fruitgirl said...
Hi and welcome to HealingWell! That's great that you were prescribed both oral and rectal meds. The rectal meds do a great job of healing the portion of the colon they can reach, and the oral meds will take care of the rest. How far up exactly does your UC go?
As for using the enemas for 14 days, if your symptoms aren't gone, you definitely need to call your doctor for a refill! Actually, even if they are gone, I'd call your doctor anyway. I (and others on here) use enemas for maintaining remission...research shows that people who use them twice weekly in addition to oral meds stay in remission longer than people who only use oral meds.
The enemas aren't that bad to use. You might want to just use half of a bottle tonight to make sure you don't have a problem holding it because it's easier to just hold half. Some people have problems holding a whole one, especially when flaring. Also, warm the liquid up a bit by holding it in your hands, and make sure to squeeze the extra air out of the bottle before you insert the tip.
It's not a barrel of laughs having UC, but it's defintely good you were diagnosed so that you can start treating it, get into remission, and feel well!
As for supplements, many of us on here use probiotics ("good" gut bacteria), take a good multivitamin and additional vitamin D (many IBDers are low on vitamin D, and it's known to help gut health), and use a fiber supplement. I don't use fiber, because it seems to hurt me more than it helps, and I eat a lot of fiber in my diet. Other supplements you'll see people using are omega 3's, fish oil, turmeric, and a host of others. You'll just have to choose which ones you want to try.
I personally have no diet restrictions due to UC...I can eat everything I did before diagnosis, and have no problems (it's a healthy diet, completely free of MSG and artificial sweetners, and mostly free of processed/junk foods). However, some people find that they can no longer tolerate certain foods. If you find yourself struggling with symptoms, I suggest you keep a food journal so you can figure out what it is that bothers you.
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MY REPLY
H thanks for the info, my UC is just the very last part of the anus/colon so its right within reach of the enema.
Its only got worse in the last 6 weeks after getting diarreah which hasnt left, so this is what prompted me too ge it checked out.
The other thing is I understand its hereditary? I never knew my father so Im wondering if this is where I got it from. If I knew about this earlier would it have made a difference?
My UC is currently mild to moderate probably more mild with the symptoms so I guess this is why I didnt do something earlier.
I goto the gym to do strength training 2-3 times a week should I cut back on this now?
darn Im kinda worried what the future holds now but Im happy its diagnosed.