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Ulcerative Colitis
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Posted 1/30/2012 7:14 PM (GMT 0)

I was diagnosed with moderate to severe ulcerative colitis in 05 i was in NH at the time with great health insurance they had me on asacol perc 5's and prednizone about a year later i moved and changed jobs i lost my insurance and stopped getting treated for my colitis so i went to the er a few times a year with painfull flare ups and they would put me on prednisone i spent over two years i prednisone till i got accepted to a special program where they put me on remicade wich helped alot but during the time in between i had started self medicating to deal with the pain and eventually became addicted they kicked me off the remicaid program because i missed a regular doc appt due to no transportaition this was in 08 since thein i was in and out of ers and self medicating for pain because of doctors refusal to give me anything to help with the colitis pain wich if you have severe colitis you know is not fun at all anyway i moved to ma in jan of 2010 and they have state medical ins so now i can see a specialist again i have been in the hospital twice a year and had flare ups three to four times a year they have me on high dose of asacol right now i am in the middle of a really bad flare up i have a few questions #1 does anyone else have a problem getting they're GI specialist to give them something for severe stomach pain.and what helps you with your pain  #2 I have had a great job for 1 year and two months do i have to be worried about getting fired for missing days due to my flare up. #3 Nobody has ever been able to tell me what i can eat during a flare plenty of what i cant eat but none of what i can. #4how do you have a relationship with someone when you feel so disgusting because of your colitis

Posted 1/30/2012 7:45 PM (GMT 0)
Are you using rectal meds? That would be another tool to get you to remission faster.

I have never used pain killers for my IBD, but I'm sure others have.

If you are feeling bad when you eat, my best advice is to eat lightly and stay away from lots of dairy and fried foods. I have spent a lot of time thinking about my diet and how I feel and I've gotten to the point that I know what works and what doesn't. It's very individual, and will take some effort on your part. Many people recommend keeping a food journal so you can keep track of how things are going.

Gluten is another common culprit in bowel distress and other issues. It takes a couple of weeks to see if a gluten free diet is working for you. If you feel you can manage that then it may be something worth trying.
Posted 1/30/2012 7:48 PM (GMT 0)
Hi and welcome to the forum.

1. I don't have severe enough pain when I'm flaring to warrant a need for a pain med. I have seen others on here take tramadol. I'm sure someone else will pipe in about this.
2. Is your work aware of your health issues?
3. Foods to eat-I mainly stay away from spicy, fried, dairy, and raw fruits and vegs. I eat alot of chicken soup, rice, applesauce, bananas. Mild foods.
4. I'm married and it took awhile for my husband to "get" this disease. When your not flaring you won't feel so disgusting. You need to get that under control.

Have you used any rectal meds? Rowasa?
Posted 1/30/2012 7:54 PM (GMT 0)
Hello and welcome.
I have not had an issue getting pain meds...but I also go thru my regular doctor for that. There is one that is sub-lingual that works very well for abdominal pain. Also, not that it is righly recommended but I also take prescriptive 800 ibuprofin when it is really bad. Alot of folks on this forum will tell you that is a no-no, and for some it makes flares worse but for me it hasn't. I do limit that considerably though. I also take long, hot baths when it is real bad and that helps quite a bit.

For your job, I don't know what your state labor laws are but for Texas you can go to your employer's HR department and request what is call FMLA paperwork, (FMLA is Family Medical Leave Act). This protects your job, your doctor would have to fill out the paperwork and return to your employer. Here in Texas, it will hold your job for up to 12 weeks a year.. your not guaranteed pay, that would depend on your sick leave available and any other paid time you accumulate.
Everyone can't really tell you what to eat, we all eat different things that work for each of us.. Me personally, I eat primarily chicken and starches... lots of pasta and rice. I am at my best when I eat that all the time... where as someone else cannot eat starches at all. You just have to try things out... but the big issues for MOST of us is dairy, wheat, gluten, and fast food.
I hope this helps you some... keep us posted.. and hang in there..
Also, please add a signature so we can see what all your taking and maybe can suggest different supplements that could help ya out.
Posted 1/30/2012 7:59 PM (GMT 0)
Sorry.. forgot to comment on your #4,
I am in a relationship and have been off and on with the same guy for over 2 years.. he even came back after my diagnosis and has supported me well thru this first year of UC hell... I didn't even want him to make eye contact with me when I was first dealing with the new reality of this mess. But after I accepted it for what it is, and let him in 100% it was A-Ok. You will learn to confide in your partner and your partner will learn how to comfort you and make you feel like the most attractive person on the planet.. And if it makes you feel better, get a hairdo and a few new clothes.. any excuse to buy some new stuff should make ya feel alittle better :)
You will get thru this flare in no time.. Best wishes...
Posted 1/30/2012 9:10 PM (GMT 0)
http://cureforulcerativecolitis.com

Check out the above website that contains info regarding food combining and alternative treatments for UC.
Posted 1/30/2012 9:27 PM (GMT 0)
I had excruciating pain when I first got UC and wasn't diagnosed yet. The doctors wouldn't give me anything for the pain even though I felt like I was dying. Once you get your flare under control, the pain will go away. Are you on any meds right now for your colitis?
Posted 1/30/2012 9:48 PM (GMT 0)
hi thank you so much for your replies I am currently on 800mg of asacol 3x a day and 10mgs of to sleep the ambien helps me sleep through the stomach cramps i told my work abouyt my uc when I started and brought in a note to get me closer to the bathroom and tell them that i might be out from time to time during a flair
Posted 1/30/2012 10:07 PM (GMT 0)
You definetely want to get some rectal meds. They are extremely helpful. I would do an enema and or suppositories before I would ever go on pred.
Posted 1/30/2012 10:28 PM (GMT 0)
You can also ask your doctor to increase your dose of Asacol. You're on a very low maintenance dose.
Posted 1/30/2012 10:32 PM (GMT 0)
Since you're someone who's had issues with pain killers addiction, it seems to me you should avoid ambien as well. Try to get to remission so that you don't have pain.
Posted 1/30/2012 11:08 PM (GMT 0)
One of my symptoms during my last flare was severe stomach pain. Before my UC diagnosis I thought I was suffering from ulcers. The good news is that my stomach pain disappeared when my flare ended. Remission also brought relief from UC-related arthritis in my knees, arms, hands, and wrists.

In order to relieve stomach pain after eating I would chew 2-3 DGL (deglycyrrhizinated licorice) capsules about 20-30 minutes before eating food. Chew well before swallowing because in order to be effective it must interact with saliva. I came upon this solution because I thought my pain originated from ulcers. It turns out that I had UC and this worked during my last flare.

It also helped not to eat for 3 hours before bedtime so I would not awaken in the middle of the night with stomach pain. Take DGL 20 minutes before bedtime. And do not use the 'tasty' DGL that contains sorbitol and fructose. I find that these flavorings aggravate my stomach. I use Nature's Plus which is in capsules and probably not meant to be chewed, but at least it is pure.

Later I found out that the Chinese are researching DGL licorice as a cure of ulcerative colitis.
Posted 1/30/2012 11:23 PM (GMT 0)
I had very bad cramps last year and some episodes before.
I recognise it quickly: its sharp, its an intense spasm close to a contraction and laying on the cold ceramic floor would help.
Went to many docs most didnt prescribe anything but one did.
Did wonder after a day! or maybe was the placebo? god knows but it was liberating. The pain i described was close to heartburn so he prescribed Omeprazol.
Then again it worked for me might not be the same for you.
Posted 1/30/2012 11:26 PM (GMT 0)
pain was my number one symptom with colitis. the only thing that helped was remicade. inflammation is the cause of it so until that is under control, you will have pain. i used to cry every time i went to the bathroom because i felt like i saw was coming through my colon.
Posted 1/30/2012 11:27 PM (GMT 0)
when i see my gi specialist tomorrow i am going to see if she will put me on remicade again the last time i was on it i never had a flare the whole time has anyone else had luck with remicade
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