Brief Background…3 months ago, I went from completely healthy to bloody diarrhea and it only took a matter of days to get to that point from complete health. I got an emergency colonoscopy after antibiotic treatment failed and was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis. I was put on Lialda and within 24 hours, my symptoms improved dramatically. Over the next couple of weeks, my stools became more formed, bowel movements dropped to 1 per day, and urgency was completely eliminated.
Fast forward to today, and I can feel myself slipping again. My stools are no longer formed and seem to get looser by the day. I’m now going twice a day and I feel this will only get worse, and I’m starting to experience gut discomfort like gurgling, occasional minor pain and gas has increased noticeably.
So I guess my question is, am I screwed, is it only a matter of time at this point before Lialda is not working at all anymore? What would the next step be if Lialda fails me? I’m petrified that if Lialda only worked for 3 months, how screwed am I longer term? I’m also petrified of steroids, I really don’t want to go on these.
I’ll make a signature at some point but here’s what I’ve been doing outside of Lialda for the past 3 months. I tried the SCD diet for 3 months, then switched to an anti-inflammatory diet (which basically removed red meat and dairy from the SCD but added a few complex grains). I’m also taking fish oil, BCQ, and an additional curcumin supplement.