UC diagnosed on 9/1/11. Please advise me!

Medications for UC treat the symptoms, not the disease. So it's best to find other ways to treat this disease IF POSSIBLE. (It's not always possible.) Many of the medicines come with side effects. In particular, the high doses of prednisone that are used for UC should not be taken for more than three months. Known side effects are glaucoma, osteoporosis, ..., basically deterioration of the connective tissue. Immuran and Remicade depress the immune system. They can cause some serious side effects, including deadly infections (although for most the likelihood is very small.) Suppositories are good for targeting flares in or near the rectum.

Most people who have UC have some sort of bacterial imbalance in their colon. Probiotics and fecal transplantation help to restore good bacteria in the colon. Natural anti-inflammatories (such as turmeric) are also good to take when flaring. (Although again, different people have had different experiences.)

Many also have digestive issues. You might have trouble digesting certain foods/beverages. Problem is that our digestive systems are all different. Food doesn't bother some people, and when it does, different foods bother different people. Start a food journal to find out whether or not you have trouble digesting certain foods/beverages. Things to look out for include: lactose, fructose, gluten, yeast, wheat, pro-inflammatory (pizza), artificial ingredients, processed foods, ... Safe foods/beverages are usually spinach, nut butters (except peanut butter), rice, salmon, and water. But again, even these may not be safe for everyone. Also, medicines can make it more difficult to figure out what is safe and what isn't.

Read as many of the posts as possible. We all have had different experiences. You might find some good advice from someone who has had similar experiences as you.

Did you have a scope (sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy)? Usually diagnosis are made by scoping. When you say the abdominal CT was negative, what was it negative for? When you say "belly inflammation," what exactly do you mean? Inflamed rectum and colon? Left-side of the colon only? Whole colon? Or does your belly feel hot to touch?

Yes. Cramping when the colon is inflamed is common, especially when going poo.

Post Edited (subdued) : 9/25/2011 4:27:56 AM (GMT-6)

Liz, Welcome to HW.

Subdued gave a lot of good advice. The only thing I would like to mention is that 2 lialda and 20mg of prednisone is considered a low dose of each medication. Most of us start on 40mg of prednisone and take 4 tablets of Lialda (especially while flaring, we decrease the dose if possibel to 2 or 3 while in remission). We take the LIalda indefinitely but as subdued said, prednisone is not safe for longterm use and you want to use it sparingly. In my opinion, if you're goign to use it, you need to start at a dose high enough to knock out the inflamation. Have you seen results at 20mg?

Lialda isn't a medication you should take for 10 days and discontinue, it is a maintennce medication that can safel be taken longterm to limit future flare-ups and prevent them. Most of the users here are on a 5ASA, either Asacol, Lialda, Apriso, Colazal, Pentasa, generic mesalamine... I have been on oral and rectal mesalamine for years continueously and it has helped to keep me in remission. Are you seeing a GI specialist? It is worrisome that this doctor told you you only need to be on medication for 10 days. Did he mention using rectal meds or the location of the inflammation? If it is in the rectum, topical enemas can help more than pills.

I think you need to call this doctor and find out the lognterm plan. Ask whether 20mg is a standard starting dose for prednisone and if you will be continuing Lialda after 10 days. Also please consideer getting a second opinion from a GI who is knowledgeable about UC. He should have definitely mentioned taking preventative or maintence medication continuously.

Usually a prednisone taper is 10mg a week or slower. 10mg a week is considered a fast taper aand often times symptms will come back if you taper too fast. Please keep an eye on your symptoms, if you notice anything abnormal (blood, mucous, frequency), you may need too start at a higher dose and taper slower.

Best of luck.