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Pregnant with twins and have pretty severe colitis

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Ulcerative Colitis
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Posted 5/16/2012 10:04 PM (GMT 0)
I need some words of encouragement.  My husband and I found out we were pregnant about a month ago.  We went into the doctor last week thinking I was having a miscarriage and they found two heartbeats!!!!  These will be our first so we are in for it, but are so thankful and feel very blessed.  Since the scare of the miscarriage, I have been having a flare.  I am sure the stress from that triggered the flare.  I have increased my Prednisone (okay'd by the doctor), but in the meantime have gotten a rather large hemorroid and can hardly walk without pain.  My OB/GYN said to put Preparation H on it to help with the pain and swelling.  Any other words of advice?  Any advice on lowering my stresses so I can get rid of this flare?  Any advice on being pregnant with colitis?

Thanks and prayers are needed to protect these little babies growing in me!

Posted 5/16/2012 10:22 PM (GMT 0)
I don't have any words of advice about being pregnant and in a flare but I just wanted to say congratulations....how wonderful you are having twins! You need to take it easy and maybe try some relaxation exercises. Hopefully you have great doctors that will monitor you closely. My sister was pregnant with her son during a UC flare and he was born a bit early....maybe because of the flare but who knows really. He was fine...just had to stay in the hospital a little longer. Hope your flare ends real soon. Take care of yourself. :)
Posted 5/16/2012 11:04 PM (GMT 0)
Congrats on the twins...how wonderful!! What about adding some rectal meds to the mix? Something like cortioam or anucort can help both issues. I don't think too much get's absorbed, but of course check w/ ob. Good luck and try to breathe and relax...you will be very busy when the twins are born:)
B
Posted 5/17/2012 12:59 AM (GMT 0)
I had bad hemmoroids when I was pregnant and found the cream as well as a bag of frozen peas was soothing. How far along are you? I was in a flare with my 2nd until I was 9 weeks pregnant then I went into remission. He was 8 lbs 8 oz when he was born. Good luck!
Posted 5/17/2012 2:27 AM (GMT 0)
Congrats on the pregnancy :) I was pregnant with my daughter while having Uc. The first three months were rough; I was flaring but after that I entered a great remission (until about 6 months after I had her). After the birth of my son (before Uc) I had a huge hem after having him....I can so relate to hardly being able to walk! But now 20 years later, I am still having to deal with hems but fortunately they have been pretty mild. My GI gave me a steroid cream and suppository and they work great. Reduces the swelling fairly quickly.

Are you taking any other meds besides the prednisone?
Posted 5/18/2012 7:55 PM (GMT 0)
I am a male, so I can't help with the pregnancy issues. But I do have twins. My advice for anyone with twins, but especially someone with UC and twins, is to structure your life to be as free of distractions and stress as possible post-birth. The first year with twins might be the hardest thing you'll ever do. If possible, focus on getting them to age 1, and nothing else. The house might not be clean for a while. Let someone else, such as your spouse, take care of paying bills and so on. Don't take on any new projects, interests or responsibilities. In all that you do, strive for "adequate," not perfect. That's just how it is with twin newborns.
Posted 5/18/2012 8:53 PM (GMT 0)
Congrats on the twins! For the flare, I recommend diet. I was in the worst flare to date and I eliminated all sugars, dairy, and breads/carbs from my diet and it has made a dramatic difference. It is my modified version of the SCD but without all the nut flours. I eat alot of meats/seafood/veggies and a little fruit for that sweet craving. I also do not drink anything but 100% pure OJ and filtered water. It has made a difference and seems pretty safe but always check with your diet before starting any new diet!

Good luck with the babies!
Posted 5/18/2012 9:00 PM (GMT 0)
Healed colitis,
try to use Pascalite clay for hemorroids. MIx some of the clay with water, making paste and use it topically over the area in a compress overnight. You should be able to heal them within 4 days. Pascalite will remove the pain within minutes,
Here is the statement from the Pascalite clay site:
"Three individuals stated under oath that topical use of Pascalite paste had removed all symptoms of hemorrhoid in 2 to 4 nightly applications. Many other have reported similar results in its use for piles, rectal fissures and related conditions."
You can buy the clay from : www.pascalite.com
Posted 5/19/2012 2:38 PM (GMT 0)
How bad is your flare now? How many BMs a day? Blood? Mucous?
How much prednisone are you taking?

I took Cortifoam during my 8th and 9th month of pregnancy with my 2nd baby but after I gave birth all my symptoms went away. With my first baby I had a wonderful pregnancy full of energy and no UC but had some minor issues with urgency each morning as I started breastfeeding. Each pregnancy is different even with the same person. Congratulations on your pregnancy! Even though you may feel overwhelmed now, do what you can to relax and take care of yourself. Try foot massages, a good book or acupuncture. Keep us posted on your progress.
Posted 5/20/2012 3:38 PM (GMT 0)
I was in your shoes just a few months ago!

Had my twins (at 35 w 3 days) just about a month ago. I flared pretty much the whole pregnancy (two short courses of steroids) and flared horribly about 2 weeks after birth - had to stay at the hospital for 3 days and get a blood transfusion and whatnot. But otherwise my pregnancy was perfectly healthy and uneventful, babies are perfectly healthy and amazing.

My advice - get all the help you can get, medically and socially. We could not have done this without all the visitors, cleaning, cooking and babysitting for us.

Let me know if you have any questions :)
Posted 5/20/2012 7:14 PM (GMT 0)
Have you thought about seeing a counselor? They can teach you some effective, drug-free strategies for reducing anxiety and stress. Your GI and/or OBGYN may even be able to refer you to someone with experience in GI issues and/or pregnancy (the counseling/psychiatry clinic that I used to work in had several pregnancy people and a GI person). Insurance usually covers it (though visit #'s may be limited) but there are also loads of practitioners that provide their services on a sliding scale based on your ability to pay.
Posted 5/21/2012 12:30 AM (GMT 0)
First, congratulations!!!

I had severe UC and successfully carried 3 pregnancies to term. I absolutely had to be on Imuran the whole time; the benefits of taking the drug outweighed the risks. Also, I had read up on the research of a Mt. Sinai doctor who found that there is no risk of defects in infants born of mothers on Imuran. My three babies are a testament to that as well. They are now 8 1/2, 7, and 2 1/2 and very smart, healthy, and thriving.

I had an M/C at 8 weeks due to a horrible flare with my first pg, which is why I took the Imuran for all of the others. With my son and eldest daughter I was on a therapeutic dose and never flared the whole time. Right before my last pg I was not on Imuran although I was in remission without disease showing up at even a microscopic level. Within two weeks of a + pg test the UC was back. Within a month I went back on Imuran, and was back in remission a couple of weeks later. I proceeded through that pg, delivery, and post event free for about 8 months before Imuran stopped working for good.

The only negative about taking the drug in pg is that you cannot breastfeed. I was disappointed for sure, but I felt I was much healthier taking the drug than not, and a lot less stressed out about a flare. For me, I would get much more stressed out when flaring. It was always a vicious cycle. 

They say the rule of thirds apply to pg and UC.  One third stays the same, 1/3 improves, and 1/3 gets worse.  Unfortunately, I was in the 1/3 that got worse.   

 

Posted 5/21/2012 12:43 AM (GMT 0)
Congratulations! It's going to be an amazing journey.

I am a postpartum doula in Michigan and where ever you live find one if you can. They can talk to you about your stress, give you many suggestions before and help a bunch after the babies are born if you don't have a lot of family members close by. Stress and anxiety are bad for your colitis and for sure your babies. I tell mom's find your happy place and stay there, lol! Yoga helps a lot and walking.

I pretty new for the colitis just diagnosed in Sept of 2011, I'm just on Imuran and not much of that. Just coming of a small flare and pred for 2 weeks. I have had more trouble with the steroids than the Imuran.

Good Luck to you and yours, enjoy this as much as you can cause its a miracle.
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