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UC Diet - Low fibre long term?

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Ulcerative Colitis
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Posted 2/1/2017 8:28 AM (GMT 0)
Hiya,

I've read lots of advise on dietry advice for UC including low fibre, no dairy, little sugar (especially refined), little oil (nothing fried), no gluten.

Do you think all of the above are necessary? I am getting sick of potatoes and rice. I'm also feeling weird about the low fibre being so long term, I've been on all the above since the week before my sigmoidoscopy (4 weeks total) and it feels so unintuitive to not eat wholegrains or potato skins, or fry anything etc. Surely low fibre in particular could be bad long term, isn't that supposed to cause constipation.... surely that would aggrevate everything worse???

Thanks - any advice much appreciated!
Posted 2/1/2017 8:53 AM (GMT 0)
If you're in an active flare, fiber can be particularly irritating to your gut. Many of us while flaring find high fiber foods particularly painful. However, once in remission, you should hopefully be able to return to normal eating, or some modified version of normal eating.

Some with UC do follow modified diets to support their remission, and for some people that might mean low fiber, but for many it just means avoiding particular foods that seem to irritate them (which may or may not be high in fiber).

If you're in remission, I'd slowly go back to normal eating, adding in foods over a few days.
Posted 2/1/2017 12:59 PM (GMT 0)
The real question is does your strict diet control your UC symptoms? There's no universal UC diet that works for everyone across the board. Some do receive some benefits from custom diets but they're very different person-to-person based on food diary, time and experimentation to find their individual triggers and trouble foods. No two are the same.

Some of us see no benefit from diets, myself included, and therefore do not follow them. I've given a diet a fair chance for a month, then reintroduced foods and have seen no difference in my uc symptoms. Done this for a number of them.

During flares virtually all foods upset us, especially high fiber and spices. During remissions we can expand what we eat.
Posted 2/1/2017 1:06 PM (GMT 0)
I don't follow a strict diet, but I know if I'm flaring to generally stick with protein-focused meals such as chicken and oily fish, then as my flare gets under control I reintroduce everything else, with the exception of grains, pasta, dairy etc which I can only tolerate when completely asymptomatic, and even then it's a bit hit and miss.
I'm a bit confused why it seems unintuitive to avoid potato skins and fried foods though? I'd be surprised if they'd have a beneficial effect on your condition, that being said I don't think you should remove those types of foods, I just think limit them to when you are feeling good. In short, over time you'll figure out what works for you, your body will tell you!
Posted 2/1/2017 3:52 PM (GMT 0)
CCFA partners puts out a patient survey every few months. A recent survey found that patients with diets high in fiber had fewer flares.
Posted 2/1/2017 5:53 PM (GMT 0)
Fibre is a general term and there are different kinds of fibre. I had broccoli...steamed soft, but I still had cramping gas. Not flaring.

Add it slowly, but it won't make your inflammation worse. It might give you discomfort....might cause more bms. Chew well.

So, you were diagnosed with a sig-scope? Are you set up for a c-scope within the year?

What meds are you on?

Welcome to the forum,
q
Posted 2/1/2017 7:07 PM (GMT 0)
i'm one of those extremely lucky folks that can eat fibre pretty much all the time - the only time i don't is when a flare strikes and then i don't eat much of anything -

like Q said, there are many types of fibre, and some work better at certain times - just gotta figure out what works for you -

for me, giving up fibre would be akin to giving up breathing !
Posted 2/2/2017 1:57 AM (GMT 0)
Hey everyone - good question re: Fiber. I've been using Metamucil for a good two or three years now. Had to stop about two months ago (at the GI's direction) to try to get a handle on a flare/hemmoroid act up. Which I did. But the problem was then I got pretty constipated/felt backed up.

Went back on the fiber which definitely helped with the BM - but now feeling bad cramps in the lower colon area (usually where I start to feel my UC kicking in)
Posted 2/2/2017 2:39 AM (GMT 0)
Jim....get on a higher dosage enemas or if you can't use them.... use the Canasa twice daily.

q
Posted 2/2/2017 3:07 AM (GMT 0)
thanks quincy... went to see the gastro on Monday and was kind of stunned by the lack of reaction - kind of like "why are you here" when I explained that the blood is just a trace spot here and there (which he attributes to the hemmi) and he felt the colon and said he could feel it was full and didn't want to touch it anymore to cause any more distress. Then said simply to come back in April for a blood test.
Posted 2/2/2017 3:09 AM (GMT 0)
(didnt mean to send that quite yet...)

... the doc totally made me feel like a hypochondriac.
Posted 2/2/2017 3:20 AM (GMT 0)
It's frustrating and exhausting when they do that........but if you have enough supps and can get refills, try them twice daily to see if it helps. You could try sitz baths for the hemmie. Or call the doc back and ask if he can prescribe you a steroid ointment (or does the analpram have it in the formula).

q
Posted 2/2/2017 4:03 AM (GMT 0)
insurance wont cover analpram or a generic of it

been doing epson salt baths - but will definitely start using the enemas again since they;re just sitting there
Posted 2/2/2017 6:10 PM (GMT 0)
I use Proctocedyl, which is unfortunately not in US, but it's not covered either (around $30)

q
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