HealingWell
Search Close Search
☰

Pregnant daughter newly diagnosed with UC

Support Forums
>
Ulcerative Colitis
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply
❬ ❬ Previous Thread |Next Thread ❭ ❭
Posted 10/15/2013 1:59 PM (GMT 0)
My daughter is 15 weeks pregnant and was recently diagnosed with UC.  She had been dealing with bloody stools for a month before she could get an appt. with a GI doc.  She has been on prednisone and Lialda for 11 days and has had no improvement.  She is getting pale, exhausted and I'm so worried about her.  She has been working through this whole ordeal, with the exception of the day of her scope and the Monday after. 

She has bloody BM at least 15-20 times a day, with 5 on average waking her up at night.  She drinks a lot, but she has difficulty eating.  Nothing sounds good to her, so she eats because she knows she has to.  So far, it doesn't matter what she eats...within minutes she is in the bathroom. 

She had a recent appointment with her OB and he said that the baby is on target size wise, but I'm still concerned about her nutrition.

Any advice would be appreciated.  I'm worried sick!

Posted 10/15/2013 3:13 PM (GMT 0)
She should be using a rectal medicine - mesalamine enemas are very effective. Do you know how high the inflammation goes? Give her this forum's URL and get her posting here. There is a ton of info.
Posted 10/15/2013 3:17 PM (GMT 0)
That's a tough one. Dealing with the exhaustion of UC as well as the exhaustion of being pregnant has to be making her weak. She needs to get as much sleep as she can. Maybe try some herbal tea? I drink herbal tea with peppermint and Chammomile. That has a calming effect for me. To get UC under control it took me about 3 months. Its not an overnight thing to get under control. If her doctor isn't worried and the baby is growing she just needs to keep plugging along. But getting rest is so important. Having 15-20 BM's a day is what I went through as well. I lost 10 pounds in a few weeks. Praying for her to get this under control and have a healthy baby!
Posted 10/15/2013 4:06 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks for the replies! I guess I was hoping she would be seeing SOME improvement by now.

kazbern: I told her about the rectal medicine, and asked her to call her GI about it. I hope she listens! :) I don't know how high the inflammation goes as she just had a sigmoid scope due to the fact that they couldn't give her any sedation. I'll try to get her on here, but if she won't, I suppose I'll continue to be her mouthpiece. I think she may feel better chatting with others going through this also, but then again, she may get anxious reading what has happened with others that is not so good. She is a worrier. I know forums such as this have helped me with my breast cancer dx.

CDETER: She's not much of a tea drinker, but I'll let her know about that as well. She may be willing to give it a try. She has lost 8 pounds in the last 3 weeks. She does rest as much as she can after work. Thankfully this is her first pregnancy, so she doesn't have other children to care for.

Again, thanks for the information and prayers and if I can't get her on here, I'll continue seeking help and information for her.
Posted 10/15/2013 4:25 PM (GMT 0)
Pregnancy and post-partum are often triggers for autoimmune diseases like UC. She will not be alone in her experience here.

What dose prednisone is she on? It might not be high enough to get her into remission if she hasn't seen any improvement in 11 days.

Ask her if the inflammation went beyond the reach of the sigmoid scope.
Posted 10/15/2013 4:34 PM (GMT 0)
kazbern: I believe she is on 10 mg. starting last week at 4 x a day and stepping down from there.
I was at the procedure with her and don't remember the doctor saying how far up he thought it went. I'm sure she'll be having a full colonoscopy after the baby is born. The nurse at the GI office told her it could take 2 weeks for the medication to work. I can't imagine it will miraculously improve by Friday, but obviously I could be wrong! I hope they will give her the rectal meds to see if that gives her any relief.
Posted 10/15/2013 4:45 PM (GMT 0)
Skip the chamomile tea! It isn't safe during pregnancy; some other herbal ones are, but I'd have her clear it with her OB before trying any.

I agree that she might need a higher dose of prednisone and mesalamine (or steroid) enemas to get the flare under control. If she doesn't start improving soon, it might be wise to hospitalize her for treatment.
Posted 10/15/2013 5:52 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks fruitgirl...I'll run the tea suggestion (without the chamomile) by her and also have her check with her OB.

 

We made her go to the ER prior to her GI appointment, she was in such misery.   I was afraid she was getting dehydrated.  She wasn't, but her hemoglobin was a bit low as well as her potassium.   She didn't need a transfusion, thankfully. 

 She is supposed to be traveling for work this weekend, but I don't think she should go.   Being a dedicated employee only goes so far IMO.

 

Posted 10/15/2013 5:58 PM (GMT 0)
hi, worried mama!! just wanted to say that I hope your daughter can get better. I cannot imagine being pregnant with this disease. it is hard enough to absorb nutrients as it is. I hope her baby continues to grow and be healthy. it's hard because I know some of the immunosuppressants aren't good to take during pregnancy- 6mp and Imuran.

as for hemoglobin problems, I am an expert. I've had 19 iron infusions and 5 blood transfusions. I have found nature's plus chewable iron to be very helpful. since I melt it under my tongue, it gets into my bloodstream quicker and doesn't cause GI upset that some irons do.

here is the link just in case
http://www.vitacost.com/natures-plus-chewable-iron-with-vitamin-c-and-herbs
Posted 10/15/2013 6:47 PM (GMT 0)
Hello, I came down with UC symptoms about 12 weeks into my 2nd pregnancy so I know exactly what she is going through. I was finally able to alleviate symptoms by a food diet elimination called SCD and later Fecal Transplant (1 year after the birth) from my spouse. I've been drug free for almost 3 months and my daughter is now 14 months old. I still have UC but am glad to be rid of the drugs - for now anyway.
I know this sounds extreme, but the diet is very helpful for some people who came down with this during pregnancy. I hope she feels better soon.
Posted 10/15/2013 7:23 PM (GMT 0)
I'm not female, more pregnant, but I too have seen great relief from the SCD. It isn't guaranteed, but you need to be patient, diligent, and hopeful. I eat lots of bananas, coconut products, and eggs. Definitely have her talk with a doctor to try and formulate a good combinations of SCD Diet for being pregnant. I'm sure lots of multivitamins will be in there. All the luck to your daughter, my thoughts are with her.
Posted 10/15/2013 8:25 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks everyone for your kind words and input!

bananagirl, Adventureuc & Bobpuvel: I'll run the SCD diet by her. Maybe she'll feel better having some sort of "plan" for eating. She has no idea right now what to eat and what not to eat. The chewable vitamin with iron might be a good option for her. I have also read that some prenatal vitamins cause issues and it's trial and error until one is found that is tolerated. I'm hoping her OB does a blood draw on her at her next visit just to be sure things are still OK. Again, I appreciate all the info and advice! Males included Alex!
Posted 10/15/2013 10:25 PM (GMT 0)
Wow, my worst fear would be getting pregnant...it is such a distress in itself to have this illness. I hope she really does get better. Tell her to take it easy, sometimes it is not worth it to just be plowing thru all this and working...stress can make it so much worse. As far as advice, I have none I am newly diagnosed, meds have been sort of working for me, but I have had a Remicade infusion, which is, as far as I know, the strongest drug out there. I really hope she can get it all under control. And I hope God can comfort you and your entire family, prayer goes a long way. I will be praying for you. God bless you.
Posted 10/15/2013 11:38 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks Gezinha. Most days she does come home from work and hit the couch. Her next appt. with the GI doc isn't until 11-4. He's also been on vacation. I really hope they will give her the rectal tx to hopefully give her some relief.

She had been feeling so good with the pregnancy until this hit. This should be such a joyous time for her and it breaks my heart that she is going through this.

Thanks again everyone for your advice and good wishes. I appreciate it and will check back and post updates. You guys are great!
Posted 10/16/2013 1:07 AM (GMT 0)
I'm so sorry for your daughter. I experienced the same thing. It hit me at 20 weeks. What got it under control for me during the pregnancy was me mesalamine enemas. After 3 weeks of blood and mucus I was pretty much back to normal except for blood from internal hemmies. Please ask her doctor for them. It could do the trick.

I had my baby boy in October 2012 and was diagnosed a month later. What no one told me was the possibility of a post partum flare. If I knew I would have been back on the enemas as my hormones calmed down. I hope she gets better. I know how awful it is.
Posted 10/16/2013 12:47 PM (GMT 0)
Worried: Some new info on pregnancy and IBD meds,looks like somewhat safe.

Just popped up on pubmed this am, and I thought of this thread.

Old Mike

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24126096

Posted 10/16/2013 12:58 PM (GMT 0)
welcome to the forum mom - sorry you all are having to deal with this -

please take kazbern's advice & get in touch with the gi's office and try to get a script for rectal meds - even her ob can prescribe them and should be part of the uc treatment -

good luck -

Post Edited (soystud) : 10/16/2013 7:27:03 AM (GMT-6)

Posted 10/17/2013 1:49 AM (GMT 0)
I spoke with her this morning and she was feeling slightly better. Her trips to the bathroom were down significantly yesterday and overnight. Quite an improvement! I didn't bother her this evening to see if her day was OK, but the next time I talk to her I'll reinforce the advice of the rectal meds to her.
Thanks for the info and link!! I appreciate the support!
Posted 10/23/2013 1:25 AM (GMT 0)
I spoke with my daughter this evening.  She is now passing whole Lialda pills.  Is it normal for this to happen?
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply