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Posted 8/27/2012 1:53 PM (GMT -5)
Anyone who has used a colon rest to get into remission please let me know-
1. What exactly is a colon rest. - food or nutricious liquid if any and length of time for a true rest

2. How did you go about doing the colon rest. - what was/is your protocol?

3. Did it work?

Thanks
Jake
Posted 8/27/2012 3:11 PM (GMT -5)
Glad you asked, I was wondering the same thing. Looking forward to see what folks come up with.
Posted 8/27/2012 3:13 PM (GMT -5)
I asked my GI to put me in the hospital for a colon rest.  She danced around the question and then said no. I have a few more options left.   I have heard from a few people it works.  One of my nurses had it done and has been in remission for 3 years.  However, you do lose a lot of weight.  Also, very expensive for the hospital. I have heard it taking anywhere from 21 to 40 days in the hospital.  I told my doctor if it comes done to surgery, I want to try colon rest first.  At least I know I tried everything. 
Posted 8/27/2012 4:59 PM (GMT -5)
Callalilly has it listed in her signature so you could likely find out from her. She may be away on vacation now. / Old Hat (31 yrs with left-sided UC; presently in remission taking brandname Colazal)
Posted 8/27/2012 5:16 PM (GMT -5)
Interesting, I've never heard of this as a means of getting into remission.
Posted 8/27/2012 5:28 PM (GMT -5)
Sara, when I was diagnosed with UC in 1980, it was a more common approach to treating severe UC-- that involved the use of Total Parenteral Nutrition (TPN). At that time the TPN had to be administered in hospital, but now I think patients can have it set up at home. If you remember Pam222's posts-- she was using it at home a couple yrs ago, but hers might have been to supplement food intake rather than to replace it entirely for a while. Hopefully, some members who have used TPN will respond with details. One could also inquire on the Crohn's Forum about it. / Old Hat (31 yrs with left-sided UC; presently in remission taking brandname Colazal)
Posted 8/27/2012 5:32 PM (GMT -5)
Thanks for the info., Old Hat. I have heard of TPN for Crohnies.
Posted 8/27/2012 7:16 PM (GMT -5)
I did bowel rest for a few weeks. I got a picc line in the hospital and was put on TPN. I came home w/ the picc line. At home nursing taught us how to administer the tpn at home. I did this for a couple of weeks.

That being said I'm pretty sure it was the iv steroids in the hospital that got me into remission. Not the bowel rest.
Posted 8/27/2012 7:30 PM (GMT -5)
I was on colon rest for 40 days.
They fed me through a PIC line and gave me IV fluids & steroids.
It was tough at first but I got used to no food pretty quickly and ate ice chips constantly.
Looking back, it was not such a bad price to pay to avoid the knife.
This method helped me avoid surgery which was inevitable according to the surgeon and the GI team at this hospital. They were wrong -I was right to fight for my self.
I am now very healthy, I still have seasonal flares occasionally, but still have my colon and all the other parts I was born with.
Posted 8/27/2012 8:34 PM (GMT -5)
pink1, how was the picc line? did you find it uncomfortable? were you able to workout, sleep, do every day activities okay? my doc wants to put me on TPN and it scares me. were you using it with foods or as your only nutrition?
Posted 8/28/2012 12:05 PM (GMT -5)
Is there any other way to do it aside fromTPN?
What about clear liquids for a couple weeks - has anyone tried that?

I see the guy on procitis pages did something like that as a fast-
Posted 8/28/2012 12:20 PM (GMT -5)

JayGuitar said...
Is there any other way to do it aside fromTPN?
What about clear liquids for a couple weeks - has anyone tried that?

I see the guy on procitis pages did something like that as a fast-

I was hospitalized a few times and put on bowel rest but never had TPN. They had me on clear liquids only with and IV drip for hydration and loaded me up on IV steroids. Each of the times the hospital stay was about 7 days. Bowel rest alone probably isn't going to get you in remission though. For me it was more the mega dose of steroids that stopped my flare.
Posted 8/28/2012 12:44 PM (GMT -5)
If the problem is autoimmune, colon rest may help somewhat but it is unlikely to stop the autoimmune attack. If that is the case you will eventually be right back where you started. If the problem really is autoimmune the only way to go into remission would be to stop that autoimmune attack. That is why most of the tricks the doctors have involve slowing down or stopping that attack by steroids, immodulators, or biologic agents. For the record though, I am against all of those because they carry side effects which are often worse than just living with UC.
Posted 8/28/2012 2:43 PM (GMT -5)
Jay,

I have done a version of "colon rest".

For me, it involved having 4-5 protein shakes a day (made with almond milk + all my supplements added to it), and lots of water, no food whatsoever for 4-5 days.

I found it very soothing, and it was indeed restful to my colon.

I have heard of people doing the same thing with the special homemade broths as well.

Hope this helps.

 

Posted 8/28/2012 3:00 PM (GMT -5)
During my last massive flare up, I was on bowel rest for awhile in the hospital also while being given massive doses of IV steroids. None of it worked and ended up having "emergency" surgery.
Posted 8/29/2012 6:49 AM (GMT -5)
Good to hear from you, InSoFla.
Your advice has always been so helpful to me.
Jake
Posted 8/29/2012 7:42 AM (GMT -5)
Many rest their colons with chicken broth and apple sauce. But if you intend to subsist on aloe vera juice or almond milk, both may easily contain carrageenan. then your colon may not receive much rest at all.
Posted 8/29/2012 7:44 PM (GMT -5)
Jake, my pleasure.

Have you ever given thought to trying LDN?

Posted 8/30/2012 5:02 PM (GMT -5)
I was doing TPN for 12 hours at night. A nurse came 3 nights and set it up. My hubby did it after that. The tpn was in a backpack so I just carried it back and forth when I needed to get up. So TPN just at night. I ate a low residue diet during the day (chicken noodle soup, mashed potatoes, etc).

I had the picc line inserted in radiology. The hardest part was keeping it dry while showering. But I used saran wrap and water proof paper tape so it wouldn't get wet.

I didn't have enough energy to workout. But I was able to go to the mall, Target, take my son to school ,etc.

bananagirl said...
pink1, how was the picc line? did you find it uncomfortable? were you able to workout, sleep, do every day activities okay? my doc wants to put me on TPN and it scares me. were you using it with foods or as your only nutrition?

Posted 8/30/2012 7:24 PM (GMT -5)
so pink, what was the intended/actual outcome ?
Posted 8/31/2012 8:04 AM (GMT -5)
The intended and actual outcome is to save one's colon, which TPN/colon rest did in my case.
It's not an easy thing, but well worth saving a vital part of your body.
Posted 8/31/2012 12:19 PM (GMT -5)
I have moderate/severe proctitis. It was severe when I went into the hospital. My GI's thinking was to give the rectum area a rest, let the IV steroids do their job and get my weight up.

soystud said...
so pink, what was the intended/actual outcome ?

Posted 8/31/2012 12:37 PM (GMT -5)
and so .........
Posted 8/31/2012 2:51 PM (GMT -5)
InSoFla--
Would LDN be something that most GI docs are familiar with? I haven't thought about it before-

Thanks
Jay
Posted 8/31/2012 9:17 PM (GMT -5)
Dude i've told you a couple times this is the thing that clears up all my symptoms in like a week.

Make this soup
http://nourishedmagazine.com.au/blog/articles/brasco-broth

Drink only the broth for 48 hours, no solid food. Then add in the chicken on the 3rd day. On the 5th day add in the carrots.
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