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Ulcerative Colitis
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Posted 4/7/2016 2:03 AM (GMT 0)
I was recently diagnosed with UC in February 2016. My doctor prescribed Lialda 3x a day. It was working well reducing my symptoms, until about the middle of March when I had a flare up. Two weeks ago I called my doctor and he changed my Lialda dose to 4x a day and Prednisone 40mg for two weeks and taper down to 30mg for 7 days, 25mg for 7 days, 20,15,10.....

This is my first post but I have been looking around the forums for about two weeks and have picked up omega-3, turmeric, multi-vitamin, and Culturelle probiotic. I ordered some R-lipoic acid online that is suppose to come later in the week.

I am still in the process of figuring out my body. I have had no dietary restrictions prior to being diagnosed, but I still have questions. At the moment, my bowel movements show no blood but are not solid, so my question is should I increase my fiber intake? I have read that fiber has both helped and worsened symptoms so I am not sure what to do. Also has anyone tried those colon cleanse pills?

Other than that, I do invite you all to share any tips regarding supplements, diet, home remedies, etc. for a newbie.
Posted 4/7/2016 2:57 AM (GMT 0)
Hey uc022016,

welcome :) What is the extent and severity of your UC? How have you been feeling since increasing lialda and adding prednisone? No (visible) blood is a good thing, but improvement with this is sometimes slow.

Do not, do not, do a colon cleanse. Those are basically laxatives, which will only cause the return of your UC symptoms, especially if you are jusy coming out of a flare.

As far as diet/supplements go, the first thing I did for my UC was eliminate gluten. Through that I realized I am gluten intolerant, and it's helped to control my UC. I've also since eliminated lactose as I developed lactose intolerance, especially during flares. (Watch out for milk substitutes though, as many have carrageenan, which worsens colitis.) Some people also have success with SCD or AIP. I think the best thing to do is a symptom tracker/food diary so you get to know which foods cause symptoms.

Turmeric works great for me as well. It's been shown in studies to help lessen chance of relapse (in combination with mesalamines). I haven't tried fiber in a long time so I couldn't really answer that question. I've heard that some people have success with acacia fiber (it's a very gentle fiber), some have success with psyllium seed or husk fiber (seed is gentle, husk is rough). If you do try fiber, start with very, very little and be sure to drink enough water.

The amino acid l-glutamine is good for tissue healing, as well as muscle recovery. I liked the powder by Renew Life, it had glutamine and marshmallow + other herbs for gut healing as well.

In the end, with diet, it's about what works for your body. Diets/supplements aren't really a substitute for medical treatment but can be amazingly beneficial and help your body to heal. And you'll find a lotta info on here about pretty much anything you can think of! Hope you feel better soon :)
Posted 4/7/2016 3:00 AM (GMT 0)
To be honest, and many will disagree, I do not think you should do anything different while on a high dose of steroids. There will be absolutely no way to know whether it is helping or if it's the steroids. I would focus on following the instructions of your doctor. The only thing I would be careful about, that doctors often recommend, is rigid tapering schedules. I don't know what your symptoms are like, but if you're not feeling 100% at the time of tapering steroids, it can be difficult. At this point, i wouldn't worry about that, let's just hope things go smoothly and you tapper off on the schedule provided, and you move forward in a happy long-term remission. If you're shaky coming off steroids, that is the time to consider trying dietary changes, supplements, and/or increasing you Lialda and adding rectal meds.
Posted 4/7/2016 4:06 AM (GMT 0)
^^good point. I forgot to mention-if trying supplements and diet changes, be careful not to try them all at once so you can tell what works and what doesnt.
Posted 4/7/2016 6:17 AM (GMT 0)

justgettinby said...
Hey uc022016,

welcome :) What is the extent and severity of your UC? How have you been feeling since increasing lialda and adding prednisone? No (visible) blood is a good thing, but improvement with this is sometimes slow.


My doctor said it was mild to moderate. After increasing Lialda and adding prednisone i have been feeling better, but like you said improvement is slow. I really don't have urgencies. At the moment, my symptoms may only be type 4 and type 6 bowel movements on the bristol stool chart going about 3 times a day.

Thanks for the advice I will wait a little longer before adding/changing diet/supplements.
Posted 4/7/2016 12:15 PM (GMT 0)
I didn't see any mention of rectal medications, so ask about rowasa enema. They're good at healing down low inflammation, exactly what causes us the most troubles. It's the same active ingredient as your lialda, a little more anti-inflammatory medication might just help.

While flaring, your body is going to hate most foods. Keep it bland, and well cooked. Avoid spicy foods, caffeine, and alcohol.

Rigid taper schedules for prednisone don't produce results, might just be a waste of time. You should instead wait until you're mostly healed before reducing. So a very flexible patient-symptom-based tapering is better. I'd keep in touch with your gastroenterologist and ask about changing the taper schedule if pred doesn't work fast.
Posted 4/7/2016 2:47 PM (GMT 0)
You sound similar to me although I've had UC for 4 years and have been going through mild to moderate flares the whole time until recently.

I take omega 3, Lialda 4.8, and culturelle probiotics. I've recently come off low dose aspirin therapy and decided not to add the turmeric/curcumin since the omega 3 thins my blood enough by itself without the added aspirin and turmeric adding to it.

The thing that brought me out of my constant flare was the increase in Lialda to 4.8 and mesalmine enemas for about three weeks. I'm also surprised that you weren't put on a rectal med first to go along with the Lialda.

I don't think I'd mess with anything until you taper off prednisone and get to a new normal. Once that happens I might start modifying my diet first and at the first sign of blood or mucus ask for a rectal med to start with. Although you want a solid BM you don't want too solid (in my opinion) as things need a little time to heal as the inflammation subsides.
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