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Ulcerative Colitis
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Posted 11/5/2012 7:04 PM (GMT 0)
I have UC throughout my colon. It is not all that bad since I only take a steriod enema when I have discomfort or bleeding and I have felt better fairly quickly. I cant take any 5 asa's. Rowesa outright quit working and my hair fell out in clumps, and when I took lialda I had very bloody D. I have never been so sick before or after my short stint on Lialda. My doctor tried other variations of 5 asa's but they do not like me at all.
I do have D most of the time but it is not a big deal really. I have a few in the morning and a few at night. Every now and then I am uncomfortable but it never lasts more then an a day to a day and a half.

So I am 21 weeks now. In the beginning of my pregnancy I was uncomfortable with that inflamed feeling. I was putting a bit of steroids in a few times a day since that helped and used a full bottle every night, but that has passed and I am back to mostly feeling fine. I get the general soreness and sometimes cramping now and I still have the D but overall it isn't so bad. I have read about others who have it much worse who use medication all the time with little relief.

So I am wondering. I am now feeling my baby kick a lot and every now and then she kicks me low and it hurts a bit when she gets my colon. Not enough to bend over in pain or anything but more like it is sore and she kicked it. Also I believe I am starting to have braxton hicks contractions. The contraction itself does not hurt but I feel it on my colon. So I am wondering if it will become more intense as my baby grows bigger?

Also I wondered about labor. With me having D most of the time, did any of you have a way to clean yourself out for labor? I did not have UC with my other two with this one I worry about the D. I had an epidural with my daughter and I worry about if I cant feel that I have to go am I just going to end up making a mess?
Posted 11/5/2012 7:21 PM (GMT 0)
21jellybeans,

I have 3 children myself and  with my first my UC was at its worst.  I too had the baxon hicks contractions early and it was a good  thing I had a gynecologist that specialized in complicated pregnancies.  Well those contractions had me dialating very early so I was put on  immediate bedrest from 5 months until the end.

I too worried about having an accident on the delivery table but once  i went into labour I had many bowel movements so things were cleared out before I started pushing.  I did not have any epidurals for any deliveries.

I did use enemas throughout my pregnancy.

Are you taking any probiotics daily?

What about a fiber supplement like Metamucil to firm things up?  Both are safe during pregnancy.

 

Posted 11/5/2012 7:39 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks. I have those things here at home. I was not sure about probiodics but I suppose since they are in yogurt it would be safe.

I dont think I am dilating and thankfully I am at the 5 month mark already. I will be 22 weeks tomorrow. I keep meaning to keep on my steroid enemas but honestly I forget. It is only when I am not feeling great that I remember.

I hope I continue to improve and not have any more D by the time I deliver. If I dont I have kept telling myself I would not be the first woman in labor with loose stools.
Posted 11/5/2012 8:42 PM (GMT 0)
I didn't have UC when I had my children but believe me you would not be the first woman to have an "accident" on the table nor would you be the last. I remember asking "did I poop myself?" to my husband who just laughed and said no.
Posted 11/5/2012 8:47 PM (GMT 0)
Like sherbear, I didn't have UC when I was pregnant or birthing my 2 kids. You have to assume that your doctor, midwife, nurses, etc., have seen it all, and certainly there was someone before you that made a bigger "mess". Such comforting thoughts, eh? :-)

Don't worry about the poop. When you're pushing out a baby, that's all that matters and you won't care one way or another about anything else.
Posted 11/6/2012 4:23 AM (GMT 0)
Most women naturally move their bowels in the early stages of labor. Some women (with or without UC) end up pushing a bit of poop out when pushing out baby. No biggie, the doc or midwife will be used to it and will clean it up. No one will be horrified. :)

Kicking low may mean baby has not turned into a head down position yet (plenty of time for that to happen) or it may be baby's arm. The discomfort from that may or may not intensify as baby gets bigger. You can try getting into different positions to see if you can get relief. Lie on your side or get on the floor on hands and knees. If you're familiar with pelvic tilting, this can be pretty helpful. If the BH contractions bother you, you can try the same tactics. Also drinking water or an electrolyte drink can help to calm them down. They're doing good work for your upcoming birth!

Congrats! I'm 27 weeks with my third.
Posted 11/6/2012 1:27 PM (GMT 0)
Ditto hekela that lots of women poop during labor, and I've heard that many didn't realize they did until their husbands told them. So don't worry about it.

Are you willing to try any other meds? There are quite a few options out there.

And probiotics are safe to use during pregnancy, per my OB.
Posted 11/6/2012 3:19 PM (GMT 0)
I am not opposed to new meds but so far they either make me worse or do nothing for me. My doctor said he hates prednisone and unless it was absolutely needed he did not want me on it. I told my GI that I was not willing to mess with my immune system at all or go on any of the scary drugs I have heard of. My GI understood and had several patients that also refused to ever take them.

Thanks for the advise. Yeah I think I have not been drinking as much water lately. I get that way in the fall and winter. It is easier to chug the water when it is warm outside.
Posted 11/6/2012 10:26 PM (GMT 0)
I understand that pooping during labor happens all the time, but I have had soft and usually explosive mushy stools for a decades because of UC. They are never formed and I just keep pooping and pooping. I'm worried that I'll poop constantly during labor and it will spray everywhere if I push hard. They'll have to clean me up constantly (and themselves too) because I've seen what I do to the toilet bowl several times a day, it will be worse without a bowl. I will try to enema myself before I head to the hospital, but who knows if I'll have time. It's my first so I assume it'll take a while.

Since my 3rd trimester started, it feels like baby is always smooshing my poop chute. It's not as much painful as it is uncomfortable.
Posted 11/7/2012 12:29 AM (GMT 0)
21Jellybeans, welcome to the forum and congrats on your pregnancy!

I'm sorry you're worried about these pains and having BH contractions - I agree that you need to stay hydrated.

Have you and your GI talked about what your disease will be like after the birth of your baby? Many of us here flared pretty badly after we gave birth (in fact, my IBD started during my first pregnancy) and we had to really up our meds to control the disease. Pregnancy does tricky things to your immune system, and giving birth is a huge hormonal surge. I am writing this because I am concerned about your refusal to consider drugs other than steroids.

Steroids are really, really bad for your longterm health. The steroid enemas that you are using are going to damage the tissue in your rectum. The oral steroids that you are taking are ultimately going to cause bone loss for you, and probably adrenal failure, meaning your own body will stop making cortisone and you will become steroid dependant. Your UC may stop responding to steroids altogether.

All of the biologic meds are safe to use during pregnancy. For more information, please go to infantrisk.org and learn about what meds you can and cannot take during pregancy and breastfeeding.

There are dietary mods you might consider, some that have been shown to be really effective in treating IBD. There are also probiotics that you can take that may help keep your illness under control.

I'm sorry that you cannot tolerate mesalamines; that makes it hard for you, I know. And I worry about needing biologics one day, too. But they have been a really huge improvement for IBD patients and I think you are making a potentially big mistake by refusing to consider using them. Now that you are becoming a mom, you need to think about being healthy for your child.
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