frustrated in Mass

  I have been silently dealing with ulcerative proctitis for almost 2 years now. Afer the colonoscopy, the MD said it would clear up after a month or so and would probably not return. Huh...what a joke!!! It never really cleared up completely. I have used rowasa enemas and canasa supps.

I found this site and was elated b/c now I have some people to talk with who know what I'm going through.  I have a flare, bleeding and pain, so I go back to the Canasa for 2-3 wks. I'm ok for a few weeks, then it starts up again. The MD said to stop milk products and see if that helps. I guess he maybe right. I do seem to have flares when I have cottage cheese or milk.

Do you get bloating alot? I feel like a tub when I have a flare and am using the Canasa. Someone had said they used anusol supp also. Does this help to control flares, or do you use them during?

Thanks for being here to talk to. 

Laney in Mass

Thanks for your response. I take Citracel every am

and the Canasa when I flare. I'm not on any other meds for that conditon. It does seem like lately when I stop the Canasa within a few days or weeks, I'm back at it again. I am constatntly trying to watch my weight as I am slightly overweight. So, I eat alot of veggies and fruit. The MD said he didn't think that was a problem. But it seems everytime I try the Weight Watcher plan, I have issues.

I am on simvastatin, hctz, prevacid, mobic for cholesterol, arthritis, etc.

The MD said he didn't want to do another colonoscopy b/c it would just irritate things more. So, treat the sxs and when I get a flare to let him know so he can keep track.

Hi Laney,

When you stop the Canasa, do you stop abruptly or does your doctor have you ween off of it (ie: take it every other day, then every few days)? I've heard that it's better to slowly get off of the medication than to abruptly stop taking them when the symptoms go away.

Yes. Diet is very important for many of us.

Many of us are intolerant to one or more of the following:

lactose
fructose
wheat
yeast
gluten

And then if you are flaring, you should be avoiding pro-inflammatory foods and consuming anti-inflammatory foods.

Pro-inflammatory:
dairy
eggs
sugars
fatty meats
fried foods
spicy foods
nightshades (tomatoes, white potatoes, peppers, eggplant)
...

Anti-inflammatory
turmeric
dark green leafy vegetables
ginger
garlic
omega-3
cinnamon
camomile
berries
...

There is also the BRATTY diet: bananas, rice, applesauce, toast, green/herb teas, yogurt.

Of course, don't eat anything if it bothers you. Some people can't eat toast. Some can't eat applesauce.

Everyone is so different. Bread seems fine for me- thankfully- but I am definately alergic to dairy- even butter now (esp. if I'm flairing. Its annoying, especially eating out but then it is worse to deal with UC symptoms, eh? anything is worth trying once, though I personally avoid any of the extreme diets (since i haven't read about any that lead to a long term remission). Even staying off Dairy doesnt keep UC away, just means I have less symptoms and recover faster when I do flare. Good Luck.

Diagnosed UC (sigmoid) and IBS since '85.
Asacol (no more rowasa, no more steroids almost no more rowasa!)
Trying Homeopathy treatments over a year now...was in remission 6 months but having a bit of a flare right now.

Zippy123 said...
I think diet does make a difference but it varies from person to person. Red fatty meats don't really seem to bother me, but yogurt at times seem to, so I avoid it completely. I eat plain quick oatmeal and they say that is bad, but it seems ok with me. So you have to experiment a bit. Some people are even having luck eating canned spinach and sunflower seeds as weird as that sounds it seems to help some people.
You could even try probiotics which seem to help many like Saccharomyces Boulardii for example. From Jarrow or Florastor.

I agree. Applesauce bothers me due to its high fructose content, yet it's part of the BRATTY diet.

Spinach is anti-inflammatory. It works for me too.

Hi Laney,

I'm also from Mass. Do you see a Gystro doctor? If not I see the one of the top gystro's in Mass. Dr George Dickstein. He's wonderful. He's out of Natick. I don't know what part of Mass you are in but he come's highly recommended from me. I've seen him now for 11 yrs..

Feel Better

Donna :)