Bratcat is flaring...again

On no! I am so sorry she is flaring again. Can she eat applesauce? Or a baked potato? Maybe some dry toast?

I had the same thing happen w/ the prep. I am forever ruined on apple juice. What about vitamin water? Tell her to hang in there! Let us know what the doctor says.

There are infant/child drinks that can be purchased at the pharmacy (pediolyte??) that she may be able to handle to bring her electrolytes up and keep her hydrated.

Poor girl.  Give her a hug for me.

So sorry to hear this! Must be the season - as I started flaring out of the blue too.

Vitamin water is good - tastes very different than gatorade - to me! I would suggest mixing it with water though - there is a lot of sugar in it. I've tried Pedialytes as well - didn't care for the taste - but they're worth a try.

What about popsicles and those freezer pops in the tubes?

Let us know what doc says!

Hugs to you all.

Sorry to read that Bratcat is flaring again. What did you all decide about the oral acne med she had been prescribed around the holidays? RE nutritional drinks: I would recommend 4 oz. of fruit juice followed by plain water, + soy milk if she can tolerate it. Soy Dream vanilla & chocolate have a pretty good taste/consistency. She can try the small cartons to see if it agrees. Then some broth & toast. Best wishes to all at your house. / Old Hat (nearly 30 yrs with left-sided UC ... [etc.])

Thanks for everyone's kind thoughts. We came back from the doctor. Her bloodwork is fine (mostly has been all along). The results of the metabolizing part won't be back until next week but they have been pretty good too. The doctor expects them to look good which will probably mean that she is not responding to 6-mp anymore (if at all since he is unsure if it is the 6-mp or the residual prednisone that was working).
He is concerned that in her last colonoscopy (around Halloween), there were signs of dysplasia. He had planned that she would be better now to do another colonoscopy to check again (without so much inflammation).

The doctor talked about if 6-mp isn't working she could start Remicade. However because of the dysplasia, it puts a whole other perspective on things. He doesn't want her to start Remicade if it looks like she will need to see a surgeon. He is not pushing for surgery but he is open, honest, and proactive. He didn't want to alarm us but he is being forthright.

For now, Bratcat is on prednisone. None of us want her on it (including the doctor) but he wants to get her under control soon and see what the colonoscopy shows.

So as of today, Bratcat's brother has a CT scan on Monday and Bratcat has a colonoscopy on Tuesday (still have to make the appointment). And so it goes.

BTW, she stopped the doxycycline after 3 pills. She felt icky as soon as she started so chose to stop them. Since then she has been "not feeling right". But since her schedule was kind of wacky and busy and she was fighting a sinus cold, we weren't sure what was causing the "icky".

Also the doctor ordered stool samples to check for c-diff.  I love being a mother!!

No, :) -- 'twas not I who recommended ice pops! But if the matter of dysplasia rears its ugly head, I'd recommend a consultation with Dr. Daniel Present, affiliated with Mt. Sinai Hospital in NYC & a professor in CUNY Medical School. You need a very experienced IBD doctor who is not an alarmist to advise you in that kind of situation, Bennie, not a surgeon 1st! / Old Hat

Bennie, I'm not sure if you were around when we had another teen that had the surgery. Soccermandy? Well anyway, she had the surgery and she is doing spectacular - or was, not really sure now since we haven't seen her around since her surgery. So I'm hoping that it is because she finally got her life back. She even had pictures of her at an amusement park with her friends. Surgery sure is a scary thing but it is a definate possibility that we all face. Getting many opinions is a good thing because if in the event that Bratcat has to have her colon removed, then you can honestly say that you all gave it your best shot and got the views of many professionals. But who knows? Maybe if she starts on Remi, it can completely turn her around too.

I personally think you are a strong woman for being there for your children. I know it must be super tough on you to see them suffer, but just by having such a caring and compassionate mother must be a godsend to them. Hang in there mom!

OK, so I heard from the doctor today. The office scheduled her first Remicade infusion for Tuesday at...8:30am!! Hello--do they not understand that she is in the bathroom for the first 4 to 6 hours each day?! The doctor was very sympathetic. He told me the best thing to do is to contact the hospital (ambulatory surgical where it is given, same as where the colonoscopy is given) and hopefully they will be able to work with us. They prefer to give infusions in the morning. Maybe they can just give it to her while she is on the toilet!

I'm with you, Bennie, on the illogic of early AM procedures for a patient who is flaring! It's near impossible to get into one's clothes by 8 AM, let alone transport oneself somewhere else & have to interact with new people. Hope you can get an accommodation there at the ambulatory care center. Grrr! Situations like that really annoy me! Best wishes to Bratcat for major relief soon. / Old Hat (nearly 30 yrs with left-sided UC ... [etc.])