Joint pain

I have always used topicals on my gastro's advice-- usually Ben Gay arthritis formula because it contains 30% salicylate but no camphor which tends to reek. Keep moving as much as possible & keep up your calcium + vita D intake. Heating or cooling the joint can also help-- this is pretty much trial & error on the patient's part to find out if one or the other will relieve the pain. Heat usually helps me. Just beware not to use heat in combination with any of the otc lotions that have warning labels against this! / Old Hat (nearly 30 yrs with left-sided UC; currently on 3 X 3 Colazal daily for July flare in descending colon, which is responding)

I always had achey elbows.  Enteric coated fish oil has helped ease this quite a bit.  Fish oil with Omega 3 is a good anti-inflammatory.  Make sure you get the enteric coated, so the fish oil reaches the intestines and not just the stomach.  Fish oil without the enteric coating also gives you fish tasting burps.  With the enteric coating you never taste anything.

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Diagnosed UC 1999

Asacol (no effect)

Colazal (no effect)

VSL#3 (not enough difference to justify the cost)

OTC : Probiotics (Primadophillius Reuteri, 1 capsule per day), enteric coated Fish Oil (1.7g 3x per day), Metamucil (one serving 4x per day), Turmeric/Curcumin95% (1g 2x per day), Multivitamin, Caltrate 600D (2x per day), L-Glutamine (5g 2x per day, first thing in the morning on an empty stomach and before bed)

approximate current BMs : two in the a.m. (generally between 8-10 a.m.), then one around 3pm, and one around 9pm