Looking for advice

Hi, Im new to the forum and was diagnosed officially with UC about a year ago. My situation is a little complicated, so here it goes....
Im a 28 year old female however, had my first flare up about 8 years ago...i made an appointment for a colonoscopy, however, if there are any fellow Canadians on this forum, they will know that there is quite a waiting list. In fact, i was in a flare up when I made the appointment, not even knowing what I had except i was pooping blood, but by the time I got into the apt for the colonoscopy, it was 6 months later and I wasnt in a flare up anymore, so they couldnt find anything wrong with me. Fast forward to 2 years ago, I had moved to here to Mexico and I figured I was cured as I hadnt had any symptoms of "whatever" it was that I had. Then BANG! June 2011, right after my wedding, I started with the same symptoms, pooping blood, bloating, gas, diarrea, blood clots, nausea....after working up the nerve, I made an appointment with a specialist to get a colonoscopy done down here....and sure enough, i had UC. Now, here in Mexico, they tell you (in spanish) to eat a special diet that consists of rice, tortillas, boiled chicken and certain fruits and veggies. Well, here in Mexico, its a little tough to follow a diet that Im familiar with back home. Anyway, it has been nearly 2 years since I have had a "normal" poop. For almost 2 years straight, i have always had blood in my stool, and bloating and havent really had any solid poops. Its really starting to scare me now, and I dont know if I really trust all of the doctors here, and discussing this stuff with someone who doesnt speak english is a challenge as sometimes I feel they just agree with whatever Im saying because they dont know what im saying. Its frustrating.
The one good thing about Mexico, is you dont need a prescription to buy a lot of the medicines here, my problem is, I dont know what kinds to consider. Im not a fan of taking steroid medications and i want to avoid that if possible.
Please help!

When first diagnosed, my GI prescribed Colazal....3 capsules, 3 times a day. And..Rowasa enemas, 1 each night.

Now I take generic Colazal (balsalazide) 2 caps 3 times daily.
I think taking an anti-inflammatory throughout the day makes sense...like a slow release med.
I now use generic mesalamine enemas at night.

No steroids here and (usually) no bad side effects... although some people have problems with all mesalamines.
You might be able to get the name brands really cheap in Mexico. I remember getting antibiotics for pennies years ago.

IMO, you should also be taking a good probiotic, iron if your blood count is low, folic acid, calcium and vitamin D3.

As far as diet, many experience improvement by eliminating lactose and gluten and reduce sugar intake.
Sounds like you're getting some good advice on that.
Chicken soup with well-cooked vegetables and some rice has always been good for me.
When I've been in Mexico, chicken broth and rice were always easy to get. My fallback when the water made me sick.

Where are you in Mexico? I visited Isla Mujeres many times in the 80's and 90's. Also spent a week on Cozumel.

Hope this info is helpful.

Under the tab "Ulcerative Colitis Resources" you can find a lot of info regarding standard and alternative meds.

Lialda comes in 1.2g pills depending on the severity of your case you can take between two and four. If it were me I would say start with four and then if you get in remission maybe consider lowering but I personally stay on four all the time. I am not a doctor I am just telling you common doses for inducing remission. The enemas can be either one or two a day depending on how severe and how much time you have to devote to it. You have to lie down for a long time after insertions so keep that in mind.

jojo306, I think you should head into Cancun and see a DR. It takes a while to figure out how to treat this disease most effectively and you will need a GI to help you through all the options.

You should know with colitis that you cannot use any NSAIDs like ibuprofen or naproxen. These can trigger a flare in your illness.

jojo, Have they ever treated you with antibiotics during this process?

What meds have you been given?

jojo

Besides your language barrier the reason you may not get great doctoring is that UC hits fair-skinned people (Northern Europeans and Jews) much more than Hispanics although other cultures are catching up.
They may just not have much experience with it.

I think you should get a doctor involved but do your research so you go into the appointment knowing what pills and enemas you want prescribed. if you don't need a prescription then I guess you can decide based on what people in the forum tell you to try.

Try to get a mesalamine enema (Rowasa brand name). This helps greatly with bleeding and inflammation.

Diet: cut out a lot of fiber and roughage (no raw veggies or salad) which can be rough on your inflammed colon. Diet is something that takes time to figure out what not to eat and a food-journal is good to start.

Good luck. Take it one day at a time and see what makes you feel better.

Have you tried going to see a Good, but not specializing in GI, dr there? When you went in 2 years ago did you tell them you had UC or did they tell you that? Meaning, was it based on your history.. or what was going on right then?

Im going through some of these medicines online and translating them into spanish and im having a hard time with some as they are only available in Canada, US or UK. :(

Ugh, this is frustrating

No, he did say Ulcerative Colitis and the snapshots really show that some parts are quite bad! So, i think your right, maybe i will find a doctor here that speaks some english and see what he says...
I was quite surprised when he didnt give me medication either. My stomach actually sticks out from being so swollen! I figured at least something for the inflammation! I actually have some more questions now that I trust all of your opinions. What would happen if i took a laxative? I just feel like i need to get everything out of me! I go about 2-4 times a day, but its next to nothing in the toilet except blood and a tiny bit of D or soft stool.

Also, this goes a bit deeper....my husband and I are ready to start our family. Is this disease going to prevent me from getting pregnant? And what if i go on all of these medications? They obviously cant be good for that either.

I have been sticking to a strict diet, with no change. I dont do dairy anyway and try to stay away from wheat and dont have anything with preservatives in it (to the best of my knowledge) . I would love to try the gluten free diet, however, again, it hasnt quite made its rounds here yet. I know in Canada there are special areas on menus that state if its gluten free and whole isles in the grocery stores that are dedicated to gluten free, while here...nada!

cooking is one of my favorite things things to do, and my husband is healthy, so i love to cook for him, how do some of you guys manage cooking for your family if your the only one who has to watch what you eat? That is what is going to be tough for me. Even going out for dinner and drinks with my friends and not being able to eat or drink with them...or getting invited over to someones house for dinner and telling them that i cant eat any of it?!?! Especially when my friends dont really understand. Its what i have been doing up to this point, but i couldnt imagine doing it for the rest of my life! there are so much foods here that i havent tried yet and part of living abroad to me was wanted to eat everything!! lol

A gluten free diet does not require a gluten free section of the grocery. In fact, the traditional Mexican diet is virtually always gluten free, and I find it so simple to eat in Mexican restaurants. I'm certain there is little barley and no rye in the food served in your seaside town. So if you are staying away from flour tortillas and everything cooked with flour tortillas, you are going to be gluten free. Don't drink the beer, either, since that is probably made with barley malt. Eat like your Mexican friends do - fresh fish, fresh fruit, fresh veggies. If these things are bothering your belly you will find that medications will help.

Most of the medicines used to treat UC are safe during pregnancy, but being informed is the best approach. Read about the risks at infantrisk.org.

I deleted my post...and asked for Someguys post to be deleted as well because I feel i do not need to explain my personal life to you folks nor hear about how much someone is bias against this country in which i love. I simply came on here seeking advice regarding my condition from this group who I thought wouldnt judge me like the rest of my peers have.

As for the rest of you that have given me solid advice, i am forever grateful!

kazbern, i appreciate your advice regarding NSAIDs, I had no idea they were triggers to UC! Thank you!

Also, i ment to ask if anyone else gets joint pain? Seems like when my flare up are at their worst, its hard to move my right shoulder up. Doing things like washing my hair or anything that involves that type of movement is tough...just wondering if the 2 are related at all?!?

Post Edited (jojo306) : 3/5/2013 11:29:53 AM (GMT-7)