Understanding Ulcerative Colitis/Working together toward healing

I was first diagnosed with UC in 2006, and I have had about 3 flares ever since, always in the winter time. My two colonoscopies showed the last 30cm of my colon as effected.

I was not breast fed as a baby, held back bowel movements growing up because of no doors on bathroom stalls in grade school and fear of using public restrooms, was given antibiotics, and I ate poorly through high school and college, like most people.

With my first and current flare, I am certain that stress is the trigger. This is my best assessment and understanding of what happens: During the winter time, my resistance is down due to lower levels of vitamin d and other factors that accompany the wintertime, therefore my mind and body to not do as well with stress; I literally feel it more in the winter. In addition, I do not help matters by getting as much sleep as I should or staying as hydrated as I should. So yeah, I am looking at water, sleep, and sunlight playing a critical role in my lack of winter wellness...and they are all free, pretty much, so I have no excuse. When a moment of intense stress occurs, while my resistance is down, my intestinal permeability immediately increases and invaders are allowed to move where they aught not. Once they move where they aught not, my body responds with inflammation, which then leads to ulceration, hence irregularity and bleeding. For me, D has never been an issue, nor pain, rather discomfort, irregularity, urgency, and blood. The only time when I have had pain is the few times when I have had to hold it with all of my might until I made it to the bathroom, which is just a few times.

In 2006, I used Jordan Rubin's book, Restoring Your Digestive Health, to help me get better. I did not take any meds. After my colonoscopy, I was on a liquid fast for a week, then started the phase one diet in the book which was very strict and kind of like the SCD. Within 2-3 months and definitely by Memorial Day that year, I was healed. My flare hit me while I was teaching PE at a charter school, putting a lot of pressure on myself and feeling pressure from students and most of all, teachers and the principal. Too much stress, so I had to leave and go back to ministry work, which at the time involved door to door fundraising, which I continued to 2012 without any flares and a pretty normal diet.

In 2012, I went back to being in a school environment, and it was either that winter(12/13) or the following(13/14) that I was hit with my next major flare, which I handled naturally once again, but took a little longer to heal up.

In the winter of 14/15, I was hit with another flare. I remember driving down to NC that February of 2015 and having a flare. This was the first time I ever took any medication, which was Asacol. I did not take much, but ended up healing once again.

Now, here I am, two months into a flare that was triggered by a very stressful and momentary situation. The next day I started feeling the inflammation which was evident with irregular bowel movement and the vicious cycle began. My inflammation has always caused more of a constipation than it has D. My stool is held back and sometimes liquid passes around and mucus and the contraction causes spasm(involuntary rectal squeezing), which produces blood(very likely internal hemi involved in the evidence of blood too).

I have been eating only good food, but not eating enough. I am taking supplements and started taking the Asacol again. I am 4-5 days into taking Asacol(800mg, 3x/day). I also made my Brasco Broth therapeutic soup recipe and rotate between that and a coconut milk based shake with flax oil, bee pollen, turmeric, honey, cinnamon, maca, potato starch, VSL, L-Glutamine and sometimes a raw egg or two, and/or frozen fruit or banana. I have played around with a little fiber which I cannot seem to really figure out the effects of and also Dr. Schulze Formula 1, which I also cannot figure if it is good or not. The formula one definitely helps me to pass stools, but I am concerned it is causing more irritation. My wife says that I am sometimes obsessed with having a good bowel movement. I know for most with UC, formula 1 is not good, but not so sure for me. I felt like it was either that or the Asacol that helped me last year, or maybe both.

My supplements have included, not always diligently, Oil of Oregano, Turmeric, Boswellia, Krill and Fish Oil, VSL and Primal Defense, Vitamin D and K, Calcium(plant based), and I played around with some enemas that I stopped for now(Vitamin E, Healing enema with slippery elm, marshmallow, and comfrey, Oil of oregano with olive oil).

So here is my thought...the bad guys got into my lining and caused inflammation. I need to get rid of the bad guys(if they are still in there) and the inflammation, which is definitely still there. Then I need to heal and repair what has been damaged, and renew regular bowel motility, which should come fairly natural without having the inflammation. That is the purpose of the supplements, ingredients in my shake, and soup. Lastly, I need to put on some weight that I lost from skimping on what I am eating. Regarding eating, I am still not sure about the effects of rice, whether white or brown. Could the rice have benefit? Not sure, but I am pretty sure my Brasco Broth soup does.

I would love some help with figuring this all out.

UC is much like a screaming baby in public environment (a super market, a restaurant, whatever), you cannot possibly rationalise your way out of that situation. Listen baby we're in public and we don't scream here as it isn't good manners, got it? Great!

We can convince ourselves that we know why a flare happened, and hindsight is always perfect 20/20 vision often when there's correlation with no actual causation.

You'd be smart to take your asacol whether you're feeling good or bad. As that has been shown to produce the best results with the longest periods of remission, shortest and mildest flares.

Flares most likely are related to untreated inflammation that slowly build up unnoticed over time until a tipping point is reached and then *wham* flare and misery. Keeping up with anti-inflammatory mesalamine while we don't have symptons can help in that regard. You can periodically get a CRP blood test to show creeping/simmering inflammation.

Limiting stress within our lives is smart with crohnic illness is a nobel goal but difficult to achieve as life, work/school, family, acquaintances, and other factors often butt in and destroy our progress. That's just life. If you're undergoing a lot of stress then temporarily up your asacol to maximum dose (4.8 grams a day), take rowasa enema daily, and try to eat as healthy as you can as reasonable precautions.

Flares cannot be prevented. We can limit their likelyhood and lengthen periods of remission by having a maintenance treatment appropriate for our disease severity. We can nip a flare when it's still a bud (catch it early before it becomes a huge flare). Being in a deep/histological/complete remission is ideal as that's been proven to give us the best quality of life and lowest odds of flares.

For all the research you've done....interestingly, rectal meds doesn't seem to be on the list. Ask your doctor for mesalamine retention enemas....suppositories are not enough contrary to their popularity, but they do have an important role in the treatment plan.

q

Thank you all so much for taking the time to read and respond. Soynomore, by butt med you mean the rectal med that Quincy is speaking of? If so, in terms of enemas, which do you feel work best?

Soy means enemas, and the first line is Rowasa, which is mesalamine. There are also steroid ones, and they work really well, but aren't intended as a long term solution.