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Ulcerative Colitis
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Posted 5/29/2012 11:05 PM (GMT 0)
So this past week I was diagnosed with UC.  Even before the colonoscopy they were pretty sure it was this seeing I was releasing so much blood, clots and mucus in my bowel movements.  I have not had my follow up with the specialist yet, however he did prescribe me Mezavant  (Mesalamine).  Can someone tell me how long it will take to see this medication take effect and what I can expect the results to be?  Will it just relieve the blood loss, or should I expect the cramps and diarrhea to go away also?  Sorry this is so new to me and I haven't been able to get much information yet on the severity of my condition or expectations.  Thanks
Posted 5/29/2012 11:33 PM (GMT 0)
There is no way to predict the course your disease will take. However, you should approach your treatment with the goal of complete remission- no symptoms and a normal colonoscopy. This may be achieved with mesalamine but it's possible/probable that you will need something else, be it diet, supplements, or additional medications. Some people are unable to reach this level of healing but that should be your aim. Many drs and patients would consider 1-2 BM/day, no bleeding, no urgency, no pain, no diarrhea a remission.

Mesalamines generally take some time to reach full efficacy but if you're not noticing any improvement after a week or if things get worse, call your dr. Rectal meds can be great for kick-starting the recovery process. Prednisone, a steroid, is also an option. It usually works quickly and the results can be dramatic though it comes with so many side-effects that most of us avoid it at all costs.
Posted 5/30/2012 11:49 AM (GMT 0)
I think thatbif you are having a lot of bleeding cramps and d, u should maybe consider using rectal meds until you get this under control. They really do make a huge difference to the urgency issues.
Marty
Posted 5/30/2012 12:12 PM (GMT 0)
I agree both on the rectal meds and that it's hard to predict how your body is going to respond to the mesalamine. It depends on how fast your body is going to react to it and/or the extent of your inflammation. When do you go in to see your doc? Find out the extent of your Uc and tell him that you want to be on a rectal med in conjunction with the oral.

Btw, welcome to Healingwell! :)
Posted 5/30/2012 4:59 PM (GMT 0)
Thank you everyone. My GP actually put me on SaloFalk before I was officially diagnosed by the specialist. Based on the amount of blood I was passing and the other symptoms, my GP was pretty sure I had UC so he was trying to get me any relief possible. I was using 3 suppositories a day in an attempt to reduce the inflamation. I have to say I didn't find that much success, however I think at the time I was looking for the mircle cure just to gain some relief. I did ask the specialist immediately after my colonoscopy when he prescribed the Mesalamine if I should continue with the suppository and he said no. I am not scheduled to see the specialist until July 24th, but I do plan on contacting my GP next week to get him to provide me a full disclosure of the findings in the consult report. I will ask again about using both oral and rectal meds to see what he says. Today I have to fly to Toronto as I am presenting at a conference for 2 days. Talk about adding stress!

I know it is hard to tell people what they should eat or what not to eat as everyone is different, but would anyone have any suggestions of some light meals I could have before flying, and the mornings of my presenations that may help so I don't have to run off the stage? At this point I am considering not eating at all because I am still learning how my body is reacting to the UC.
Posted 5/30/2012 7:43 PM (GMT 0)
Hi May and welcome.
I was diagnosed last year so im still learning all about it. 1 thing you could try along with the salofalk is a steriod enema like cortifoam or predfoam. I had some success with that but everyone is different in their reaction to meds and diet.

Im not sure about what food you could try b4 flying and meetings but they do reccommend a low residue diet, ie low fibre. some others have suggested a bowel rest. you can have shakes and soup and liquids. this should give your bowel and the inflammation time to heal.

its all trial and error.

just my 2 cents

ju
Posted 5/30/2012 8:15 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks Ju. Boy I am reading everyones medication trials, it is kind of scary. I guess in the back of my mind when I was diagnosed last week I just figured they would give me this medication and I would start feeling better. I guess I have a lot to learn. Good luck to you also Ju.
Posted 5/31/2012 2:29 PM (GMT 0)

It gets easier. trust me!

When i was first diagnosed I was given mesasaline (i cant spell it) sterroid on a drip, so the bleeding stopped pretty swiftly. the pain eased in about a month, but I was very very weak for a good few months, probably took neigh on a year to fully recover. I remember thinking "will i be normal again" turns out the answer was yes, and remission is a beautiful thing. It doesn't last forever, but it does last.

You'll start to think you have a medical degree by the time you've learnt about all your medicine, but theres definately light at the end of the scary tunnel. And remember this is such a common disease, yet you don't know how common because so many people are living perfectly 'healthy' lives that you'd never even know.

Good luck though. just rememeber that you can cope, because you can.  

Posted 5/31/2012 4:08 PM (GMT 0)
Welcome UCMay2012.

Here's my simple answer to your question (already you seem to realize that there are no simple answers, LOL).

You should take the oral mesalamine (mezavent) and you can expect it to be somewhat effective after a couple of weeks.

You should ask your DR to explain to you exactly what was found on the scope (assuming that your diagnosis was done with a colonoscopy where biopsies were taken to confirm UC). You should be able to understand how much of your colon is inflamed, and how badly. This will guide your decisions on medication.

The most effective way to achieve quick remission is to take oral steroids. This is not something to jump into quickly, though, as steroids can have many unpleasant side effects. Some people don't get bad side effects (ME), but some do. In any case, if you are really struggling with multiple BMs per day and losing a lot of blood, this is the way to go.

The second best way to quickly relieve a lot of your discomfort, and something that can and should be done with or without oral steroids, is to use rectal mesalamine ENEMAs. Not suppositories, as those will only treat the very last bit of the rectum. Enemas will provide direct application of mesalamine to the rectum and sigmoid colon, which is where most people with UC have inflammation. A lot of DRs seem to avoid prescribing these, it is a mystery to me, but they are effective and safe and not so bad to use. They come in a variety of sizes, but I think the 4g size is usually prescribed and most people take them nightly or even 2x/day, at least to start.  Oral mesalamine is a good med, but will not treat the rectum and will be only partly effective in the sigmoid colon.
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