flare-up time...

sorry you are having to deal with this :-(

just remember, drugs won't mean the end of the world, but they may mean the end of this flare -

good luck !

Were you actually diagnosed with UC? What is the purpose of taking xifaxan? Antibiotics really shouldn't be taken unless you have a diagnosed bacterial infection, not just a guess. You seem to be afraid of drugs but antibiotics can not only bring on UC but can make it much worse, unless you actually do have a bacterial infection. What you have been doing obviously hasn't been working. You probably don't want to hear this but I think you should be seeing a real doctor and not a quack who caters to the anti-medical and anti Big Pharma crowd.

hm. for some reason my signature won't show up. yes, i was diagnosed with proctitis almost a year ago by means of biopsy/colonoscopy. this was done at a time when i was not flaring, but my symptoms suggest that the inflammation is still proctitis-based (not far up). xifaxan is an antibiotic that is localized in the gut and not absorbed into the blood, so very useful for any bacterial overgrowth in the intestines, which is one theory of one "cause" of colitis, hence why prescribed. they helped me get out of my last flare and had no other side effects whatsoever on my body. my doctor is definitely not a quack and i'm a little shocked to come here for support/compassion from other people who are also ill and to be judged for going to the wrong doctor. i have seen different GIs in the past and been unhappy with the way i was treated. functional medicine specializes in autoimmune disorders and my doctor (who has an MD, is board certified, and has vast knowledge of both holistic and western/pharmaceutical practices) has been extremely helpful, knowledgable, and caring when it comes to this disease/autoimmune diseases in general. if i need to take prednisone or other pharmaceuticals, then of course i will--who would want to feel this way? i just don't feel that it is the only way and would rather try other means first, which other people on the forum seem to be doing too with some success.

right, agreed, and if my new protocol doesn't work, i'll definitely check out some pharmaceuticals as well :).

is anyone out there currently using butyrate enemas? share your experience with me?

also wondering if anyone has any advice with eating/supplementation. i don't have much of an appetite because of the flare and eating makes the cramps worse of course. but it's also hard for me to take pills of any kind (natural or pharma) without some food in me. i've been having rice with flax/olive oil and eggs. anyone have any go to foods during flares? i follow a mostly vegan diet which makes things a little more difficult for me and am thinking of adding some bone broth into my diet to help with the flare after reading about its benefits.

Diets, supplements and all of that sort has done nothing for me; don't work for everybody and I am the case in point. The pharmaceuticals do help me and I willing to bet they have a much higher success rate than your approach. I think there is a conflict between your personal belief and the realities of your UC. Hey I try to eat healthy, be green, and all of that myself but the realities of my UC symptoms dictate that I need the pharama stuff regardless of my own personal philosophy on the matter lol.