New UC diagnoses. Question on Predsol.

Afternoon all. First time here posting a tale of woe.

I'm 45 and have always suffered from IBS and in the last few years piles. Initially (last year) i had a colonoscopy, bloods, samples and CT Scan after a few months of pain, bloody mucous stools and wind. this went away for 4 months and has come back in the last few months. Been back to the consultant and he now reckons i have UC.

I have been on Predsol 20mg enema for 2 weeks. Not been a problem at all, holding it very well and go straight to sleep. Does anyone else have to get up 3 or 4 times for a wee in the night? i never did but since i have been on the enema i've had to.

I am assuming that i will be on this for a while even though my consultant has only put me on 2 weeks at 20mg.

If i do stop taking 20mg Predsol will i need to taper? the first few days on it i was shocked how well i have been, didn't last long though as yesterday and today i have been slightly worse (but nowhere near as bad as before)

I have a sigmoidoscopy booked on Friday so i will know more and should get my blood, pooh and biopsy results too..

Thanks all.

Post Edited (BMWRIDER) : 7/18/2016 6:08:12 AM (GMT-6)

Thank you for the quick reply.

The colonoscopy, CT scan, biopsies and samples came back normal last year but I did have some internal piles. This is where they said the blood was from. I feel as I if I was let down by my hospital but that's another story.

The last couple of days I have had very little blood and mucous but a normal pooh with one urgent. I still have internal piles so maybe that's where the blood is from?

Anyway, I'll know more Friday.

If the results come back as UC you will likely be prescribed pills in addition to the enemas. Many of us have found that both when used together are the best treatment.

In regard to your bonus question we are all different as to whether alcohol brings on symptoms or not. I would drink very cautiously, monitoring how your innards feel.

Thanks for the reply.

This is a great forum that over the last few days has given me lots of information, also prompts me to ask 100's of questions!!

You are asking if you can experiment with something that may cause your flare to worsen, or even result in a public accident, while traveling in another country?

When I put it this way, do you still need an answer?

IF it was me, I would not even be traveling.

good luck

Welcome to the forum. See answers below:

BMWRIDER said...
Does anyone else have to get up 3 or 4 times for a wee in the night? i never did but since i have been on the enema i've had to. If an enema isn't fully absorbed, when you toss and turn it can slosh around it may become uncomfortable and wake you up. Lay on your left side for 20-30 minutes or more after administering the enema, which will give you the best odds of having most of the fluid absorbed.

If i do stop taking 20mg Predsol will i need to taper? Generally no as enemas are 90 percent topical and 10 percent systematic. Only during long term usage would an every other day taper be needed, if and when you experience withdrawal symptoms.

I have a sigmoidoscopy booked on Friday so i will know more and should get my blood, pooh and biopsy results too..Good luck and make sure to tell us how it goes.

I still have internal piles so maybe that's where the blood is from? Could be or it could be from your uc. It's a bit more difficult to ascertain the cause yourself when you have multiple possible explanations for it. Your scope will clarify

Why are some people prescribed pills and others enemas? Generally oral prednisone is the go to for uc flares. Many of us have to ask for steroid enemas, foams, or suppositories. Generally, doctors are adverse/leery to prescribing rectal-route treatments due to poor patient compliance. It's a shame as they're effective, and often have less side effects (at least when you're talking steriods).

I'm going to Mexico in 3 weeks, wether or not I'm still on The enema's, is it safe to have an alcoholic drink or 2? I don't drink other than Christmas and holidays.Sounds fun, enjoy. Hopefully by then your flare will be under control, otherwise, stay on a symptom-safe steroid dose for the duration of your trip.

Some have issues with alcohol and some do not. I am part of the doesn't bother me camp and I can drink it within moderation without ill effect on my uc symptoms. Alcohol is a known gastero-intestinal irritant though, so it will always have an affect on your system, but whether it's enough to cause your symptoms to worsen is the real big question. Try a drink as an experiment and see whether it bothers you but don't binge lol. But I should add, if you're flaring badly then pretty much everything is going to disagree with you a lot more than usual, intestinal irritants especially so,bad flare = drinking really, really bad.

Strong pepper spices are also gastero-intestinal irritants, they are indigestible and inflame from mouth to anus. I used to love strong chili's before uc, sadly no more of those. Inflammatory intestinal disorder just doesn't mix with them. I stick to mild spicy now *sniffle*.

Oh and I'm curious and just got to ask, what kind of BMW do you ride? I assume you mean motorcycle, I've got a Honda CBR600 sport bike that's a ton of fun.

That's a sweet looking retro bike, enjoy! My CBR is older, a 2002, I'd like a newer bike but DW is a real big meanie. Something about being responsible with finances and actually needing versus wanting, bah women just don't understand lol

Post Edited (iPoop) : 7/19/2016 9:52:37 AM (GMT-6)

hmmm, interesting - after my Dx, i didn't have a hard time convincing my wife that the superhawk i wanted to buy, might be the last bike i ever owned - sniff sniff -

well it wasn't, but that's another story -

i wonder how many other guys out there have experienced the same ?

LOL, some would say that riding a fast bike is a bit like a laxative!! maybe that's where i have been going wrong....maybe we should have a separate forum, Bikers with UC.

From the get go, i have managed to keep the enema in all night and not had any problems, hopefully they will leave me on them rather than oral tabs.

With my impending holiday and 12 hour flight and not only suffering UC i have dogged with IBS, can i take Imodium or such like just in case?

So many questions....