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Ulcerative Colitis
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Posted 12/6/2013 4:34 AM (GMT 0)
I was diagnosed in November of 2012. I did the 14 week treatment of prednisone and have been doing well since then. I am currently on 125mg of Imuran and Lialda.

I made the mistake of eating spaghetti the weekend before Thanksgiving and now it always like I'm always bloated and gassy. No blood or mucus, normal bowel movements (1-2 a day) with some constipation. Normally I'm on the toilet for about 30 minutes just hanging out but it has been like this for a long time. Pre-uc I was done in under 5 minutes always.

I'm just paranoid. We want to start trying for a baby this summer and I have to be healthy to do that.

Is it normal to get so gassy and bloated daily? My stomach is so noisy!
Posted 12/6/2013 4:56 AM (GMT 0)
Some foods can cause discomfort for sure..but not for an extended period of time as you're experiencing. It's likely you're flaring.

As usual, I suggest rectal meds asap....mesalamine to start.

Do you take probiotics
q
Posted 12/6/2013 5:01 AM (GMT 0)
I think quincy is right. It may not be a flare up but something mild that would probably benefit from mesalamine enemas. How much lialda are you taking?
Posted 12/6/2013 5:02 AM (GMT 0)
I was taking probiotics. I'm looking into vsl now.

I'll call my doctor tomorrow about the enemas. I've been wanting to try those for awhile but when I brought it up at my last appointment in August my doctor told me I was fine. I had blood only when wiping then caused by severe stress and anxiety and fixed that with paxil and hot yoga. I'm mentally in much better shape now.
Posted 12/6/2013 5:03 AM (GMT 0)
2 pills a day. I was on 3 until August
Posted 12/6/2013 5:17 AM (GMT 0)
Were you doing better on 3? A lot of people take 3 or 4 a day. I definitely think the enemas or suppositories would help. I like having both in the medicine cabinet.
Posted 12/6/2013 6:32 AM (GMT 0)
I have no idea why you would WANT to try butt meds, but they are indeed the right choice - have fun :-)
Posted 12/6/2013 2:21 PM (GMT 0)
I doubt that eating any one thing in particular, like spaghetti, would cause you problems for that long of a period unless it was related to making your condition worse, IE causing you to start flaring. Unfortunately, when you are doing several different things for treatment at the same time (which most of us do), it is hard to know exactly what is working. It could be the combination of it all or it could be just some of the things you are doing. This makes decision making difficult if you cut back on some things after attaining remission. In your particular case it could be that the probiotic you were taking and the three Lialda you were taking were very important to your remission and after discontinuing the probiotic and cutting your Lialda down from three to two is causing you to begin flaring again. What probiotics were you taking, and if they seemed to work well then why are you thinking about switching to VSL? I have always been a believer in, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it".
Posted 12/6/2013 3:21 PM (GMT 0)
I had been doing well on 3. When I met with my doctor he told me to go down to two and if I have a clean scope overt the dinner he wants to take me off Imuran. I have an appointment with him at the end of this month so I might ask why he wants me at a lower dose. I've upped the dose back to starting today and I'm going to eat clean for at least a week and see how I feel.

Normally I eat the same exact foods daily so I can immediately figure out what is bothering me but I haven't been as selective since the holiday.

And hahah if you had asked me 2 years ago if I would ever want to be on rectal meds I would have laughed in your face. Yet here I am. I want to be healthy!

My mom has Chrons and recently was tested for food allergies. I'm calling today so I can do the same thing. She was allergic to mustard, carrots, ginger, other random things. Who would have thought?
Posted 12/6/2013 3:29 PM (GMT 0)
I was on the ultimate flora 50 billion. I got cocky wanting to save money. I agree with what you are saying. I'll order some today so I can restart my regimen.

Any advice as to how to handle how gassy it can makes you? I would take it at night and would wake myself up from flatulence. For a newlywed, this was extremely embarrassing. I know to ease in but had anyone tried gas x to help and had it work?
Posted 12/6/2013 7:05 PM (GMT 0)
I don't like Imuran or 6MP or any of the biologics but I must say that if your doctor put you on Imuran to get you into remission and once in remission he wants to take you off of it then that doesn't really make any sense. Imuran is supposed to be a maintanence med to be taken forever. To me his plans of decreasing the Lialda and then wanting to take you off Imuran are a recipe for flare and future flares quite often get harder and harder to treat where what worked before might not work again as well or at all. Then you're looking at the endless road of biologics which are even worse than Imuran.
Posted 12/6/2013 7:11 PM (GMT 0)
If you take them at bedtime, they shouldn't cause you any gas...

I've never taken VSL#3, so I have no experience with it.

Up to the 3 Lialda for now, split the dosage to see if that improves.

Rectal meds such as the enemas would be much better than the suppositories for treatment. Trust me on this...lol...save the suppositories for supportive therapy or for tapering, etc.

It's great your doc wants to get you off Imuran.

Are you on any hormonal meds?

Please stop focussing on wanting to get pregnant, it can cause you lots of distress. When you're ready...and that might not be for a while...then make it a priority.

Many women find periods a time of increased gut activity as well as worsening flaring. Especially if you're not on enough meds...

I've never tried gax-x...

In truth...get your flare under control...

Curious what you do eat on a daily basis...sometimes changing that a bit can help with gas/discomfort.

Antispasmodics can help as well.

q
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