Strange last few days

You should use the search engine to see some of my many posts on histamine intolerance. Certain cheeses, and other foods, are high in histamines - which can lead to worsening UC symptoms. Since I discovered I had this problem I take the digestive enzyme DAO before meals, higher doses with high histamine meals, and it doesn't usually ever bother me. Cheddar cheese used to get me bad - just like you describe. Recently two straight nights in a row I ate some apple pie and the same happened to me. Fruits, especially ripe fruits, can be high in histamines. I hadn't taken any DAO before those pieces of apple pie and I paid the price two nights in a row. The first night I hadn't realized what happened to me so I made the same mistake the next night. This could very well be your problem.

You're welcome. You may want to try taking an antihistamine right away to see if it helps but DAO works much, much better on dietary histamines. Unfortunately, I don't think you can buy it in stores. I order mine from Swanson. Check out lists of high histamine foods and see if you see any correlation to problems you have.

Sounds like you have the best game plan available to you right now. That's bad when you take pred and you finally get a chance to sleep. The CC is still working erratically for me. I have days and times which are much, much better than normal and then for no reason at all I have days and times which are much, much worse than normal and then it flip flops around again. Somehow this just doesn't sound logical. You may want to research the histamine thing and see if that applies to you because that's how I would get after overdosing on high histamine foods.

@gary I think so, it's not the game plan I wanted but it certainly is what was necessary and what is needed at this time. My body was just shutting down at an alarmingly fast rate.

I'm still going with the CCherbal, for me, it did turn things around before and I do believe there are good effects on my system. Just whatever chaos I wreaked on my body last week was just too much for that herb and the other things to handle. Also happy to be able to report the other major stress I was dealing with is now officially over. My husband had been offered a great new job, then there was a glitch and we've been waiting since Thursday to know if he still had it or not. Found out this morning he's in! It's a very big jump and we get to move to a better location and I'm so happy again! I really think whatever I ate last week when I went out to dinner coupled with the timing of this job stress which was HUGE was simply the perfect - horrible - storm. Now with the happy news and prednisone, I hope to get back on track.

Strange to hear what's happening with you and the CCHerbal, do the good days outweigh the bad?
The rest of the morning has been better with the bathroom, it was just for about an hour after my first BM I had blood every 20 min or so. Seems its out of my system for the AM and I am fine now, no real cramps right now either. I'm able to actually do some work which is nice, first time in days. Thanks for your input and support.

During the times I am doing better on the CC I definitely feel that it is worth it - no doubt. During the times when I'm not doing so well I start wondering if it is worth it or not. I'm still trying to figure out why it is happening. I was pretty steady before the CC and since taking it my UC has been very erratic. I don't know what else it could possibly be but I'm not ready to blame the CC yet. I don't like to find things guilty without a fair trial. During this same timeframe I also switched to Lialda from Asacol but I'm not ready to find that guilty either. Still scratching my head (very little hair left in that spot). One theory I do have is that maybe these med switches (including taking the CC) have somehow reacted to foods differently than before. I'm basically eating the same things I was before but maybe these med changes have changed how certain foods effect me.

    @plumsmom -  I suffered with what you went through for months.  Pure Hell.  I did find out what made me

worse and what I could tolerate, as far as, food and suppliments.  The things that I could eat were few and

simple.  Lean, strained ground beef, bacon baked crisp, enriched elbow macoroni or white rice and strangely

canned corned beef hash.  I could also have a small portion of natural applesauce.  For my big treat I would

lick on a teaspoon of peanut butter or drizzle a little pure maple syrup on rice.  Anything else and I could'nt

leave the bedroom.   The bad things were many, but the worst was anything with garlic, Vitamin C or D pills,

and folic acid totally killed me.  I couldn't tolorate any suppliments so I quit taking them and it did make a

difference, not much, but anything was better than nothing.  At first, after the CC put me into remission, I was

a little daring with foods I have loved my whole life but not crazy.  I started eating other cuts of beef and

some chicken breast with a baked potato.  Then a little salad an on to green beans.  For grains it's still rice

krispys or plain white bread toasted.  Today I can also drink milk and eat only american cheese.  I almost

forgot my favorite thing that never ever bothered me, plain cake donuts.  Don't know why but they kept me

going when everything else came right back out.  For fluids, it was tea and water with a little almond milk.

When I had cramps and nausea I could make Earl Grey and peppermint tea together with pure honey or a

cup of milk with vanilla and honey warmed but not hot.  Took away the cramps in no time.  But that's just me.

It might not work for you or anyone else.  Try to stay away from stress, stay on foods you know.  Eat small

portions but more frequently.  Meditation and reading something that is inspirational is calming.  My choice

was the Bible.  And always be positive and keep the faith no matter how hard it gets.   Just take care of

each moment and make the best of it, cause that is all we really have, moments in time.

Enough, best wishes and I hope you are normal by morning.  Prayers be with you.   

@gary Thanks for sharing, I hope you find some steady level of relief soon. It's so hard to figure out what causes what and what's really helping and when.

@sherbear That is a good recommendation, however, I was not seeing a real GI just a general surgeon, and although she knows about UC, a little bit, I wasn't comfortable really going into any real depth with her beyond prednisone (which is what I was expecting she'd propose based on this thread). She was actually pretty awful, did not talk to me at all about much of what was going on, what I eat, even did not ask if I was breastfeeding or pregnant, two major no-no's taking pred I read about after, and thankful I did and that I just luckily stopped breastfeeding last week and am not pregnant. In the end, she was what I needed to get pred right away, which has had really positive effects right off the bat. I plan to go to a real GI in the next few weeks because we are happily moving back towards civilization in two/three weeks and I'll be just 40 minuntes to Reno and 1.5hrs to Sacramento so I'll have a lot of choices of GI's to go to. I am now more open to going back to those other RX meds (asacol & canasa) and still doing some herbal remedies. We will see what they say. This last week was the absolute worst my UC ever got so I don't know what the other options are that may be presented. I am so thankful the pred is working though, so thankful. I haven't cried out in pain, doubled over on the floor, or had to go to the bathroom through the night every 15 minutes since I started it night before last.

@mensaman Thank you for sharing your experience. I can't imagine going through that for so long, just those 5 days of pure hell, was, well pure hell. I am so thankful I am finding relief with the pred and will hopefully find a new course soon on how to get back to remission. I was doing so well with my herbal supplements and eating plan, then, I got too big for my britches and experimented WAY too soon with new foods and truly believe the massive amounts of saganaki (greek flaming cheese, it's a soft one too so plenty of lactose I imagine) did me in, real bad, plus the extreme stress we were going through waiting to find out of my husband officially got his new job. He did (yay!) and everything is set there so no uncertainty or stress with that. It will be such a happy welcome change to live closer to civilization, as I wrote above in my note to @sherbear I'll be able to go to an actual GI and am looking forward to researching one that fits my needs and make a new plan with them in the next few weeks. I still plan to stay paleo, I always feel better, UC or not, eating that way. And I think cheese for a long time is simply dead to me. There's so many other amazing foods out there to focus on, and actually the Against All Grain cook book makes this great 'nut cheese' which is a good substitute for ricotta or dips that I have been very happy eating. It doesn't sound like you can tolerate nuts yet but there could be some other recipes on her blog you may be able to do, she also was diagnosed with UC and created the cookbook afterwards. I've really enjoyed several of her recipes, I was living on the applesauce (and just plain chicken and bananas) for three days before I got on the pred. Good luck to you and thank you again for sharing.

Quick update: last two days faring much better. Appetite back, no cramping, no more bloody d. First BM in AM getting almost back to normal then about 2 loose stools within the next hour then feeling ok rest of day. Still eating paleo and continuing rest of my regimine. Next appt is the 16th to check in and taper the pred. Am moving they week so will find a real GI to make a long term plan.

How is everyone else doing this weekend?

@julie So sorry to hear you are suffering more today. How fortuitous that you already have a GI appointment scheduled. I had tried pepto bismol when the last flare started bc I thought it was just honestly something I ate (lots of d and cramps but hadn't had blood yet) and that def did NOT help me at all. It got me through a three hour car ride but then I was much worse off ten continued getting worse then the blood started, cramps worsened, and all the rest. Wishing you good luck at your appointment and hope the doc can help you find some relief.

@julie Giod luck. The pred helped me almost instantly when I took it last week. Today I took a few steps back though, have more cramping, d and blood. Trying to manage my emotions about it bc I think I was got myself just more worked up last time and it made matters worse. Can't pinpoint why today is worse than other days, didn't do or eat anything crazy yesterday. Decided to stop the CCHerbal and triphala and inflama-GI and see how I do with jus pred, probiotic, fish oil, vitamineral green and bone broth. Will continue to post updates here and there, just trying to hang in there and not run out of tp. So thankful I work from home.

That shoulda been thumbs Down!!