Posted 7/11/2013 4:32 PM (GMT -5)
Hi there,
Short story: diagnosed in October 2011, put on Apriso and Mesalamine enemas. Flare kept continuing. In February 2012, was hospitalized for 5 days (20-25 times a days and losing lots of blood). Released on 60 mg of pred and started remicade. Stayed on remicade through to the fall of 2012, but had to get off because I was experiencing remicade-induced joint pain and I was getting sick all the time--the first minor cold I got at the beginning of the school year (I'm a teacher) turned into a sinus infection, a double-ear infection, and conjunctivitis all together (UC symptoms pretty stable at this point). Transitioned to Imuran in fall of 2012, and decided to again transition down to Lialda in the early spring of this year. So, for the past 4 months or so, I've only been on Lialda and it's been a great drug for me. I had thought early on that oral mesalamines weren't going to work for me because Apriso hadn't, but Lialda has been working awesome for me and I hope it always does!
As for my diet, it's kind of crazy because for all intents and purposes I eat pretty much whatever I want. I eat yogurt every day, and I also use VSL #3 every day as a probiotic. I drink a Chinese dark tea with anti-inflammatory attributes. I drink and eat all sorts of dairy products now. The only thing I've found that I can't tolerate at all is chewing gum. When I was flaring so badly for almost a year, I was eating the most bland, safe diet and was still experiencing horrible symptoms with urgency/frequency.
So, I don't know why Lialda is working for me so well when Apriso didn't, but I found that choosing to "downgrade" from both remicade and Imuran has served me well. This is the best I've felt in the last 2 years.
Good luck!
Take care,
Lisa