new here

Hey guys, just found this forum and looks like a lot of good info on here. I'm 40, in pretty good health but have a mild case of UC that never seems to completely go away. I was diagnosed back in 1997 I believe after about a year of bloody diarrhea and cramps. I lost about 10 pounds and that really concerned me since I've always been a bodybuilder and trying to gain weight. They put me on a high dose of Prednisone to stop the bleeding and I think I was on it for too long as I've had numerous joint issues since then and most of my hair fell out around that time too. I was on Asacol for awhile and that seemed to help and I believe the condition went into remission for awhile. Soon after that I lost my job at the time and have'nt had health insurance since so I have'nt taken any "real" meds. I have been self-medicating I guess you could say as I've taken glucosamine/chond., saw palmetto, digestive advantage and green tea caps for years and recently added vit. D and fish oil.

I've never had a bad flare in all these years although small amounts of blood never seems to go away and I'll have a sporadic diarrhea episode once in awhile. Whats weird is the first time I "go" its usually kind of hard with some blood, but then I usually will go again and it will be softer with little or no blood. I think part of my problem is not eating enough fruit, but the rest of my diet is good as I eat 4-5 meals a day with high protein meats and lots of grains and veggies. I can't digest milk by the glass very well, but can eat cheese, ice cream and all the pizza I want with no problem.

Anyway, just wanted to say hi and learn some more stuff on here. I guess my main question right now is what other alternative treatments are useful? I heard Boswellia mentioned, but could'nt find it at a couple places I looked today. What about Nicotine? I've heard some good things about it for UC, but also know about the dangers to the lungs obviously. I recently started smoking about 1 to 1.5 cigarettes a day and can't tell if its helping or not and if its even enough to do any good. I hate to do it as I'm a health nut and a nurse, but until I get insurance, it may be worth a try. btw, we may be able to get insurance soon as new owners bought out my company, but not sure if it will be affordable and what to do about pre-existing conditions, ect.

Hello, welcome to Healingwell. You might also want to look into bee propolis. This can help in some cases.

Hi, and welcome!
I have had good experiences with Slippery Elm, also. The thing is, it has to be taken between meals/other meds or supps, because it does coat the GI tract and... I guess stuff gets absorbed less when coated with it.
I've done the tincture, drops to mix with water, and capsules, taken with warm water.

One prescription medication that you might look into using is sulfasalazine. It's similar to mesalamine (the active ingredient in Asacol) and works quite well for those people who can tolerate sulfa drugs.

I also think it would be well-worth trying probiotics.

Good luck!

Thanks for the replies. Since I have'nt been to a doctor in over 12 years, I wonder if I would technically still be considered to have a pre-existing condition? I also don't think I can get a prescription for any real meds without going to a doctor, but like I said I only have a very mild case most of the time. I just hope it does'nt get worse at some point and I have to go to the hospital for some reason since I don't have insurance currently.

I do take digestive advantage, which I believe is a pro-biotic. I sometimes get the IBS formula and sometimes the lactose defense as they both have similar ingredients. I'll have to look into the Slippery Elm and bee propolis. I also hear Aloe Vera may be beneficial. It sounds like the Boswellia is talked about more though for its anti-inflammatory effects, but is hard to find in stores. It also says it may also interfere with the glucos./chon. for some reason, but then again may be a good replacement.

btw, I notice bbc can't tolerate artificial sweeteners. I drink a lot of coffee and tea and like the taste of the splenda over sugar, but wonder if that can be bothering me sometimes too?

Alternative treatments:

turmeric
ginger
magnesium
glutamine
probiotics
fecal transplantation
anti-inflammatory diet

I think the pre-existing cutoff for UC is about five years. But it really depends on the insurance company.

Post Edited (subdued) : 1/20/2011 6:12:28 PM (GMT-7)

Hi, Medsport, it seems we are both new here. Just wanted to say hello and express my sympathy for you insurance situation. I've been in that spot and it's an awful awful spot. I wish you the best of luck with your company's new owners. Maybe they will have a heart or at least enough sense to know it's much easier to get great work out of people who are healthy and need to use less sick days!