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husband recently dx with UC

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Ulcerative Colitis
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Posted 11/22/2010 2:47 AM (GMT 0)
Hi all.  Just was looking for some basic info. since this is all new to us.  I have been doing

lots of research and came across this board.  I feel like you guys are the best to ask as

you have been living it!  My husband is on Asacol 12 pills a day right now (only about a

week into it).  My first question is about diet.  He eats lots of fiber and fresh fruits/veggies

but after reading it sounds like this may not be a good idea?  Can anyone offer some info.

on this?  His GI said there is no "specific" diet to follow.  Also does dairy make worse? He

had a colonoscopy and they found UC throughout most of his colon.  He is also having an

endoscopy done in a few weeks since he has stomach pain as well. Just looking for some

basic info since we are newbies.  Any advice or direction would be greatly appreciated. 

Thanks so much.

Posted 11/22/2010 3:55 AM (GMT 0)
Sorry to hear about the diagnosis.... I would say, if you can find a diet that helps, that's great, but I wouldn't bet the farm on it...you could try not eating dairy, caffiene, or carbonated beverages for two weeks and see if it helps at all...I'm only saying that because my surgeon (to be) had me do that for 2-3 weeks...it didn't help the UC much, but I feel better...

Also, if Asacol helps, you are lucky....you don't want to get stuck on the steroids unless you really need them....beware of the hype for certain herbs...no one can stop you from trying, but just be careful as some (like "tree bark" to name one) may make things worse....

Luckily, they (the drug companies) are on the fringe of some really NEW drugs (and not just copy cats of "alamine" type drugs...so, if your partner can hold on for 2-3 years(?) he may not need to suffer...

God Bless.
Posted 11/22/2010 5:35 AM (GMT 0)
Yes raw veggies can be rough, basically any type of food that doesn't digest well. Bran cereal is one to avoid, the wheat bran is rough. Dairy isn't the best thing, or at least not a lot of it. Maybe alternatives like goats milk. Nuts can be a problem for many.
Cook veggies until soft and should be ok then.
Watch acidic foods. I does vary from person to person.

Once a flare is gone then one can eat most things again, but do it with caution.
Posted 11/22/2010 12:51 PM (GMT 0)
Welcome to Healingwell! It's so nice that you are out searching for help for your husband. I find that when I am flaring, raw fruits and veggies tend to aggravate my colon a lot. They make me just plain miserable. But when I am in remission, I can eat them in moderation. Diet is individualistic just like Uc is. So he may have to experiment and see what bothers him and what doesn't. If he can't do dairy but wants milk, he can try Lactaid milk or even Lactaid pills to help him be able to digest the milk products.

If he is not on probiotics, I highly recommend he starts one. It helps replace the bad bacteria in the colon with the good and beneficial kind. He can also look into rectal meds. His Asacol can work on the whole of the colon but it may not reach down to the sigmoid/rectal area. That is where rectal meds come in. The rectum is usually the first to flare and the last to heal.

You can also go to our resource section and look at the websites we posted as well as go to www.ccfa.org for more information on Uc.
Posted 11/22/2010 4:30 PM (GMT 0)
Hi and welcome. His doctor is pretty much right when it comes to diet. There's no one food that bothers everyone with UC, nor is there one diet that all UCers do well on. I avoided raw fruits and veggies (and even a lot of cooked ones), other high-fiber foods, and spicy stuff when I was flaring. Now that I'm well, I eat just about everything (no MSG or artificial sweetners, and very very little processed food, but that's how I ate pre-UC).

I ditto Sherry's suggestion to start a good probiotic supplement. And I STRONGLY recommed that he ask his doctor about rectal meds, specifically mesalamine enemas. They make a huge difference for many of us on here. Studies show that patients who use them in conjunction with oral meds fair better than those who only use oral meds.
Posted 11/22/2010 11:33 PM (GMT 0)
Yes, welcome!
I tend to avoid things that seem "scratchy" when flaring - salads, raw veggies and fruits, corn, multigrain breads..... a lot of stuff normally considered "healthy." I also stay away from gassy or greasy things - those are hard on anyone's digestion to some extent, and I figure they're even harder on mine.

We're all different in what bothers us, and some of us discover food sensitivities we've not had before. Soft and bland are my safety things to start with, in a flare, and then I branch out from there.
Best of luck to you!
Posted 11/24/2010 3:03 AM (GMT 0)
Let me guess, you're husband has no family history of UC? I had some gastritis myself when initially diagnosed and I have no family history. I continue to wonder how and why there would be gastritis in the stomach if it's not a bacterial issue with UC or perhaps something one ate.
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