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Ulcerative Colitis
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Posted 1/1/2010 6:51 PM (GMT 0)
Hi there,

I am looking for advice and support :(  Here is my story.

I was diagnosed with uc 6 yrs ago and after being on 5-ASA's I went right into remission, where i stayed until a year ago when I got pregnant. I believe that I was flaring throughout my pregnancy but my GI (I saw 2) would not totally agree. He never changed my meds and we were taking a wait and see method for after my pregnancy. During my pregnancy I went from 1-2 BM's a day to maybe 2-3 and it was softer. Sometimes there was blood but the GI's thought it was hemmies.

Anyways, here we are 10 weeks post partum. My BM's never returned totally to their very solid state but were OK. On some occasions I had some minor blood in stool . I saw my GI and he said I was fine, just hemmies. That was at 3 weeks after birth.

Recently, I have been having increased tummy aches and cramps before BM's.

3 days ago I started taking BioBest Maximmunity probiotic drink and after the 3 days I have been having diarreah. I went once the first day, 3 times the next day. I had a normal BM the next day and then today D again (3 times) There is no blood though that I can see.

Also, my bum (rectum) has been sensitive but since my dr.'s thought i had hemmies i was thinking that was them. It feels sort of like something is 'there' and after a BM it feels swollen and at times itchy.

PHEW, OK that's where I am. I usually just get the D in the mornings.

So do you think the D is caused by the stupid BIOBEST, it also caused sooo much gas. I stopped taking it 2 days ago.

I have a GI appt Jan 14 but have been so stressed about this. I have never really flared so you can imagine the stress, I also have a newborn to take care of. 

If you are still reading, thank you so much. I have been a reader of this board but finally felt the confidence to post.

Here is what I am doing now:

-9 Salofalk /day

-metamuci once/day

Any probiotic suggestion?

Thank you

Posted 1/1/2010 7:04 PM (GMT 0)
     You were smart to stop the probiotic drink.  That seemed to be the culprit for the diarrhea.  How did the doctor come to the conclusion you had UC?  Was it through a colonoscopy because that is the only way to detect it?  Your symptoms do not sound that bad, so try not to stress about it.  I have internal and external hemorrhoids which cause bleeding at times.  Hemorrhoids also cause itching and burning.

     I have been taking Powerdolphilus probiotic which I order online.  This was suggested by a nutritionist I saw after my hospitalization last year.  I take two a day.  I believe I ordered them through Vitacost but not sure.  They can be found on a few online sites.  Try to get the best deal.  Sometimes they run specials.  I hope you feel better soon.  If you continue to bleed have a colonoscopy performed by your GI doctor.

     Good luck and Happy New Year!

Posted 1/1/2010 7:18 PM (GMT 0)
Thank you for your thoughtful response. My hubby is trying his best to help me relax about all this but I feel best when I hear from fellow UCers. I did have a colonoscopy performed but only AFTER I started on the 5 ASA and was in remission so they never did one to diagnose me only after but I dont think they found anything then since I was in remission?...hmmmm, makes me wonder. Anyways, thanks again for making me feel a little better.

What about VSL 3 or Culturelle or Flora ...(cant remember the name) which would you choose? - question  for everyone :)

Posted 1/1/2010 7:32 PM (GMT 0)
VSL 3, whether it works or not, has dramatically lowered the anxiety in me during a prednisone taper. I'm now at 7.5 mg. I'm taking two packets a day, and once in remission, if I'm headed that way and I think I am, I will drop to one packet a day.

Lowering anxiety to almost nothing has been worth the high price of VSL 3 but I actually think I'm doing better on it than off of it. Being off prednisone and maintaining on asacol, maybe canasa, and vsl -3 will tell the truth of my UC condition, I believe.
Posted 1/1/2010 7:36 PM (GMT 0)
It seems like nothing ever helps me except drugs. I have been flaring lately too and I get extremely stressed out whcih makes things a lot worse. I have awful cramping and pain before BMs too. Do you use Rectal Meds? A lot of people use enemas or suppositories and they seem to help tons. I use Canasa and it usually pulls me out of a flare before it gets bad if I double up the dose but not this time. I hope you can get things in check quickly. Defintely ask your doctor about rectal meds.
Posted 1/1/2010 9:55 PM (GMT 0)
I I take the VSL, one packet a day, and also the Ultimate Flora Critical Care (I agree, that is just too many words for a name! lol). I started to have some minor symptoms with the holidays so I doubled the Ultimate - I'm taking 2 morning and 2 night of those.
I also tend to take an additional Metamucil dose when things get "iffy". But - any of these things might cause some gas or other reaction at first (I had a little queasiness at first with the VSL), so be careful when you start them - start at a low dose for several days.
I wonder what it was you reacted to in that probiotic drink....?

I am sure the VSL is working because I stopped it at some point and things went downhill in 2 o 3 days - and then got better when I started back up.
Posted 1/1/2010 11:22 PM (GMT 0)
thanks songlady. I have an appt with my GI on jan 14th but do you think i should order the VSL #3 onliine before talking with my dr?
Posted 1/2/2010 4:09 AM (GMT 0)
bump
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