Hi everyone!
I was diagnosed with UC (and anaemia) in April and have since completed an 8week course of Prednisolone and am maintaining remission using Asacol (and iron supplements). My IBD nurse told me to not really avoid any foods, but just to continue regular exercise and not drink much alcohol.
A week ago my UC flared up for the first time since diagnosis, resulting in all those horrible symptoms again! I can't think of anything that would have specifically caused it, and it did occur quickly without any warning signs.
As this is my first flare since diagnosis, I feel a bit lost. Does anyone have any advice on what to do from here? Thanks!!
Dear Chris,
So sorry to hear about your flare. It's never good news, but you found a great support group and it looks like you have a communicative GI and nurse so you seem to be in good hands already.
Prednisone is very effective at treating inflammatory symptoms but it is so damaging over long-term use that it is no longer prescribed for chronic treatments. It's administered as a band-aid in times of acute or aggressive flare. It's standard to prescribe something else alongside the steroids to maintain remission afterwards. In your case, the Asacol did not work. It happens. I tired three types of 5ASA myself and none worked.
Your TB test is make sure you don't have it as Aza modulates the immune system responses and could make you vulnerable to the disease.
Aza worked great for me and after a month of taking it saw the first signs of notable improvements. Unfortunately I developed pancreatitis, one of its (rare) side effect, so had to stop that too.
While you're taking Aza there won't be much to help you in the short term unless you go back on pred again, or try another 5ASA. I see you were prescribed suppositories, these should reduce the symptoms locally at the very least.
Whether you have UC or Crohn's isn't that much of a deal since both pathologies are nearly identical as symptoms are concerned. It is important to know for the treatment however, and your options, so that's coming.
While the Aza does its thing there are things you can do to help reduce symptons and pain.
Food- certain foods are more difficult for the body to digest. It mostly has to do with the chemical complexity of the food you're digesting. Whole grains, raw vegetables or fruits and fibers require extra effort. Other molecules like lactose or gluten can irritate the bowel on their own by inducing an allergic response. If you avoid those stressers, it can give your intestine a break and reduce the amount of inflammation in there, thus the pain and other symptoms.
Cannabis- there's a lot of propaganda and stigma working against this plant but the molecules it produces, cannabinoids, are nothing short of amazing, and the biochemist in me is hardly able to believe the science on this. The clinical trial results are starting to come out and what has been suspected for a long time has been confirmed both in humans and in-vitro as well, in a controlled and verifiable environment. Cannabis is powerful enough to induce remission in large doses and apt enough to treat all associated symptoms in small doses. It comes at a cost of temporary reduction in your short term memory performance, can impact your motivation, makes your eyes red and mouth dry. The biggest unwanted side effect for some is the high, which can be eliminated or mitigated.
Stress- avoid it as much as possible, and when you do have to deal with it, think of stress as a positive thing in your life. It may change your physiological response to the perceived pressure. I offer you this TED talk from neuroscientisit Kelly McGonigal on the topic:
http://www.ted.com/talks/kelly_mcgonigal_how_to_make_stress_your_friend.html
Sleep- Get at least 8h of it a day. Our bodies need that time to regenerate and heal even on a cellular level.
Good luck!
It's always a challenge, especially if it's a first flare. Here's a few things I'm hoping might help. Please keep us updated on how you're doing. Sending hugs your way.
