Iron Supplements

Iron pills when flaring is not good. My primary prescribed these without consulting my GI and I got so sick. I fired the guy.

If you can at all afford it, get iron infusions. If insured, for a few hundred dollars you can usually get 2 infusions of Feraheme (http://www.feraheme.com/). You have much more energy within a day or two.

If you are bleeding a lot, it may only last 8-10 weeks. If bleeding less, it can last a year.

I've been told that iron supplements should be absorbed in the stomach and that you should avoid the slow release iron. As the iron passes further through the digestive system it oxidizes due to a more alkaline environment.

the only iron i've ever tolerated was nature's plus iron. it's chewable and each tablet was 27 mg a day. i took 2 for a while but dropped them when my iron levels were good. just got some bloodwork back and i'm almost anemic again at 43 (normal 40-175). will be starting up again.

http://www.vitacost.com/natures-plus-chewable-iron-with-vitamin-c-and-herbs

Thank you all so much for your replies. having read a lot up on this now I think I am going to try the Floradix as it is supposed to be easily absorbed. Like I said I am just starting to look in to my UC to find out what works best for me, Up until lately I have been just listening to my GP who on this occasion seems to have got it terrible wrong. All advice is gratefully received thank you.

Also been looking at Bee pollen has any one tried that along with VSL#3 or prox 10 not sure which is best.

I am currently trying Juicing as seen on you tube Naapa cabbage, apple and carrot been doing this for two days now. Will let you know if this helps at all

Hello again well is been a few weeks since my last post just thought id let you know how I'm getting on. Have been juicing as I said in a earlier post which I believe has helped in the urgency subsiding as well as using prednisolone rectal foam and ,6, 800mg of Asacol pills every day. Bleeding seems to have stopped but still no hard stools.

I have been taking Floradix iron supplement and am starting to feel like I have more energy I am off to see my consultant today about a possible Iron infusion so will keep you posted.

Again thank you for all your advice I am new to all of this and don't claim to be any type of expert as I am sure a lot of you have had a lot more experience in dealing with you symptoms.

Thank you London Lurker (Great name by the way) I will read through this in detail.

My Consultant really annoyed me today as he said the urgency was nothing to do with my IBD but told me it was IBS that caused urgency he was a part of my consultants Team not my actual consultant.

He has taken another blood test today to check my inflammation markers as they are still high and has suggested that I may have to take a course of steroids (Not sure if I want to take these) Prednisolone I think he said. and has arranged for me to go for an iron infusion in a weeks time will check to see what iron it is.

Like I said my urgency has subsided but still no hard stools. Stomach still making some fantastic noises at times.

I used to have carrot and spinach juice that was until I made myself a glass of just spinach juice and had an allergic reaction vomiting and constant rushing to the toilet phoned the GP who told me to take anti histamines which I did slept it off and felt better the next day. GP told me he thought it might have been the pesticides the farmer may of used have tried small amount of spinach again and the same thing happened so no more spinach for me.

Bez73, you may want to have a look at the thread going on faecal calprotectin. It's a stool test that shows inflammation and can be raised when your bloods are in range. That would hopefully get your answer as to whether there is still inflammation when bloods in range - there often is.

I wouldn't fear prednisolone too much. I have been on it for a few periods in my life and it has done its job of getting me into remission. If you are going to have a good reaction to it you will know within a couple of weeks. I'm lucky with it, not all are. If it is not going to work there is unlikely to be any lasting damage from a short course. The one thing I learnt to my cost though is that, if you have an infection as well, the infection will get worse. So, in my current flare, Pred has worked well because I do not have any infection, this was not the case always in the past. It is important to try and get rid of the inflammation so that the mucous layer can heal up and stop the cycle.

I have read that raw spinach, especially organic actually, can carry a lot of bacteria so could be anything really that got you with the juice. I go for better safe than sorry when in flare and eat well cooked veg. Bit more info on nitrates in food here from European food safety agency www.eufic.org/page/en/page/FAQ/faqid/unhealthy-reheat-spinach/ I definitely have problems with re-heated spinach. So much of the rhetoric on what healthy food is that gets in the press is speculative rubbish. Also be aware that lots of so called healthy food and vitamins lower cortisol and some of the good old unhealthy stuff raises it. We don't want to be suppressing our cortisol when the body is needing to fight inflammation.

I don't know anything about bee pollen but I do know that a really good quality honey that contains some royal jelly is meant to be helpful for a metabolic pathway in the body that diverts from inflammation. Again I would not jump in to supplements but would get a really good quality honey with royal jelly and have it naturally that way. Maybe if you look around you can find a local supplier around your way?