want to hear from my follow healingwell family.

For the ladies who flared during pregnancy, what did you take to get you out of the flare that worked pretty quicklY?

Wow my condition sounds mild? I kind of thought I was flared up pretty bad. What is a bad flare in comparision to a mild one?

Pam222,

 

Correct me if I am wrong, are you pregnant? If yes, how are you coping during this flare?

UCISNOT MYFRIEND said...
Pam222,</DIV>


Correct me if I am wrong, are you pregnant? If yes, how are you coping during this flare?

No, I am not currently pregnant. My son is 15 months old and I flared the entire pregnancy. I have never not been in a flare. I was really sick while pregnant. I took Asacol and Prednisone and iron supplements and my prenatal. I just did what I could. I bled every single day during pregnancy. My son is just fine

I had to take 3 a day to get to a level that was safe for delivery (ended up with a c-section)

Give it more time...at least another week or two. If NO improvement, then you might consider to switch to steroid enemas or use a steroid foam enema during the day and the Rowasa at night.

Where exactly is your UC located?

q

Yes....do that, and get a copy of your report regarding biopsies, etc.
Even all your blood work....it's all good to have for future reference and telling US the scoop..lol.
q

Yes, you are supposed to use the whole bottle. It took two weeks for me to see any improvement with Rowasa but it did eventually help greatly. I have used it while pregnant. It sounds like you are looking for a quick fix and that may be possible for some people but for me nothing has ever been quick to get me out of a flare.

I rarely am in full remission but have been able to get my symptoms mostly under control...I was in rare full remission for a few months before I got pregnant however I flared badly at 8-9 weeks and since then have been in a very mild flare that comes and goes. I wish there was a quick way to get out of a flare but for me even pred takes a few weeks to work. Once I deliver my baby I will start Imuran - hoping it will get me into a full remission.

Thatfield,

Seems like you can relate to what I am going thru since you are pregnant and flaring....during your flares do you feel like the baby is helpless and feel that some kind of way the baby is not getting the nutrients it should since we are constantly running to the restroom and bleeding? How have you been coping thru this pregnancy with the uc flare?

Well, when I flared really badly at 8-9 weeks I was very nervous about the baby's health. I was in the restroom 10 plus times a day for a few weeks and I ended up in the ER to get IV fluids due to dehydration. Then everything settled down and I was just in a very mild flare until I had a moderate flare up at the end of May - beginning of June that lasted two weeks. At that time I was in gong 4-5 times a day, with urgency, cramping and was sometimes passing just blood and mucus. That resolved after two weeks though.

Overall my flare has been mild throughout the pregnancy. For me that means 1-3 trips to the bathroom a day - no urgency - mostly formed stool - sometimes a small amount of blood but not much and not everyday. I have even had a few weeks here and there with no symptoms at all. This is a pretty typical pattern for me pregnant or not.

I am truly not nervous about the baby. I have not been nervous except during that one flare early in the pregnancy. I know that he is getting everything he needs and does not even know what is going on with my UC. I eat well and take vitamins and listen to my body. Babies are pretty tough little things actually. Maybe because this is my second pregnancy and I am a little bit of an older mom - but I remain pretty laid back and calm. I usually don't think about UC much. I find that stress is bad for my UC and I know it is also bad for the baby so I try to go with the flow and trust my instincts as well as my doctor's advice. My baby is growing fine and everything is on track. I am due next month and am just so excited to see my baby boy's face and finally hold him!!!

Try to relax as much as you can - I know that is hard but I think if you relax and follow your doctor's advice you will feel much better. Remember stress hormones affect even an unborn baby.

Thatfield,

It was nice to hear back from you....I really just need to stop worrying and enjoy this pregnancy. I am 24 weeks pregnant and have several more weeks to go...boy it seems like time is going by really slow. I will continue to take the Apriso and Rowasa enemas and hopefully I can kick this flare. I usually eat pretty well and drinks alot of fluid so he should be good-like you said babies are tough and designed to survive.

Thanks for the feedback Thatfield and others.

I flared very badly quite early in my pregnancy (starting at 4.5 weeks, which is really only 2.5 weeks after conception), and I ended up needing to go on prednisone to get it under control. I was going 10-15+ times a day with a lot of bleeding. I wasn't eating anything (I think there was nausea/food aversion issues going on from the pregnancy compounding the issue) and over a few weeks I lost almost 15 pounds before I gave in and took the prednisone. Everything is well controlled now and tomorrow I am down to 15 mg prednisone.

Your flare does not sound as bad as mine was, so I hope you can control it with the Rowasa. Pre-pregnancy the Rowasa worked very well for me (I still take it every night, along with Lialda).

Good luck, I hope you are feeling better soon.