Daughter flaring again?

Hi. Bratcat seems to be beginning to flare again. She started getting looser bowel movements. Then started to see a little bit of blood. She started back on Rowasa nightly this past week. Was out of school for the past 3 days. Took hydrocortisone enemas for the past 3 nights. Seems to be helping a bit (or at least keeping the flare at bay). She had more good hours today than she has for the past few days. But tonight she felt lousy.

When she is not flaring, she can eat pretty much anything within reason. Nothing seems to work now.

I know it sounds dumb but we can't remember what she ate when she was sick the first time. Any suggestions?

Also, her calves are cramping (this happened the first time also). We believe her electrolytes are low. She drank some Gatorade but (1) it's causing her to go to the bathroom more and (2) I stupidly gave her the colonoscopy prep with Gatorade last year so she now hates Gatorade!  Any suggestions to stop the calves from cramping?

It was almost exactly around this time last year that she got sick. The only thing better now is that we know what is wrong and she is already on medication. Last year she got sick in September and wasn't diagnosed until October. Then first started meds.

Hopefully she will be able to get back to school this week. Besides missing classes, she has Jazz Ensemble audition on Friday and Homecoming (which she watched from the sidelines so very ill last year) on Saturday. We keep remembering the 9 weeks that she was out of school last year and keep hoping that it won't be a repeat this year.

Arrrggghhh!!!

Hi Quincy, we know that the food didn't cause the flare. But now that the flare is here, the food is exacerbating it. The problem now is that she isn't eating much again so going to the bathroom often is producing more blood than anything else. She knows she has to eat but is trying to find something that won't make her go to the bathroom immediately after. This morning is another bad day.

She is doing Rowasa every night. (Although she has been doing hydrocortisone enemas for the past few nights instead). Probably will begin alternating Rowasa and Hydrocortisone enemas each night (Sunday-rowasa, Monday-hydrocortisone, Tuesday-rowasa, etc). That is what her doctor had her doing last year.

She usually gets enough calcium so she hasn't taken calcium pills. We will look into fiber supplements. Are fiber supplements just a temporary fix?

Any suggestions on what to eat? (I know everyone is different.)

At what point do we admit that this is not just "starting to flare" and that she is "flaring"? At what point do we call the doctor? Kind of afraid because the doctor said if she flared again he wouldn't put her back on steroids (he would consider her steroid dependent then) and would switch her to 6-MP. We are hoping to get her under control with the Asacol, rowasa, and hydrocortisone enemas again.

Anytime there is a change in bowel consistancy with/without bleeding that lasts more then a day is usually the first indication that a flare is pending. For me, I can tell I'm heading for a flare when I start to get that annoying left sided pinchy pain with an increase/change in bm's. Then I up my rectal meds and if that doesn't stop the flare in it's tracks within 3 days, I place a call to my GI. Because I know, at least for me, that if I don't respond within 3 days to the increase of meds then I am going to need something more.

Fiber should be used in conjuction with her meds. It will bulk up her stool allowing her to be more comfortable by not running to the bathroom every 5 seconds. What about probiotics? Has she ever tried them?

Sorry to read that Bratcat seems to be in a setback; hopefully she can head off a major flare with current meds, rest, & nutritious diet. Calcium & potassium-rich foods should help with leg-cramping. I agree with kb5's diet recommendations as they have worked well for me, too, during flares. Farina, simple noodle dishes, & natural applesauce are other items that can be soothing. I would avoid Gatorade because most of the flavors contain artificial colors/dyes-- yuck! Is Bratcat lactose intolerant? If so, try lactose-free dairy products &/or soy milk to supplement kb5's recommended foods. Some of us do well with a bit of Brown Cow or StonyField Farm yogurt daily. HealthValley oat or amaranth graham crackers seemed easy for me to tolerate during major flares-- no artificial ingredients. Best wishes for Bratcat to get back under control & back to school ASAP!!!!  / Old Hat (nearly 30 yrs with left-sided UC; currently on 6 Colazal daily for July flare in descending colon; should be back in remission again soon)