In remission for almost a year then.. (desperate for help)

Hi there guys.

Ive had moderate UC (25cm) which seemed to have cleared up about 8-9 months ago. I was taking Salofalk enemas and the usual dose of Sulfasalazine. Over the last 9 months I've felt great and had almost no symptoms. I have even trimmed back sulfasalazine to 2 tablets a day.

Its been a great time. We are getting married in the next three months and things have been wonderful.

In a moment of stupidity three days ago, I took on the restaurant's dare to eat their challenge chilli chicken wings. The next two days I had diaorrea and today I had that quest feeling in my stomach. Tonight I passed some mucus and so I have rushed to the pharmacy to get the salofalk enemas (which is one of the parts I loathe most about this horrible condition).

Obviously I'm very stressed out now and need some support if you might all be able to do so.

Would anyone be able to share their experience if they've had similar. I really want to be free of these enemas before getting married (and honeymoon) and certainly feel very stupid that I didn't even think about the consequences.

Thanks

m-dot

Congrats on the upcoming wedding. I wouldn't stress too much. I have passed random mucus here and there and have not gone into a flare. Usually due to something I ate that I shouldn't. I think its our colons way of saying "what were you thinking". The enemas should help pretty quickly if you are seeing the start of something.

Three months gives you plenty of time to get back to the good place you were. Go back to your original dose of oral pills and do your enemas nightly as much as you can now until you are back to full remission and your honeymoon should be smooth sailing. Whenever I have an important week coming up I do a full 7 nights of enemas to prepare and they haven't let me down yet. With all the pre-wedding stress it's just a good insurance to do them before so you you won't need them afterwards for a week or so.

Best wishes, I have been married 25 years this week after being together for almost 10 years before and IMO marriage is wonderful, better than just being life partners.

I ditto what others are saying ... take your full dose of meds and do the enema thing to get back on track. Like you, I have been doing fine and then made a huge boo-boo and ate some donuts. I have been restricting sugary things like that for a while and have gotten used to it (losing about 25 pounds in the process with exercise thrown in). However, the smell of that donut shop was amazing and I figured 6 donut holes would not hurt. WRONG!

If I took 3 hours to eat them I probably would have been ok, but I gobbled them down and about 1.5 hours later, I was not feeling too swift. That mega-dose of sugar all at once just about killed me. Blood, mucus, stabbing pains, gas ... ugh, I had flashbacks to when I was hospitalized with my last flare. However, a few days later, I have rallied, eating a bland diet along with water and green tea only - I also went back to nightly enemas and took my meds 3x a day instead of two. Now, I am back to "normal" and tapered off the enemas and back to my normal med dosage.

For me, I am always a work in progress. A few years ago, extra sugar would not have done that to me. However, because I had revamped my diet and cut out a lot of extra sugar (still have natural sugars in wheat bread, fruits and veggies) I should have taken into consideration what a quick, slammed dose of sugar could have done to me. Now I know ... I usually think before I put something in my mouth but I was seduced by the aroma of fresh donuts and complacent about my remission.

Absolutely I've been there...waaaaaay back in time. It's good you're back on the enemas nightly, but I encourage you to remain on a maintenance dosage after your taper.

Why are you on oral sulfasalazine and not asacol or other?

Congrats on your wedding...it'll be stressful till then (I'm assuming)..many of us tend to not realise minor symptoms of a flare until it gets to the point of more obvious. That's good...as long as those symptoms are heeded.

Hang tough...oh....are you on probiotics and fibre supplements as well?

q

I'm getting the urge to go to the toilet but can't pass anything. Not sure what that means?!!

That feeling is called "tenesmus", a common UC symptom which will go away when inflammation is lowered. The colon is sending signals that either cannot be fulfilled due to inflamed colon or the signals may be incorrect. Keeps a person on edge, for sure, not wanting to be too far from a toilet.

Keep up the enemas and oral meds and eventually tenesmus will disappear.

     I am having deja vu....lol.  I used to do the same thing whenever I had a remission of my UP.    In addition to going back on the enemas and your maintenance med, try sticking to a low residue diet for awhile.

Sounds as though you're doing well....if the 2g are working for you, then that's awesome.

Since you upped the sulfasalazine...make sure your prescription states enough so that you can get it refilled. What's the dosage of the sulfasalazine you used initially when it was prescribed?

Try not to skip the enemas...you should stay on them nightly for at least 3 weeks.

q

I do get weird heart beats, how long after you use the enemas do you get them?

Maybe try using a half enema at a time...part one night, part the other (make sure you shake well both times). See if that helps.

q