New guy diagnosed with ulcerative colitis

Hey all Happy Halloween,
I've been having a real difficult time with this newly diagnosed disease (about 2 months ago). Currently in the hospital due to so much blood loss and steroids were not working, I have been here since this past Sunday. The intravenous steroids have seemed to calm it down quite a bit and have been on a liquid diet (having people making me broths). I am going to try and introduce solid foods today.

What I am looking for is tips on what you guys do when in a bad flare up, what do you eat and stay away from (so far I figured high fiber foods, milk products, and grains. Any advice outside of my questions are also welcomed.
As an added note the doctors are discussing putting me on remicade so any additional information or personal experience would also be appreciated.

Thank you in advance for your help.

Big Red- a lot of info for helping you out on this forum. Welcome to the long road go UC. From liquid foods, try just going to some gentle gear like poached chicken and some white rice to get yourself going. Fish and mashed potato, etc.
Apart from that, welcome to the big adventure this is.
I got really bad side effects from AZA and 6mp drugs and have been on Remicade or its equivalent (Infleximab) for nearly a year. Life is far from how it used to be, so some changing of lifestyle gets some getting used to- hope it all gets smoother for you.
The Train.

Looks like things are getting better down from 20+ bowel movements to about 5-5-8 bowel movements. Going home tomorrow and will discuss the options with family members to get some feed back, I'm leaning towards 6mp to start due to I can come off of it without any ramifications. Does anyone have experience in cannabis oil? I set up an appointment with a doctor for the 17th. Drinking carrot juice, bone broth & chicken broth (veggies cooked in them). Eating soft boiled egg and poached chicken.

Dackelmann said:

Big Red- a lot of info for helping you out on this forum. Welcome to the long road go UC. From liquid foods, try just going to some gentle gear like poached chicken and some white rice to get yourself going. Fish and mashed potato, etc.
Apart from that, welcome to the big adventure this is.
I got really bad side effects from AZA and 6mp drugs and have been on Remicade or its equivalent (Infleximab) for nearly a year. Life is far from how it used to be, so some changing of lifestyle gets some getting used to- hope it all gets smoother for you.
The Train.

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Thank you for youre quick reply. Moving from liquids to solids seemed to be a little rough but I'm still spaced out as far as bowel movements go.

Yep- that's the normal timeline. First the steroids to cool it down, then if mesalizine suppositories and granules aren't strong enough, then it's on to 6mp or Aza. If that isn't cutting the mustard its remicade/infleximab.

K.

Hey BigRed, welcome to the forum.

I have pretty moderate UC and it is managed pretty well with Delzicol. I also take a probiotic, which seems to keep my flares milder and of shorter duration. I don't have any food triggers that I know of; stress is my big trigger. Of course, your mileage may be very different. Good luck.

Hi you can take a look at IBD AID diet in my signature for food introduction ideas. good luck!

Definitely avoid anything with little seeds I had to give up poppyseed muffins and Ive had to remember to order burgers with a bun that doesn't have sesame seeds which was hard to remember at first. I've also noticed during a flare that laying off the caffeine seems to help me some (also tough cause I'm an avid coffee drinker) I've been looking into juicing lately because even though we're supposed to stay away from high fiberous fruits and veggies, most of the fiber is found in the skins so juicing gets the nutrients without the high fiber! For solid foods I find that chicken has always been a safe option for me

Quazaka said:

Definitely avoid anything with little seeds I had to give up poppyseed muffins and Ive had to remember to order burgers with a bun that doesn't have sesame seeds which was hard to remember at first. I've also noticed during a flare that laying off the caffeine seems to help me some (also tough cause I'm an avid coffee drinker) I've been looking into juicing lately because even though we're supposed to stay away from high fiberous fruits and veggies, most of the fiber is found in the skins so juicing gets the nutrients without the high fiber! For solid foods I find that chicken has always been a safe option for me

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I have Crohn's Disease and I have trouble with seeds and caffeine among other things. I was on Remicade and it produced a rare side effect called folliculitis. I had a lesion on my scalp. I wish you the best.

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Hi
I hope you find the right combination to help you start feeling better again.

I agree at the beginning take it easy with food. Keep it simple, your poor insides need to heal.

I spoke to my doctor about diet because I noticed that food has a big impact on my illness. She said in 50% of her patients they respond well to gluten free, dairy free, low fibre, low sugar and they should take probiotics. No raw fruit or vegetables. So I am sticking to the diet I have. Plus I take mesalazine orally and suppositories. That is enough to keep me from flaring at the moment. It is hard to stick to the diet but any deviation and I know quite quickly that it was a bad idea.

You might have to experiment what is good for you and what is not. For example for me potatoes are not good, and yet that is often what people are advised to eat, so it took me a long time to realise I should avoid them. It will take a long time, but it is worth it for your long-term health.

Best wishes

Apart from potatoes, the fruit and veg I can eat are well cooked carrots, asparagus, peeled courgettes, butternut squash, bananas, that's about it really. Rice, potatoes and cream crackers for stodge, and rice krispies with oat milk for breakfast.

Been there Big Red. Spent 21 days in hospital when diagnosed. Finally put me on remicade to get me in remission. I spent 6 months on it and it did get me in remission, but i got psoriasis from it so I decided to discontinue and go natural. I have been off all drugs since January 2015. Almost a full year. I have had what I would describe as a few "minor" flares. Little bit of blood and cramping. But for the most part I forget I have this at all. Try a strong probiotic along with L Glutamine. This combination along with daily use of Extra Virgin Olive Oil has helped me tremendously. Good luck

hi Jeff, glad to read you!
Going natural with ''minor flares'' throughout the years is not an ideal management of IBD unfortunately. Not fully treated inflammation can lead to possible complications of IBD, extra-intestinal manifestations or even greater risks of colon cancer for the future. I lived well with my colitis for a good 10 years but after one of these flares, I started chronic arthritis in my upper body joints. If I could wish one thing to go back in time it is truly to have not stopped my medication which then, a year later, lead slowly to a flare with a final result of : arthritis. :mad2:

I understand your reluctance to Remicade due to side effects, but you could ask your GI about milder drugs such as 5-ASA which can be particulary good for UC and help to maintain full remission. Depending on disease location, even topical rectal therapy could be used for a less systemic effect. wishing you well!

If I were you I'd stay away from all fruit as your intestines heal. Almost everyone today needs a diet much more higher in cooked vegetables with a few servings of grass fed lamb/ week, some chicken every now and then, 3-4 cans of sardines/ week, a little bit of grains (organic blue corn seems to be the most healthful from my research), some almond butter.. oh, and 10-12 ounces of fresh, made at home carrot juice.

Try to get your hands on as much organic vegetables as you can. Learn to love cooked rutabagas, celery root, etc. Don't be afraid to slather on a little bit of grass fed butter on those vegetables, or some goat butter, duck fat, etc.

One of the treatments I was on for my Crohn's early on from my initial diagnosis was Remicade. Not sure that it helped that much. I was still eating a regular SAD, fyi.

Drew