Just got back from a month in Europe.

Hi everyone,

I just got back from a month in Europe. Did a week in Barcelona, week in Florence, one in Sicily and one in London. It really was a great experience with my wife.

Around April I had a mild flare and ended up trying salofalk enemas with some adverse reactions, which I believe was caused by the sulfates in them because I'm allergic to sulfa medications. I ended up watching my diet carefully and went for a colonoscopy and it came back clear.

I was very nervous about going on vacation due to difficulties with food choices and wanting to try new things. We ate clean foods and I even went to markets and made dinner a few times with fresh local ingredients. I ended up brining the VSL probiotics with me because we had a fridge in all our locations and took them everyday. Everything was good until London, until I had fish and chips and a slightly greasy pub meal on my second last night with a bottle of cider. I started to feel the gurgling and slight gas and I new things weren't good. I got back home to Canada yesterday and saw some blood in my bowel movement and it's less formed than a week ago.

My GI doc gave me some prednisone as a backup for my trip but I didn't use it until yesterday. I took 40mg yesterday and I felt better. I don't have a follow up appointment with my GI until sept 7. Just wanted to ask what you think I should do? Continue the full course with the prednisone? Try an early taper? Focus on diet?

Looking for some guidance. Thanks in advance.

Thanks for your reply ipoop. I kind of felt that too, but I just didn't want for this to get out of control. I still have a few enemas left from before but I'm slightly afraid to use them because of the sulfates in them. They gave me some neuropathy in my leg and hand last time.. I guess I could give it a try and see what happens.

I think I remember reading that you can get mesalamine enemas without the sulfates in them. What are they called?

Alternatively, what do you think would be a good dosage if I wanted to continue with the pred? 20mgs? Then taper 5mgs a week?

Thanks

Well, after continued discomfort and loose stools in the morning with slight redish colour, and after speaking to my GI's office this morning, it looks as though I will be continuing with 30mg of pred for now, a stool test tomorrow, and a colonoscopy on Friday. I didn't expect that I would be going for another one so quickly, but I guess it's better to know what's going on than not.

Last time I used prednisone it cleared up my flare almost completely within 3 or 4 days, but I was passing a lot more blood and had more urgency. This time, much like my last minor flare in the spring, I don't have a lot of bowel movements every day and I have small amounts of blood, mostly in the morning. I only have about 2 or 3 bowel movements during the day and they are mostly formed but looser than normal for me, but I assume that's because of the pred I took at breakfast, and by the next morning it's wearing off.

UC is so unpredictable. When I'm not flaring its like I forget all about the disease and live my life just fine. Then, due to diet complacency and other factors I'm sure, it's like the disease is the only thing I can think about and it gets me down. I know some UC sufferers on here have it much worse than me, and I can only imagine what it's like to have to deal with those constant difficulties.

My GI already mentioned remicade last time at my appointment, but I'm reluctant given it seems my symptoms aren't so extreme. Do you think she may recommend that I start remicade, even though I'm not suffering as bad as others?