First got it in early 2016 at 50 years old - my story

Brand new to the forum. I was began having the symptoms - mucus, blood, swollen colon about 5 years ago and had no idea what was wrong. I had been bodybuilding and eating about 7 meals a day including quite a bit of milk and whey protein, which I had done for decades on and off. So I was given a colonoscopy, which I needed at 50 years old anyway, and was diagnosed with UC. I told the doc I eat a lot of protein including whey, and he asked me to cut out the whey. So I did and soon thereafter my symptoms went away. My recollection is I had the symptoms for a few months that first time. Then about two years later I had a brief flare, once again while lifting and taking whey but about half of what I had taken before, and I stopped taking it. That time I recovered quickly, probably within a week or two. Been lifting mostly since, and about a month ago, despite taking no whey but drinking probably a half gallon of milk a day, the symptoms reappeared. This time, I cut out dairy and still had symptoms. So I cut way back on lifting and eating, researched UC on diet and did drink some kefir and eat greek yogurt, and I've been taking a probiotic pill and some turmeric. Still, I was having symptoms but they MIGHT be lessening just today after about 5 weeks (less blood this morning and no blood at all since and more normal looking stools, which differs from the last week or so where there was blood nearly every time). Also (and I found out this is big), just the past two days I cut out coffee, which I never did before when I had flares. So I'm hopeful now but not confident that I'm starting to get past it. I'm still going about as often as before, just no blood. I go probably 3 times or so in the morning, and maybe 5 or 6 more throughout the day. Any suggestions would be appreciated, though I know the solutions differ depending on the person. This has been quite the PITA this time around, as the first two times I didn't know what foods to stay away from and didn't do anything different to my diet but cut the whey. I definitely have sympathy for those who have it and know many have it much worse than me. I have a zoom appointment Oct. 7 and was thinking of asking to bump up my next colonoscopy from early 2023. On my first, they cut out some precancerous tissue, but was in remission until the next and was clean, so they scheduled it 5 years out. Don't want to get colon cancer with the irritation from the second and third (current) flares.

Post Edited (dmger14) : 9/30/2021 1:00:57 PM (GMT-6)

Thanks for the reply FlowersGal. No meds, yet. Didn’t do them the first few times either because I went into remission not long after I had issues. Having said that, it’s possible I did the first time and forgot, so I’ll ask them to look at my chart (first doctor retired). If it continues, I will be on them soon though because I’ll insist on them. The first doctor and this doctor I have a zoom appointment with are gastroenterologists, but I’m not sure if they specialize in IBD. I thought they all did.

Post Edited (dmger14) : 10/1/2021 10:58:00 AM (GMT-6)

Thanks NickyFurlano! I’ll research it & hopefully be able to find it. Building muscle, while nice to have, is way secondary to getting rid of the colitis flare.

Post Edited (dmger14) : 10/2/2021 2:59:36 PM (GMT-6)

Eating won't make your inflammation worse and fasting wont improve it.

You should be on the enemas 4g plus an oral mesalamine. Let us know how the scope goes, and when results are available, make sure you have a copy for your records (and sharing 😉).

q

I agree with quincy. How are you feeling now? Any better?

UPDATE: 27 hours between trips for #2 & HOPEFULY going into remission. Right at the end of my third week of Canasa (October 26), I noticed improvement as I only went four times with very little blood and some mucus the first two, but not the last two and they were loosely formed stools. Then yesterday (27th), I only went one time in the AM and it was loosely formed, with no other trips. Then at 2:00 this afternoon I went for the first time in 27 hours and it was mostly formed with no blood. To my knowledge, I haven't had any mucus in two days. While I did have a day or two of 2 or 4 trips a few or two ago, there was some blood then unlike the last two days, and the stools weren't as formed as this time.

I realize I'm not out of the woods yet, so will maintain the diet at least for a while, which includes finishing my 30 day supply of Canasa, a probiotic twice a day, trying to get a few tablespoons of EVO a day, and since Saturday I learned about resistant starch and have been eating green bananas, cooled black beans and potatoes and pasta, pickles, some kefir (wasn't strict with this and last got some about 3 weeks ago before today), chicken or fish, canned tuna, sourdough bread and peanut butter, etc. BTW, I started drinking a few cups of coffee in the mornings on Saturday, so though it's not recommended, it seems I can tolerate it now.

I don't know what to credit the reduction of symptoms to other than probably Canasa, which can take 3 weeks to do its work, and possibly at least to some degree, the diet which is as much staying away from bad foods as eating good ones. When I first came down with the flare about 9 weeks ago, I didn't think it would last long bc it hadn't in the past except the first time 5 1/2 years ago and I can't recall if I took any meds after my colonoscopy then. After that I had one quick flare a year or two later that I believe disappeared on its own after a few days with no special treatment or diet (I didn't even know about the diet aspect of it then). So this time I only started getting really serious about it after several weeks or a month, when I was bleeding day after day and realizing that I needed to put in a big effort this time studying up and dieting to help go into remission. I just started the prebiotic aspect of the diet on Saturday afternoon, and that was when I went half my normal trips, so doubt that was the reason for symptom reduction unless it works that quickly.

My instructions for the colonoscopy late next week are to start today on a low fiber diet, which cuts against the resistant starch regimen, and I'd hate to slip back into symptoms of the flare by cutting it out. So can anyone advise me whether to go low fiber now, or wait until a few days before the colonoscopy? Again, I fear slipping back but this is the first time in 9 weeks that I went a day going only once & averaged about 8, so I'm sticking with the diet for now, and if I have to go low fiber, I will still abstain from bad foods.

I'd appreciate any advice you can give on the fiber question and anything else.

Thanks!