does UC ever just "go away"?

I am a 30 year old female who was diagnosed with UC/IBS back in 2002. After having all the usual horrible symptoms and problems, I finally saw a gastro doctor and had a flexible sigmoidoscopy that came back with no problems, just the confirmation of the UC diagnosis. I was put on Asacol 4x daily and prescribed the Rowasa enemas. Long story short, I've been on/off the meds for years now and last year finally had my first colonoscopy. The results came back fine and my Asacol was decreased from 3 pills 3x daily to 2 pills 3x daily. The misery I go through is partly my fault this past year b/c I am REALLY bad at remembering to take the medicine. about 2 months ago I was of course having some issues (the gas, bloating, cramps, urgency to go, etc) and having the usual horrible diarrhea and made a promise to myself to start taking my medicine regularly even if I had to set an alarm to help me remember. Now before, if I started to get better and stopped taking the meds, I usually had a window of about 2 weeks before it flared up again. After the last small flare up 2 months ago I managed to drop a ton of my pills down the sink and then got sick so I was unable to go right away to refill the prescription. I have yet to take any of the meds and I've had NO flare up, no issues whatsoever and it's been almost 2 months! The only little thing I've noticed is that I feel super bloated  even though I've been able to have normal BMs and very little constipation. I know it's horrible that I haven't taken my medicine like I should but I would have thought by now I'd be having a bad flare up. Any insight or suggestions or advice? Has this happened to anyone here? Thanks!

I am very suspicious of Asacol for one in making people bleed and actually causing flares more often. I see more than once people state a similar story to yours. Look and see how many people on this board take Asacol and steroids to control bleeding, if Asacol works like it should they shouldn't need steroids or immune suppressors. I think the allergic reaction to Asacol are far understated than what is really happening.

Maybe your doctor will let you switch to Sulfasalazine or some other drug, and/or go with natural anti-inflamitories and diet.

The fact that you are super bloated means that something is not right. What are you eating/drinking? Are you watching your diet, avoiding foods/beverages that are known to cause gas?

Thanks everyone. Actually, I was diagnosed after the first flex sig and biopsies I had back in 2002. I've had 2 more flex sigs since then and then last year was my first colonoscopy. I'm on my 3rd gastro doctor now. The first doctor prescribed Sulfasalazine which I took for about a year and then he took me off of it. He wasn't one of those doctors with a great bedside manner so I went to another doctor who prescribed the Asacol and the Rowasa which I couldn't afford at the time. I moved several years ago to a different city and found a doctor here where I live. When she did the colonoscopy and biopsies, she said everything was fine and decreased my Asacol dosage and stopped my Canasa she had prescribed months before.
My main problem like I said before has always been that I have such a hard time remembering to take it and I have wondered in the past if Asacol was really the best thing for me to be taking. I've just been a little amazed that I've lasted this long so far with no flare up and no medicine since in the past I usually flare again after only 2 weeks. I guess it's time to make yet another trip to the doctor!

I plan on making an appointment soon and asking about a medication like the one you described, Fruitgirl. I was hoping there was something out there that would only involve me taking it once a day since 3x seems to elude me too much!

Your symptoms sound similar to mine intially. I immediately had trouble after finishing a long course of abx (after the birth of my second child by c-section). I made an appt, but by the time I had it, things were getting better on their own. I was diagnosed with UC, which was a surprise to both me and the GI doc, by flex, then had a colonoscopy to see the full extent of the inflammation. But by the time I had the colonoscopy, I was back to normal. I was put on Colazal after the flex, but had trouble remembering and never felt it was helping much (I wasn't taking it regularly,so I never felt it was helping the symptoms-I was barely bleeding when I had the flex as it was, and I was definitely in denial about the entire thing).

Anyway, I gave up taking it altogether that summer. But things got stressful when my husband was out of a job and such, and I started having problems again. I tried to go back on the colazal, but it didn't even make a dent. I tried managing it with natural remedies and such, but it just got worse and worse until I landed in the hospital the following spring. Now I am on Asacol (6/day) and Humira through a trial, and use suppositories for flares when needed. I will most likely be on these meds, or others similar, for the rest of my life. I thought it had gone away, and it did...for a little while. But when it came back, it came back with a vengance, and knocked me OUT.

I never miss my meds now, I can tell you that. What I find works for me, since I only take them 2 times/day, is that I have two of those pill containers-one in white and one is blue. I put my morning pills (I also take some vitamins and other supplements) in the white one, and the nighttime ones in the blue. I refill it once a week, and all I have to do is open a little slot and grab my meds.

I would love to be able to manage my disease without all of these meds, and I still have a tiny glimmer of hope that somehow that will one day happen, but for now-meds it is. If I could go back, knowing what I know now, i would have been a lot more dilligent about my meds. I am not sure it would have made the difference, but it would have been worth it if it had.