New to UC and this Forum

Hello all,

I am a 25 yr old married man in the entertainment buisness.I was diagnosed with UC in December after over a month of uknown bloody mucus stools...first thought to be some type of infection but after a colonscopy it was confirmed to be Ulcerative Colitis(Pancolotis). After leaving the hospital i was put on 40 mg of prednisone and Lialida. I have since been switched to Asacol 3 pill 3 times a day. I went about a month with no blood or mucus but in the past week i first noticed mucus and more and more the blood is starting to return. I am trying to watch what i eat but not really sure what i should or shouldnt be eatting...anyone have any ideas? and is this normal to start with the blood and mucus so soon...this disease has really got me depressed, i am really scarred i am not going to be able to go out to dinner with my wife and friends and drink some wine or beer and enjoy a night out like we used to...any one have any insight...sorry for rambling...

Jason

welcome

Hi and welcome to Healingwell Jason :) I believe we all go thru or have gone thru so many emotions with this disease and yes depression can be one of them. Anytime someone is diagnosed with a chronic illness, they may go thru a grieving stage. It's so easy to think about what once was and wish you can have that back. And you may still be able to do that but with a few alterations. You just have to find your away around the obstacles. Uc is a very unpredictable disease. You never know when a flare is going to strike but as long as you keep it tucked away in the back of your mind that you will flare again; that it can actually liberate you. It sounds like a warped logic but this is what has helped me cope with this disease for the past 16 years. I know when I flare again and I know how my body responds at the beginning of a flare, I know that I can be proactive in my care and stop the flare before it becomes full blown.

Definately look into using enemas. Have you ever tried these yet? Sometimes the oral medications don't reach down to the rectum/sigmoid area and that is why the enemas come in handy. They handle sigmoid/rectal flares.

Welcome. Your symptoms will come and go, at least that's true for most. I'm happy when I'm not having any urgency, that's the worst. I poo some blood, but my body makes more and it's OK.
You'll learn a lot here about how to manage, but don't think you'll get every problem that comes up here!

For example, I've been on prednisone occasionally for decades and have no long term effects that I'm aware of, but some people get terrible problems.

I have no kids (but not because of UC) and we go out with friends a lot but none of them even know I have this. Just some situations I avoid now, like hikes or picnics where there won't be any kind of toilet. And I think we all HATE road trips!!

do you notice a difference...right now i am on 3 400mg pills 3 times a day and 30mg prednisone...havent been running to the toilet, just the last few days i started noticing blood and mucus again...does thie work above and beyond the two medicines i am on...anyone have any idea of what types of food i should be eatting... i am clueless

where is that?

You can look up low residue diet on google and find out about low fiber diets. I don't think diet effects me too much but I do try to avoid processed foods and sugars when I am flaring. I was doing really well on Asacol for about a month and now I am starting to flare up again too. I am not ready to be running to the toilet so soon after my brief break in symptoms. I do think it is normal to have these types of relapses though. I personally am not ready to jump into trying a bunch of different meds but if you feel helpless, maybe it is best that you see a GI and see if they can offer you something stronger. I see people here who can't control their UC with any type of medication. I am so worried it will happen to me.

     Low residue diet while flaring is best.  I was in a doozy of a flare last year.  It lasted seven months but I am finally in remission.  I did the Cort enemas but in the hospital I couldn't retain them so the doctor put me on Canasa suppositories.  They seemed to help somewhat too.  It wasn't until my GI doctor jump started my prednisone at 40 mgm (he hates me being on it and usually will just start me at 30mgm but that just didn't do the trick and I relapsed twice after tapering off), with a 10 mgm per week taper.  That along with the 6MP, Cort enemas, Canasa and Colazal finally achieved remission.  Now I eat anything but crabcakes (I think they initiated or helped initiate two of my past flares) and real spicey food or fried food.

     If you like salmon that does wonders for the gut.  I bake mine with a tad of olive oil and paprika on top.  Some people in here say pineapple helps too.  Good luck.

Has anyone else noticed that the Pred or Asacol makes them extremly thirsty...since i have been on this i am thirsty drinkning and peeing all day long...any connction?