HealingWell
Search Close Search
☰

2 questions from emerald isle

Support Forums
>
Ulcerative Colitis
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply
❬ ❬ Previous Thread |Next Thread ❭ ❭
Posted 4/5/2013 7:08 PM (GMT 0)
Hi there,

I used this site in 2007-08 when I was first diagnosed with pancolitis. Luckily my UC went away for 4 years with just 1 flare up. 800mg Asacol worked well.

My dear gran died a few months back and with that and other stress I was thrown into a flare. My most obvious non-bowel UC symptoms seemed to be severe chills.

I've been on 40mg pred for 10 days and while a lot of the peripheral symptoms have now gone away, (chills are gone, energy is good, appetite is better etc) I still have a lot of mucus BMs and lower rectal cramping. I have 2 questions:

1) Are there foods that you simply cannot tolerate in a flare but that work fine when your disease is low / remissed?

2) Is there a stage of "immune system dampening / dampened down" but bowel still a mess so still can't function properly till it heals?

Thanks in advance,

D

 

Posted 4/5/2013 7:15 PM (GMT 0)
Hey damo123...welcome back! My deepest condolences to you!

I'm going to stress the rectal meds...you should consider getting on them.

Some foods can exacerbate some symptoms, so most of us adjust somewhat when we're flaring. When in remission, I have some food symptoms that cause gas and discomfort...I choose when to eat them.

You're flaring, and when there's inflammation, it doesn't function in the way a noninflamed colon will.
Different stages of inflammation will cause different symptoms...as well as would where the inflammation is limited to.

Are you on probiotics?

Fibre supplements?

Hope you feel better soon...

q

Posted 4/5/2013 7:21 PM (GMT 0)
Generally, you want to eat pretty bland things while flaring. You avoid spicy things, things high in fiber, often people here recommend foregoing caffeine and alcohol as well as it aggravates things when flaring.

Your second question is pretty confusing. Right now the pred is enabling your body to heal. Pred should reduce your symptoms including: bleeding and mucus, frequency of bms, and improving the consistency of your bms. Pred is only a temporary solution though. Once you are off the pred, your body has to maintain without it. And that means your other meds have to be enough to keep you stable with your uc. If the pred isn't enough to get you out of the flare then you need to add some other med into the mix as quincy said: something like a rectal meslamine or rectal steroid.
Posted 4/5/2013 7:30 PM (GMT 0)
hi quincy (again!). i tried everything in 2007-2008 but really what i found for myself was the need to just let my digestive system "breathe". Give it some space. When it did, and it took time, it gradually got back to a pretty decent norm. I remember I counted 252 days in a row with just 1 BM and ticked it off on my laptop (the things we do!!).

What frustrates me now is that I haven't changed anything and suddenly I'm into a pretty big flare in a week. I'm now to thinking do I need to up my meds, go back on supplements and the like to fight this or do I try and trust my colon to work things out again.

I tried the odd Asacol suppository over the years but it does irritate me so I gave up. I started with rectal steroids but as these showed no improvement my doc suggested the oral Pred. UK and Irish doctors do not seem rectal meds focused. I think ye guys in USA have far more tolerant and understanding GIs (from what I've read and for all their faults) then we have over here.

I guess I'm caught in 2 minds about whether I go totally on the offensive with this flare or trust to how things worked themselves out 4 years ago. I feel a bit raw (both digesatively and mentally!).

D
Posted 4/5/2013 7:32 PM (GMT 0)
thanks iPoop...when you say rectal meslamine ....that's like Asacol suppositories?
Posted 4/5/2013 7:32 PM (GMT 0)
Get on the mesalamine enemas and give them a fair chance.

insist on them...

q
Posted 4/5/2013 7:57 PM (GMT 0)

damo123 said...
thanks iPoop...when you say rectal meslamine ....that's like Asacol suppositories?

Well it could be either a meslamine suppository or a meslamine enema it really depends on the extent of your inflammation. The suppositories are only good for rectal inflammation. Where as the enemas cover much more area from the rectum through the entire sigmoid colon.
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply