How long does it take

Hi ChristyLat, you're two days on Canasa and I'd expect it to take about 2-3 weeks before you start seeing big improvements, as you heal it'll become more and more easy to retain them. The last bit of symptoms can take longer to fully go away. If hydrocortisone enemas and canasa are the right medications and doses for you, then I'd expect you should be able to enter remission, that is an absence of ulcerative colitis symptoms. Getting your correct mix of medications and doses is a bit of trial-and-error for most doctors, they don't always get it right the very first time or often even the second time. So, it takes time, persistence, and patience over a series of months to get everything right. As rectal inflammation can be quite stubborn in ulcerative colitis, so it sometimes takes different doses or even much stronger medications in order to control your symptoms. UC can be quite tricky, and quite individual, with no two individuals having exactly the same solution. To you as a new patient that is very frustrating and all you want is a quick solution, but it's the reality we all face.

Remission is always the treatment goal, when I was last in it I had just one normal bm a day without urgency, blood, or any of the typical uc symptoms we all know and loathe. It was easy to go about my day and forget that I had UC, as UC wasn't a concern at all. It can take time to heal internally, and there can be wild daily variations within your symptoms, but you should see steady improvements week-to-week. For some individuals blood is the very last symptom to go away, for other individuals blood is the very first to go away (like me), as it does vary.

Hang in there and be patient, as it does get better. I believe you're much better off having both the hydrocortisone enemas and canasa suppositories.

Oh and remind us again do you have Ulcerative Proctitis (rectum only), Ulcerative Proctosigmoiditis (rectum and sigmoid colon involvement), or pancolitis (entire large intestine involvement)?

"I'm not sure if I like my GI she doesn't think nutrition has anything to do with helping, and doesn't seem real invested in helping me."

adios doc !


"I've actually thought about going back to smoking to make this go away 😢"

imo, not a bad idea - how much did you smoke ?

CCPA, the OP was originally on only steroid enemas, and recently added canasa.

ChristyLat, if you've got 20cms of inflammation then it's ulcerative proctosigmoiditis, like I have. As such, canasa might not reach it all. A rowasa enema would reach further and be a bit better. Try the canasa for now and consider the rowasa should things plateau or get worse.

Some former smokers find some relief in trying to smoke again. Others do not. Smoking has it's own health risks to consider. Unfortunately there's no undoing uc, once that Pandora's box opens.

Most gastroenterologists say diet has nothing to do with ulcerative colitis. Anecdotally some here say it has helped them. Most of the literature and process doctors follow for uc says diet does nothing, so, they prescribe medications. Some research says diets might help uc, small studies here and there and such. Uc is highly individual. I've tried diets and seen no improvement in uc symptoms, so I eat normally.

Yes, a minority like yourself for whom medications didn't work, but it most certainly isn't the defacto, 1st page treatment for uc. Often it isn't even in the back pages of said medical guidelines for uc. So, most gastroenterologists don't acknowledge or recommend diets. The diets aren't clear cut, where one diet works for everyone. Even those here who use diets each have very different allowed versus disallowed foods found over time with a food diary. If one has lots of time to experiment then it's possible it could help reduce some uc symptoms. But then again it could do nothing, as in my case. One of many things to try that could possibly help. There's some things that can help an individual, and many that won't and only experimentation says your individual solution. Not my solution or anyone else's.

After my original scope she put me on hydro and mesalimine enemas - I had to stop the mesalimine after two weeks as it caused D every ten minutes - I stopped it and the D went away and continued on the Hydro for the full 4 week course. I was good until October 4th where I started having blood, mucus farts 💨 😱 So I called and she put me on hydro, things progressed to D and still blood so I called and she started me on the canasa suppository. I smoked off and on for 10 years, I quit before I was pregnant with my soon to be 3 year old, started back after she was born for a bit then quit for good two years ago- been dealing with blood which they all thought was hems shortly after. My last scoop was July 25 and I had one six months before that- I don't want to be scoped again any time soon- cost and the fact it makes me worse! I just want to feel better, I started juicing and am making a concuous effort to lessen my gluten but I was tested and am not gluten intolerant or lactose. I ended up getting a fever last night and my SIL is saying it could be from my UC but I'm feeling rather congested this am- she wants me to go to my doc to be sure 😢 Ugh!!!! How did you guys weed out a good GI? I think I may need to start the process of finding one who focuses on IBD.

Could my fever be related to the canasa suppository? I made an appointment with my General doc for today. But I'm
Hesitant to put the suppository in before hand - oh this is a confusing time! Woke up and so far fever free but last night it was almost 102. 🤔

Yes, this forum mentions diets and alternatives, and results do vary. I was merely explaining the point of view of a typical gastroenterologist regarding diets, and what's in the current medical guidelines for treatment of ulcerative colitis, which I believe are described accurately. Certainly many things discussed in the forum are well beyond standard medical treatment for uc which has value but also risk in that it hasn't been well studied.

Everyone flares Mr soy, myself included. Again, I removed too many maintenance medications and suffered accordingly. You seem eager to use my flare as ammunition against me whenever you see an opportunity. I'm tapering pred and feeling quiet good lately, and certain I'm soon regaining my card to club remission.

The mesalamine enemas gave sulfates in them which can be an allergen for some. There's a sulfate-free version sf-rowasa that you could try.

I went to my primary, they can't say it's a virus or a reaction but she called my GI and they told me to stop the canasa as an allergic reaction can be flu like symptoms and fever. They said I should if it's an allergic reaction feel better in 72 hours. The GI wants me to just continue on with the hydro enemas for now. My primary did say that I might be better off taking an oral steroid to try and nip this flare - I'm hesitant as I have high anxiety normally and am worried the prednisone will make it 1,000 x's worse! I mentioned a mantience drug to my primary and she said right now just the hydro and VSL3. When she called my GI to be sure the fever couldn't be from UC my GI said the type of UC I have is mild and wouldn't cause a fever as it's more in the lower end. I'm glad I have a primary who wanted to ensure she handled it right since I don't have only small congestion symptoms which she said could be my allergies she didn't want to give me antibiotics which could hurt me more. I'm allergic to sulfa drugs, could that be why I have issues with the mesalimines?

Post Edited (ChristyLat) : 10/21/2016 4:47:33 PM GMT