flare was seeming to get better...

Ok, you're on asacol only? Add rectal meds.

If you're flaring, it can get continually worse or remain with "some" ups and downs. But, it's still flaring.
If you have more bms, you might have more bleeding.
If you have a more solid stool passing over the inflamed and friable area, it will cause bleeding.

My flares aren't as bad as the one at diagnosis, but I had lots of flare improvements over the following two years once I started to get the hang of using the rectal meds (retention enemas).

The reasons a flare goes backwards is if one is being undertreated (not enough medication reaching/treating the flare; or medication doesn't agree and causes side effects that mimic UC; or one has another issue happening at the same time such as an "invader" (c.diff, gastro infection, fungal infection, food allergies, etc); or one's UC has become refractive, meaning no improvement from any meds.

Hope you feel better soon.

q

So, clarify....exactly how long on the enemas nightly? or are you skipping some nights? Do you skip some dosages of oral?

Where is the extent of your UC..throughout or limited to where?

If you've improved from your initial flare, that's good. If your stool has changed to more solid, less bms daily, but still blood....that's good also, meaning it's healing. Remember UC heals from top down. Flares from bottom up.

As you heal, you'll have different symptoms. But if you're still bleeding....blood IN and around the stool...you're flaring. If you have had NO blood for a long while, but blood on the toilet paper only, could be a fissure.

q