Subzeromambo said...
I am in the middle of a very bad flare. At the moment pain level is at an 8. Bleeding ranges from very little to almost half a cup of very bright red blood. Self-treating at home with pred and rowasa. We lost our unemployment health insurance so I can't go to the doctor. We don't qualify for medicaide because our unemployment payments are too high.
This flare has been going on for a month. I self-treated with 40 mg pred one week, 30 mg one week, 25 mg one week and now 20 mg. I also use nightly rowasa. I was getting better until the last three days. The pain went from a 4 to an 8, weakness has increased. D has started again, perhaps 6 to 9 times day. Pain is in lower left quadrant and my back.
I keep wanting to tough it out but maybe I am being stupid. What do you think?
Your current situation sounds somewhat like mine, except no actual diarrhea. High pain but over whole gut, not in back. Lots of bleeding, but no real fecal bm. Finally I went to doctor and was put on exactly the same pred schedule as you mention above. No improvement. Went back and am now on prednisone 40mg for 14 days (beginning Thursday 10 Mar), 30mg for 14 days, 20mg for 14 days, 10mg for 14 days, and 5mg for 14 days. Changed diet on Friday. Saturday, Sunday and Monday slight improvement. Today too, however aggravated gut today with cornbread and margarine, and possibly the liquid from a beef stew.
Drastically changing my diet in conjunction with resumed 40mg pred dosage had a significantly positive affect. Boiled carrots and potatoes, unsweetened applesauce, banana, fresh baked white bread dipped in potato-carrot liquid, apple juice, papaya juice, Gatorade and water. A cigarette now and then doesn't seem to hurt at all. I'm going to try the plain chicken broth with fluffy rice and a bit of lemon that another poster mentioned.
40mg prednisone is in the high end, but I'm thinking that it might not be quite high enough. Am going back to doctor tomorrow or Thursday to consult.
Anyway, to repeat what others have said, prednisone, or any prescript
ion UC drug for that matter, must be done only in conjunction with doctor supervised-prescribed schedule.
Rest, rest, rest is most important. Fill your mind only with nonstressful thoughts if possible. I use comedy movies. They seem to work.
One question: I'm curious about
your diarrhea. Was it actual, largely fecal, diarrhea? Or just reddish brown liquid with bloody mucous clots and lots of bright red blood on toilet paper -- with a persistent feeling of having to defecate but unable to?