New to Ulcerative Colitis

Hi everyone,

I'm new to this discussion board, and also relatively new to ulcerative colitis. I was diagnosed in October 2007 and was subsequently put on Salofalk, 500mg suppositories. This put me into remission until just after Christmas. Since then I have been having sporadic flareups (1 or 2 movements a day that are slightly bloody and looser than normal). I've also had periods of up to a week with no symptoms at all. I had an appointment with my specialist last month and we both agreed that the symptoms were not severe enough to require an increase in medication.

So after all that boring background information, my question is this: I've noticed that my symptoms are definitely correlated to how much stress I feel on a given day, but the more symptoms I have, the more I worry and stress about it. Does anyone have any advice on managing this disease so that I can achieve a lasting remission again?

Hi..welcome to the forum.

Regarding not necessary to increase meds....what exactly were the meds that the doctor would have increased?

You should be on at least the retention enemas...they will get up to and into (maybe even a touch past) the sigmoid. It would be good to keep all clear above where your UC is at this time. It can be a great deterrant for it to spread.....which it's definitely possible.

Where exactly did your doc determine your uc...as in how many cms or inches?

Are you still taking the suppositories? Did you stop them before Christmas.

If your doctor doesn't want you to use higher dosage meds...at least get him to give you the 1000mg suppositories.

If you're having some symptoms...you're not on enough meds..and the fact that your stools are looser could be a symptom that your UC is higher than the lower rectum. Sporatic bleeding means the mucosal layer is very fragile...trying to heal, but not quite.

The symptoms during the day could be flare, could be certain foods or can be IBS/stress...or all 3. Throw in nearing a period (if you're female)...that's 4.

When did you see your doc last? When was your last c-scope.

I very much second the suggestion of probiotcs.

I've the feeling you're not in N.America..

quincy

Thanks for the interest quincy,

I am actually North American (Canadian to be specific), and the meds I'm taking (Salofalk) are a 5ASA medication. When my UC was diagnosed, it had progressed 8cm (about 3 inches). I am still taking the suppositories and was taking them at the start of my flare during Christmas. At the time I last saw my doctor (middle of January), I had not experienced symptoms for a numbered of days, so we both supposed that it was coming under contol again. My last scope was at the end of September 2007, when I was diagnosed.