Do flares ever come on over night?

I'm trying to figure out what is going on with me. I've been doing absolutely fantastic for the past 3 weeks. Perfectly formed stools, going once or twice a day, no cramps, gas mostly gone, only the slightest bit of urgency/rectal inflammation.

Then this morning, BAM pure diarrhea and I've already gone 3 times this morning. Granted, I ate out a restaurant last night for the first time in a long while and violated the diet I am on (though I've violated the diet during Thanksgiving and Christmas even more dramatically with no ill effects).

Outside of that, nothing has really changed. Work was pretty stressful this week, sleep was down a bit. But supplements, medication are the same.

So I guess I'm praying for food poisoning, but can flares come on with such intensity literally overnight? I just don't see how the meal I ate could cause this, it wasn't nearly as bad of a dietary violation as over Thanksgiving and Christmas.

I've got a month supply of Rowasa that I haven't used yet, so I guess I'll add that starting tonight.

Such a bummer, I've gone from thrilled with my progress to devastatingly depressed in a matter of hours. FML

From my experience, I would say yes, they often have for me, mind you I have been in almost continual flare since I was diagnosed.

I wouldn't immediately assume I was headed toward a flare from just one day especially if I ate out the night before and wasn't used to doing that. See how you feel tomorrow. You also could just have a bug...its that time of year.

quincy said...
I wouldn't say "food poisoning"...could be that the food you ate didn't agree with you or you've picked up something such as a gastro bug.

If you continue to have diarrhea throughout the day with rectal spasming when you're going, definitely lean toward a flare.

ARe you on oral meds?

q

I'm taking Lialda, 4 per day still.

I attribute my recent stabilization (until today) to elm bark almost entirely. Jury still out on VSL.

I'm trying to figure out what is going on with me. I've been doing absolutely fantastic for the past 3 weeks.
Then this morning, BAM pure diarrhea and I've already gone 3 times this morning. Granted, I ate out a restaurant last night for the first time in a long while and violated the diet I am on (though I've violated the diet during Thanksgiving and Christmas even more dramatically with no ill effects).
Outside of that, nothing has really changed.

I am similar to you, and I consider myself to be lucky because of it. I can go weeks or months with no symptoms whatsoever, but eat something bad once in the morning then I would have diarrhea that evening. I like the immediate feedback. The good news is that the symptoms disappear just as quickly as long as I cease eating the problem food. I just increase my probiotics and psyllium seed for an even quicker recovery.

I thought I am this way because I don't take any meds to mask or delay the symptoms. But I see that you are taking Lialda, so scratch that theory.

I think your symptoms rose from a specific triggering food, not because you violated a diet. I believe most structured diets are BS. I am perfectly fine with 90 percent of the foods forbidden by most diets. It is specific food triggers that do me in whether they are considered illegal or not. I suggest you do some detective work and isolate your food triggers.

Just be sure that the next time you are beginning to flare that you retrench back to foods that you know are perfectly safe before your next diarrhea session morphs into a full blown flare.

Update if anyone cares....

Haven't gone to the bathroom yet today so I suppose that means I don't have diarrhea anymore.

Very strange..doubt it was food poisoning but there must've been an ingredient in there that I'm sensitive too. Now if only I could figure out what it was, it would make my life way easier.

If it's any help .....

I was diagnosed May 2011. Since then I've been up and down and mostly on prednisolone and other drugs.

There have been several times when I thought 'No, it's starting again' --- Panic !!!.

Now I think, maybe it's starting again but before I panic and reach for the phone/steroids, I think - No, see what it's like to-morrow.

Sometimes it's gone or lessened - don't know why - if it's worse or the same .... consider some action or wait another day....

I know, I'm can be without any perspective on this ( I hate how my body is out of control ) and for me .. wait a while and don't immediately panic, seems to work.

Of course, symptoms may indicate immediate action, but when I'm in a - me and my  U/C fog  -, I think Hey ! Hold on a while.

All the best, Ioana.

I can't see a remission for a day. Just because symptoms change, it may mean a reduction of inflammation since inflammation happens in degrees.

Flares also come without UCers being aware...depends on what symptoms they identify with a flare. So, in effect....they can come overnight, but with experience....they'll recognise that the gnawing continuing cramping or stool consistency that cannot be equated to other outside sources/ingestion...could be a flare if it continues.

q

a good day is remission? I personally wouldn't sling the word carelessly...I don't use the word often, and speak with more caution of a good day.
You say IBD...we speak UC. So, I tend not to interchange the terms. I have to remember you have CD (CC)...and while "ibd" can be unpredictable..,.UC can be more predictable if one listens to symptoms based on experience.

Just saying.....

q

It had to have been a food trigger, the correlation was too great.

I’ve been back to normal since Sunday now that I’m back to making my own food.

And I don’t think I’d call my Saturday experience a flare, I just think my system is far more sensitive since being diagnosed with UC. Do I think I went through a period of hugely elevated inflammation on Saturday and then back to normal on Sunday, no, I don’t think inflammation comes and goes that quickly…hence why I wouldn’t call it a flare, just sensitivity to something.

I had days of loose stool and more frequency that ended up being nothing. Usually I tried not to worry until I saw the blood. Soon after that the left sided pain started, follwed by constipation, then frequency, but with nothing but blood and mucous. This was mainly because my inflammation was closer to the rectum.

Everyone's disease follows somewhat of a flaring pattern that can be different from person to person. I wouldn't worry about a bad day though. It could be a lot of things.

I also have to disagree that one can't possibly have a day of remission. How can the inflammation even be knocked down that quickly? Personally, I never considered myself in remission until at least a couple of months went by with formed stools, going 1-2 times a day with no blood.

My disease beahaved such that I had a lot of days and even weeks where my colon would trick me into thinking everything was getting better. That was ususally after I tried a new med for the first time (i.e. Entocourt). After a couple of weeks the symptoms would start again, almost right where they left off. My doctors never believed some of the things I told them about my experience with UC. According to a few of them I was "one of a kind."