Flaring but it's different this time.....

I started up with a flare about 3 weeks ago. It seems to be so different to my usual symptoms of a flare. I have about 20cm of ulcers and what alarmed me this time was the amount of blood and also (sorry to be graphic and gross) the fact that a liquid mixed with blood leaked out at night. OMG - this has never happened to me before and I've had UC for 24 years. Also I have never been constipated!! Suddenly instead of passing formed or thin soft stools, all I passed was blood but the urgency was worse than ever almost to the point of not making it to the toilet. When my GI did a sigmoidoscopy he confirmed it and suggested I take Movicol.

Has anyone ever experienced a completely different flare? Also, Is constipation a normal symtoms of UC and has anyone used Movicol to remedy it? Luckily Asacol suppositories are getting the flare under control again. I've only ever used prednisone enemas which usually sorted things out quite quickly but unfortunately here in South Africa they are no longer available.

Finally, does anyone use Asacol suppositories long term and if so should I cut down on my oral dosage to allow for the extra dosage via rectum? I currently take 4800mg orally which I'm not sure is an overkill because having read up on Asacol, it seems that it doesn't get low enough down the colon to have an effect. Although in saying that, I've only ever been on asacol tablets to maintain remission although as I get older it seems to have less effect

Hope to hear from you guys! :)

Hey Pixie-my flares have changed since diagnosis. I think it depends on the part of your colon that is most inflamed. Rectal inflammation will have different symptoms than inflammation higher up.
Asacol is pretty safe to take so no need to cut down orally if you add suppositories. Many people use mesalamine suppositories or enemas on a very long term basis.

It's actually quite common to have flare symptoms vary from flare to flare, but it's always a good idea to report changes to your GI.

Pixiepat said...


Sometimes I worry that the suppositories don't reach high enough to put me into complete remission. At my last check, my GI said I have approximately 20cm of ulcerative colitis. Does anyone know whether suppositories would be any good for this amount of inflammation.

Looking forward to hearing from you ......

I found this diagram very helpful to show which med applications reach where

https://www.google.ca/search?client=safari&hl=en&biw=1024&bih=672&tbm=isch&sa=1&ei=ohs6U7iPO8SEqQGW-oB4&q=ulcerative+colitis+rectal+medication+location&oq=ulcerative+colitis+rectal+medication+location&gs_l=img.3...22917.44449.0.44709.51.30.2.19.19.0.269.4870.5j15j10.30.0....0...1c.1.39.img..12.39.3617.8GBCe7ur0S0#facrc=_&imgrc=PhQTdxQ6cKVI_M%253A%3B7kJF1s0wfRIatM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fimg.medscape.com%252Farticle%252F746%252F134%252F746134-fig1.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.medscape.org%252Fviewarticle%252F746134_4%3B650%3B442

Sorry! I don't know how to get the link as a link, hopefully you can copy/paste it

I'd suggest the enemas of a higher dosage and maybe keep the suppositories as a supplement to it such as during the day.
It's strange your doc would put you on a high oral dosage, however.

Rather than movical, I'd suggest maybe upping vitamin C, stool softeners and adding fibre supplements (albeit slowly)
to get your colon moving in a more natural way.

Flares differ depending on where they're limited.

q