Trying to Determine 5ASA's Efficacy

It's just not something I want to do. I'm not really afraid of dying doing it, it just doesn't sound like my cup of tea. I mean, some people like to read, some don't; some people like to hike, some don't; some people like to skydive, some don't.

And thanks for clarifying the part about reaching remission -- the original stuff you posted didn't say anything about that.

It appears that Colazal (actually the generic balsalazide) is working. Neither Lialda nor Delzicol were working for me, but I am almost back to normal after using Colazal for just over a week. There's someone on this board who I need to thank for suggesting Colazal (Old Hat, that's you!). Like some others here I had loose stools likely caused by the Colazal, but by eating more soluble fiber and supplementing with psyllium seed powder, I've managed to firm things up.

I do have a question . . .

The last two nights I used a mesalamine enema before bed. The first time it went without a problem, and I slept through the night, no gas, retaining the enema until the next morning. The day after was wonderful.

Last night though was a different story. I used an enema and fell asleep on my left side, but woke up constantly throughout the night with tons of gas (the kind where you can feel the gas bubbles release from the side of the colon). It was a constant stream of gas and gut rumblings until I finally decided to expel the enema about six hours after introduction. This morning my gut feels a little, what, sore?

It just strikes me as so weird that I would have a good reaction one night, and then a staggeringly poor one the next. Neither time did I attempt a BM before using the enema - not sure if that's something others do? Also not sure if I should continue using mesalamine enemas.

I've noticed that if I've eaten a "gassy" food, the enemas can really escalate the gas symptoms. Since I only use (and holy crap, I typed "eat" instead of "use" at first) them twice a week, if I'm feeling gassy or had refried beans or something similar for dinner, I'll skip that night and use it the next night instead.