My UC first presented with mucus stool instead of bloody and seems to be subject largely to the whims of my hormones. If you notice mucus from vagina pre-flare, it could be that your hormones also...
Ok, needed to update the signature badly....
Yes Mesalamine is totally safe. Think about this--the oral meds are DESIGNED to be topically delivered to your colon (one of the reasons we often can see the coatings in our stool is that they don't...
Hey guys! I'm in the middle of the second worst flare of my life and saw my doctor today. Been fearing it because I've been breastfeeding my 8 month old and really didn't want to stop but knew she'd...
My 2-year younger brother was diagnosed 2 years after I was. It was freakish. I'm sorry to hear about your brother....
The Entocort enemas were the only thing that stopped my flare. Better than Prednisone---and boy, do I wish my doctor had tried those first because pred is YIKES....
Stay consistent with your meds! After a few months of doing much better, I was skipping doses here and there and then WHAM! Stress event + inconsistents meds = major flare with blood and stuff. But...
This is a very emotional topic for me. Before I got this disease, I was training for my second degree black belt in taekwondo and working out like 15 hours/week. I loved it. My husband (then fiance)...
I read the book (as a vegetarian, I thought it would be easier to follow a vegan diet than the SCD which eliminates so much that to stay veggie it would NOT be the "high protein" diet it advertises)....
Thanks so much, everyone. SCD is basically impossible for vegetarians, considering how many legumes are out; and especially impossible for poor vegetarians as all of our cheap, but healthy, caloric...
I use them at the first signs of a flare (gas, painful bowels, extra BMs or watery BMs) and they seem to kick me back to normalcy. My doc wants me to use them every night, but this disease has...
Susie-- I'm so sorry to hear. :-( Health insurance in the US is terrible....
Hello guys, I'm living in South Korea right now and have an awesome doc who's prescribing me tons of maintenence meds (about 6 months worth) because I'm returning to the U.S. This is for personal...
I found my body didn't respond properly to health modifications until about 5 months completely off the pred. And even so, it responds slower than it used to. I NEVER used to have belly fat (like...
Stress, Not enough rest, and (recently discovered) my period....
It didn't work for me. It wasn't until I went to the hospital and was on the IV drip, with no food for a week, and a steroid enema that I saw results in my BMs (the sigmoidscope found no ulcerations...
The moon face and fatigue were awful. Entocort enemas at the first sign of flare seem to be doing the trick along with the Asacol....
The preference is to avoid steroids, if possible, but they scare me less than cancer meds scare me....
Susie... yeah I asked my doc today about why I'm tapering so fast and he said if you were on it for a short time, it doesn't matter as much and you can go faster, but what if it is the taper itself...
My doc had me tapering by 5 every seven days, but I'm going a bit faster than that and he doesn't seem to mind. I'm on 10 as of today (need to update the profile). Two more weeks, if all goes well....
Well, whenever I go down by 5mg, for about 2-3 days I'll go from the 2-3 BMs/day range with little noise and no D to 6-7 BMs per day, lots of weird gut noises, increased urgency and gas, and...
I had Entocort enemas that helped me achieve remission very quickly....
chocolate coconut macaroons are like heaven. and now I'm craving them and they don't exist in this country... thanks guys! :-(...
sorry to hear about your plight! I was diagnosed recently myself and yes, it is a very embarassing disease. What you're experiencing sounds similar to the bad flare I just got out of. Unfortunately,...
Oh the joys of my first taper. Down to 20 for two days now and definitely had some gassy almost D bowel movements yesterday, but hopefully that will settle down after a few days. I'm finding that...
oh god yeah... when i can do it, yoga does amazing things for BOTH the UC and the pain....
I second heat. I wrap my foot in a heating pad for an hour or so and it helps a lot. Also soaking in a hot bath. GOOD LORD I miss bathtubs....
congrats. i hear you on the loss of muscle. don't push yourself too fast, though!...
Having just got my mojo back after a two-month long disgustingly chaste flare... I have to say that certain positions still rub me wrong (unfortunately one of them is my partner's favorite and one I...
Korean nurses are the BEST. Seriously--caring and highly competent. He'll be fine in now time. And yes, Skype is amazing....
Yeah... I'm only just recovering my energy now after being in a bad flare for over a month. Pred giving you energy? Haha--that's a laugh. It's totally zapped me of mine....
Oh god... I should NOT have read this thread.... My wedding is in less than two months and my moonface is godawful, though my doc thinks I'll be off the pred before the big day. Now I'm going to go...
I also really appreciate this forum. Living as an expat in a country where the locals have a REALLY low incidence of this particular disease means that while my doc is very smart and up with the...
i had that happen when i finally came out of the flare, but i think the prednisone i'm tapering is contributing to it....
Go talk to a Ob/Gyn about birth control options. Share your history with her about your medications and UC. DO NOT LIE about ANYTHING and ASK TONS OF QUESTIONS--trust me, there is nothing too...
I understand the frustration of being "young" but having a disease that makes us feel so old. It does, at times, take up all of your life. I'm just now starting to come out of my flare because my...
I lost weight while flaring, but I lost all my muscles, too. I am just now recovering from being weak. I need to lose a little weight (about 20 lbs), but a disease is the crappiest way to do it. I...
Thanks for the words of support, guys. It felt so good, but man, those few dances--the next day my body felt like it was recovering from a 7 hour hike. However, two days later I made it to yoga...
I have always had D the first two days of my period, even before I had UC. I take the pill now where I only get my period a few times a year. As soon as possible (probably next summer when I move...
I had a similar diagnosis process. I started seeing the GI in early April after passing several mucous-only stools in late March We went through a rule-everything-else-out process that included a...
After two months of being a shut-in to a large extent because of this stupid disease, I went out socially last night (I've been back at work for a week and was going to work most days before the...
I've been a (pesca-) vegetarian for years (even before getting UC), so I was also curious about David Klein. I read the book. The science behind it is a little questionable and the veganism demanded...
Yay for resuming hobbies! I'm going to my swing dance club's anniversary party tonight. I'm not up for much dancing, yet, methinks (especially for those of you following my bout with tendinitis...
I get up early mornings and do yoga. I have to go to the bathroom several times during the workout, but the days I do yoga I have control all day and the days I don't I have more episodes around...
I'm a teacher. During the worst flares... you just gotta go when you gotta go. The tummy sounds are annoying to me, but if I can hold it, I do. I haven't resorted to Depends yet. I hope I will not...
Thanks for the responses, guys. It's good to feel not so alone. I'm also having bad calf pains/weakness and did some reading and the location of the tendonitis on my foot is directly related to the...
I'm so sorry to hear. I also hope you feel better soon. I've had some nausea with this flare, but fortunately not enough to push me into the puking range....
I haven't had tendinitis since I was in high school, but as of yesterday afternoon, I could no longer walk on my right foot without severe pain. Went to the doc today to make sure it wasn't broken,...
Right before I went to the hospital, I'd get up 2-3 times overnight, then at around 3 or 4 am, it would go to every half hour and I just couldn't sleep anymore. Now it's under control and I rarely...
I empathize! I hate the hospital. But if you have to go... at least you'll get some relief from the pain....