Just Diagnosed with UC HELP!!!

MrsHonaker, welcome to the forum. I'm sorry you have gotten this diagnosis, but now at least you know what is causing your troubles and you have been given the first tool (and one of the best, IMO) to deal with it.

I think there is some good evidence that nicotine is an effective drug to treat UC. I don't think you have to smoke it though. There might be some risks even without smoking it (high blood pressure, stroke, I don't know what else) that is worth discussing with your DR. But you would not be the first person with UC to treat it with nicotine.

Flares persist differently for everyone. I'm sorry that the Rowasa made you uncomfortable - one of the best tricks I learned from this forum was to squeeze the air out of the enema bottle before you insert it. That made me much, much more comfortable.

As far as diet goes, there are a lot of different opinions on this forum and among doctors. For sure, most people with UC benefit from adding a probiotic to their diet. I can also say that most people benefit from adding omega-3 (I choose flax seed oil, many others choose fish oil) and vitamin D (have your levels checked!). I have opted to go gluten-free and it has helped me a lot, but I don't do that as a means to manage inflammation - I was having a lot of soft stool and crampy days that seemed independent of any inflammatory response - it was a good choice for me. Diet is going to be an individual thing, something you will need to explore for yourself. But you will certainly get a lot of suggestions for different approaches here.

Welcome again, and I hope you feel better soon.

Hi there,  I have also just recently been diagnosed with UC.  I am also waiting for the biopsy report to come back, however it seems like we have very similar symptoms.  Unlike you I was prescribed Mezavant.  I take two tablets per day.  I have seen some improvement, but it has mainly been through my diet change.  Until the flare up is reduced I was told to stay away from:  Raw veggies and Salad, red meat, fatty foods, whole grain foods, fruit with skins. I have been living on smaller portions but eating more often and sticking to soft foods such as eggs, pasta, chicken, Salmon, fish etc.  I was taking to a specialist (Colo-rectal surgeon) I met at a conference and he confirmed, small portions, the food mentioned above, but interestingly he said to watch the water quantities.  Because the colon function is to remove the liquid content from waste (which forms more solid stools), if you drink too much water you can be contributing to the diarrhea.  He said, watch the colour of your urine.  If it is too yellow, then have more water.  If it is clear, then you may be drinking too much.  I am not sure how someone would really know but that is what he said.

As far as nicotine, don't SMOKE!  It is so hard to quit.  If you think it might help, then just apply a nicotine patch and give that a try. At least that way you are keeping the toxins out of your body.

As much as I am new to this, I have been told if you are seeing large quantities of blood (completely discolouring the toilet water) you should be consulting your physician.  Especially if after you get off the toilet you feel weak or dizzy.  Good luck....

1. I'm in a flare now (going on 3 weeks). My last flare was 2 years ago and it lasted 4 months.

2 - One can be in remission for years.

4 - Everyone is different with regard to diet. What works for one, might not for another. Start to keep a food journal.

5 - Remission for me, was when the bleeding stopped and I no longer needed Canasa.

You will come across that sooooo often! Oh I had that once but it went away....umm really??? I had the stomach flu once so I can understand.....no, not really - try having the "stomach flu" for 20 years.....why do you have to take so many meds? You should try this, you should try that....


You will get so many people "offering" help or trying to sympathize. It's all fine and dandy but in the end, they are not the ones with a chronic illness. Just shake it off, smile if you want and walk away. We TRULY understand what it's like to have Uc...unfortunately!

Btw, welcome to HW! :) I'm sorry you had to find us tho under these circumstances.

First of all, UC is not selective. It strikes all kinds- active, healthy people and overweight couch potatoes. There is probably nothing you could have done to prevent the disease.

It's great that you have a dr that put you on rectal meds right away- they are quite effective and can induce remission without needing to take steroids. Don't skip doses- you are opening yourself up for relapse that may be harder to treat than the initial flare.

Flares can last a long time- months, more than a year... The important thing is to catch it and treat it as soon as you can. My last flare ups have all been brought under control by rectal meds and were relatively short- a couple weeks from onset to remission. Almost everyone stays on some kind of maintenance medication when in remission though it is often an oral mesalamine. If Rowasa works for you, your dr may want you to continue on it though not every day. The rectal meds usually get less unpleasant as your flare improves. Who manufactures yours? I found the Perrigo enemas were way more uncomfortable than the Gavis ones.

It's true that people can have good days and bad days but you should be shooting for a complete remission where you have good days and great days. Remissions can last years, sometimes over a decade, but they will not last if you do not get the symptoms completely under control. Enemas suck but don't stop them once you're "ok"- shoot for pre-UC normal. That level of remission may not be possible for you but it should be the goal. Remissions generally happen gradually as your colon needs time to heal. If you don't see any improvement for weeks, then it is time to consider changing your treatment strategy.

DO NOT START SMOKING AGAIN. Some (but not all) have found that nicotine improves their symptoms but the health risks far outweigh the benefits. What happens if it helps you for a while but then stops helping later on? You will want to quit, right? Do you want to put yourself through that again?

Do you know if you are anemic? That could be a serious factor in your fatigue. A multi-vitamin or iron supplement could help you to recover faster.