Any advice appreciated

Hi everyone,

I'm new to this site and may not understand all your abbreviations etc for things so please bear with me.  I was diagnosed with UC in April of 2008 at age 36 and was put on Lialda 4 tabs a day (2 in am 2 in pm) and the mesalamine enema at night.  Within a week I felt almost normal again.  I did well for about 10 months and then had a flare caused by stress.  I was put on predinisone 40 mg/day and that did help the first time rather quickly.  I did well for almost a year and had tapered to only 2 tabs of lialda per day and then had another flare which I seem to not be getting better from.  I was put on pred...same dose as before and felt better for a few weeks.  I was sick though at the same time and battled sinus and ear infections with 2 different antibiotics (zpac and levaquin).  I'm also under a wee bit of stress (selling my house, building a house, and a 3 year old).  I just started up the enemas again instead of hitting the pred.  I hate the moon face and other side effects from it.  Anyone have any ideas of anything to help me at this point...my major issue is cramping and gas...Some days the trips to the bathroom aren't as bad but the gas always seems to be there.  UGH.

Thanks all!

I've always upped my Lialda if I started to feel a little "funky". When I had my first flare I saw my the same doctor as diagnosed me. My second flare I saw a different doctor in the practice who I actually like more. She put me on the enemas along with the pred and said the upping the Lialda was the right thing to do. She actually told me I have limited UC which I took as a good thing. I go back at the end of August but the last time I was there I felt good but then about a week later it all started to come back.

What would be a good probiotic? I have used some otc ones that are cheaper I guess and took the dosage it says to take and never really felt a diference. Do I need to take more or is there a really good kind to take?

Oh I also take Iron because go figure I'm a little anemic and protonix and allegra.


Thanks!!!

sherbear46,

Sorry to hear you're flaring ...

What kind of diet are you on? Many of us have had good success with incorporating SCD diet(specific carbohydrate diet), but short of that, I would recommend your staying dairy and wheat free as a good start.

Also, are you on any supplements?

Omega 3 or krill oil, 2 grams at least?

Have your Vitamin D3 levels have been checked?

Consider adding L-Glutamine powder - 15 grams at least?

Good probiotic I like to take is VSL#3 - it's got 450 billion active cultures in it. Apparently you can get it at Costco's, if you are in the states.

And if you want to try alternatives, I am a huge proponent of giving Transdermal LDN a try too.

sherbear46,

Unfortunately, most doctors don't believe there is a correlation between diet and UC. But clearly there is.

I know the SCD is very restrictive, and it sounds like something you're not willing to try at this point.

I would however suggest you keep off dairy and wheat and see if it helps you any.

There's plenty of things to eat: lots of proteins (fish, meats), veggies (steamed) and fruits. Just be careful with fruits, don't mix them with carbs or proteins.

Hope you start feeling better soon.