I saw the dermatologist today. My face has swollen even more, I don't even recognize myself. She said it was not a drug reaction but contact dermatitis. Basically I have reacted to something I have...
Sugar sugar and more sugar. It is so hard to stay away from!...
Seasons, I weigh about the same as you do. I take 75mg along with Lialda and that keeps me in remission. I had to stop the 6MP for a week due to elevated liver enzymes and had a flare maybe a month...
Thank you for sharing your experiences. Was your rash ever accompanied by swelling? Luckily my eyes do not seem to be affected, but the flesh around them is very swollen. I am waiting to be called...
update: I saw another doctor yesterday who prescribed a five day course of high dose prednisone. I spoke with both of my gi docs on the phone yesterday. One of them feels it could be a reaction to...
I notice minor improvements when I take Vsl regularly but that is difficult because it is rather pricey. I have been able to get a prescription for the vsl#3DS (double strength) from my doctor and my...
I am looking for some insight. A few weeks ago I had some dry skin around my nose and mouth. My dermatologist said it was some sort of dermatitis. Fast forward a bit. I am on vacation in Canada for a...
Of Asacol, Asacol HD, and Lialda, I find Lialda works best for me (not to mention the horrible joint pain I had for months while on Asacol that went away within days of switching to Lialda, never to...
I have not tried the steroid enemas. I think my drs are concerned that I have become steroid dependent and want me off of the steroids at this point. When I flared during pregnancy I tried taking the...
I'm currently flaring on 20 mg of prednisone, 4.8g Lialda, and Rowasa enemas. I'm breastfeeding my son and am not interested in weaning him yet (he won't take a bottle and has even given up his...
I used to take the GNC brand Boswellia. It has 300mg boswellic acid per capsule, so it makes the dosing easy (the study I read used 900mg a day, IIRC). I didn't follow the dosing of 1 pill 3 times a...
Glad to hear you're willing to give the rectal meds a shot, they really work for me and I think they are definitely worth a try over upping your prednisone. FWIW, I've only been on prednisone once...
Some of us like coffee for the taste? Having said that, I can't drink it, regular or decaf. It's one of my triggers. I even tried a cup (organic decaf) after months of no issues and I had diarrhea...
Hormones definitely affect my UC. My symptoms are always a bit worse around the beginning of my period. After months of relative normalcy I got pregnant and within 2 weeks after conception I was...
Oh this is very interesting. I used to be on Asacol and asked to be switched to Lialda prior to TTC because Asacol has phthalates in the coating. I wonder if that is the issue here? FWIW, lots of...
I'm using VSL #3. It's horrendously expensive ($3 a pack), but on the advice of someone else on this board (sorry I don't remember their name!) - I started making making homemade yogurt with it. A...
Asacol definitely "does something" for me - I know this because any time I tried to wean myself off of it and got below a certain dosage, the symptoms would start to come back (same goes for Lialda)....
I've found that Lialda works better than Asacol. Lialda combined with nightly Rowasa seems to be the key to getting me into remission....
Godsgirl, If I'm doing my math correctly, I'm taking about 3 times as much oral mesalamine as you (I'm on Lialda, 3 a day), plus I also take a Rowasa enema nightly (also mesalamine). I'm about 6...
It gave me a fair bit of gas and bloating the first time I started using it, but it eventually subsided. If you find it to be too much, go to half a packet and increase as you get more used to it. I...
I'm 31 and ~6 months pregnant. My colitis first reared its ugly head about 3 years ago. As per my GI's recommendation I made sure I was in remission before getting pregnant (improves your chances of...
I can't have coffee at all, regular or decaf. I figured out it was a trigger about 2 years ago and gave it up. Caffeine doesn't bother me (I can drink black tea or sodas without any problems), but...
I can give you a link to a Canadian pharmacy I used in the past with good service. Just send an email to the address listed in my profile and I will be glad to send it along. (I would post it here...
I blend it into a smoothie. You need to drink it up before it gels though, then things get weird :p...
I was having a lot of pain in my hands/wrists about a year ago. Was checked out by a rheumatologist, but came back negative for arthritis. Drove me crazy for a long while. Then I switched from Asacol...
It varies based on a lot of things (including the airline and sorry I'm not familiar with Continental's policy). The best way to find out would be to call and ask. Something you might want to look...
FWIW, I waited... a year and a half or so to get into a good enough remission for my GI to say he thought it was a good time to try to get pregnant. I flared (badly) anyway. Looking back, I can't say...
I was in 'remission' for a couple of months before getting pregnant. At 4.5 weeks pregnant I started flaring and it just worse and worse until I ended up on prednisone. I'm at 18.5 weeks now and...
I'm so sorry you're flaring during pregnancy, that's no fun! Your story sounds so much like mine: in remission, get pregnant, flare (badly) very early on. I ended up on prednisone too, 40 mg to...
I'm currently 17 weeks pregnant, taking Lialda x 3 a day, Rowasa enemas, and prednisone (tapering off from 40 mg, down to 2.5mg as of today) Personally I think it is better to be on meds than to risk...
Sorry I have taken so long to respond, I am just seeing your post now. I still don't know how I will react to birth as I am still pregnant :) 16 weeks, and tapering off prednisone (currently down to...
So glad to hear that you are having an improvement - regardless of what is causing it :)...
I just started taking a liquid iron supplement called Floradix. I'm in remission right now thanks to prednisone and find even the iron in the prenatal to be constipating (a strange change for me, for...
Oh I'm so sorry that it affected your flight :( During my most recent flare, I was worried about an upcoming flight and bought travel insurance just in case (luckily I was feeling better and able to...
It's very individualized. Some lucky people like songlady go into remission from the pregnancy hormones. Mine caused me to flare and I needed prednisone to get out of it (I did have advance warning:...
I flared very badly quite early in my pregnancy (starting at 4.5 weeks, which is really only 2.5 weeks after conception), and I ended up needing to go on prednisone to get it under control. I was...
I find that traveling can make a minor flare worse. I think that just the added stress of traveling can cause the flare to worsen. What I find helps is to try to continue eating the same way I am at...
I mix the flavored packets with water and a little bit of orange gatorade powder - tastes like creamsicle :)...
I am currently 11 weeks pregnant, taking Lialda (x3 a day), Rowasa (x1 a day) and prednisone (started at 40mg, tapering by 5mg per week and currently on 20mg). I was in remission when we conceived...
This is very interesting to me. I am currently on prednisone for a bad flare. Luckily I am currently doing very well (other than all the crazy side effects). If I begin to flare again as I taper off,...
That is good to know, that the symptoms do not start right away, so I will have time to get back home before they start. I am certainly willing to get a little bit worse before I get better. Looking...
I have oatmeal many mornings (rolled oats, not the instant kind). I add cinnamon and a few dried cherries for sweetness. When I am not flaring I like to add freshly roasted nuts (pecans, usually) to...
Wow, if I don't go for more than 24 hours I get backed up, bloated, and miserable. Definitely inform your doctor....
I find it helps to squeeze all of the air out first. The Rowasa can make you a bit gassy anyway, so putting more in there seems counterproductive. I do it right before bed, and go and lay down...
Thanks for the input. I do get along well with my parents, so if I did need to spend 3 weeks there it would be longer than my normal visits but certainly not intolerable :) But the one shot deal...
Soy is a trigger for me, so I avoid it for the most part (soy oil, soy sauce, etc don't seem to bother me, or other soy in very small amounts). For the most part, I drink Rice Dream and will use...
I've been absolutely exhausted since I tapered down to 25 mg a few days ago (I started at 40 mg for a week, reducing by 5mg every week). I'm also pregnant so I assumed that's why I've been feeling so...
I'm hoping to try the worms at some point. I am currently pregnant (and on prednisone for a very bad flare that started about 6.5 weeks ago, very early in my pregnancy) so the worms aren't an option...
I eat mostly organic, don't eat soy for the most part (it's a trigger for me), eat hardly any corn, and I don't really know if it makes all that big of a difference to the UC, to be honest. I think...
thatfield, I am so glad to hear that your UC isn't giving you too much trouble :) I'm trying to be very optimistic that I will get this under control and be able to go back to living my life....