Watery diarrhea for days...

The meds don't seem to help... There's no blood or mucus. I was so much better the last 2 months and now this. No idea what triggered it... I'm supposed to go on a holiday in 6 days. Any idea what to do or how to fix this?
Hey petar,

How's your weight and general nutrition?
If you are reasonably ok nutritionally then taking it easy with food for a couple days might settle you down. Drink plenty of fluids and maybe clear broth for a day or two...
Sometimes that is enough to rest the gut and let things calm down.
Hopefully you'll be fit and ready for your holiday smile
UC is good at keeping us guessing and frustrated. I'd reach out to your gasteroenteroligist, and see if he/she can run a stool test for possible infectious causes, and a test for inflammation (either a CRP blood test or FCP stool test). Maybe said doctor might have some suggestions.

Does the diarrhea smell ungodly awful, more so than is considered normal? I'm wondering if you've picked up a Clostridium Difficile infection, and an awful smell is a sign of that.

You can always ask your doctor for a prescription for steroid enemas (i.e., budesonide or hydrocortisone) or foams (i.e., colifoam or uceris) to take along on your trip.
Moderator Ulcerative Colitis
John
, 40, UC Proctosigmoiditis
Rx: Remicade @5mgs/kg/6wks; daily 75mgs 6MP, 4.8g generic-Lialda, and rowasa

You might have UC if a friend/spouse suggests a fun outing, and the very first thing crossing your mind is the people-to-bathroom ratio...
From what I read of your past posts, you are undertreated. At the very least, you should be on mesalamine oral AND rectal 4g retention enemas. Your issues have been worsening over the past month it seems.

Stool samples are a good idea asap regarding testing.

I suggest you call the doc and request steroid oral topical and retention enemas considering your travel plans, or another mesalamone other than sulfasalazine, plus retention enemas.

What probiotic are you using?

Hope you feel better soon!

q
*Heather* I give suggestions, do with them what you will.
Status: ...Asacol 3 @ 2x daily; Salofalk enema @ 3rd night (nightly/ flares, tapered/maintenance)
~diagnosed January 1989 UC (proctosigmoiditis)
~Bentylol 20mg as needed; Zantac 150mg; Pulmicort/Oxeze/Airomir (asthma); Effexor XR 75mg (depression); Rosuvastatin 10mg (cholesterol); Telemesartin 80mg (BP)
~vitamins/minerals/supplements; Probiotics....(RenewLife Ultimate Flora Critical Care + Genuine Health Advanced Gut Health 50 billion @ bedtime)
~Metamucil capsules 6 @ 2x daily with meals; Vitamin D 4500 IU
~URSO 500mg @ 2x daily for Primary Biliary Cholangitis
"TREAT (FROM)BOTH ENDS" worth it !!
ambling said...
Hey petar,

How's your weight and general nutrition?
If you are reasonably ok nutritionally then taking it easy with food for a couple days might settle you down. Drink plenty of fluids and maybe clear broth for a day or two...
Sometimes that is enough to rest the gut and let things calm down.
Hopefully you'll be fit and ready for your holiday smile


I think it's normal... Yep, I'm trying to take it easy now 😎
iPoop said...
UC is good at keeping us guessing and frustrated. I'd reach out to your gasteroenteroligist, and see if he/she can run a stool test for possible infectious causes, and a test for inflammation (either a CRP blood test or FCP stool test). Maybe said doctor might have some suggestions.

Does the diarrhea smell ungodly awful, more so than is considered normal? I'm wondering if you've picked up a Clostridium Difficile infection, and an awful smell is a sign of that.

You can always ask your doctor for a prescription for steroid enemas (i.e., budesonide or hydrocortisone) or foams (i.e., colifoam or uceris) to take along on your trip.


Doesn't smell any different... I'll ask again but all doctors I've been to say that oral meds are enough in my case πŸ™„
quincy said...
From what I read of your past posts, you are undertreated. At the very least, you should be on mesalamine oral AND rectal 4g retention enemas. Your issues have been worsening over the past month it seems.

Stool samples are a good idea asap regarding testing.

I suggest you call the doc and request steroid oral topical and retention enemas considering your travel plans, or another mesalamone other than sulfasalazine, plus retention enemas.

What probiotic are you using?

Hope you feel better soon!

q



I was fine before these last days. I'm in Bulgaria now, hometown. I usually live in China... Something in the food here might have triggered it, my guess...Im taking an Australian probiotic Life space...15 strains, 32 billion CFU..
I've never taken more than 1500 mg mesalamine / Sulfa a day... That's what I've been prescribed...
It's a very light form... Only at the beginning and end of the colon.
UC specialists are very few here and only in Sofia... I'll try to see one before I go but it's difficult as they are booked for months.
The ones in my hometown aren't as good πŸ˜‘
What's normal for a UC patient, is to be prescribed 4,000mgs a day of an oral mesalamine (asacol/lialda/mezavant/pentasa) and 4,000mgs a day of a rectal-route mesalamine-retention enema. Stick with Sulfasalazine if it works for you (rather than asacol), but it still should be 4,000 mgs a day.

You ask, "why are you struggling?". One word: under-treatment. Your doctors are doing you a disservice by under-treating you, and are causing you to suffer needlessly. If your case is so mild that those dosages were appropriate then you would not be struggling. See what I am getting at here ;-)

First rule of UC, become your own best advocate for what YOU need to be well. Your doctor is NOT all-knowing. Doctors initially, easily shrug-off our concerns. We need to be persistent and insistent on what we NEED to be well. Know what medications are typically prescribed to us, insist that they follow what's normal and accepted for us. Important lesson!

Post Edited (iPoop) : 8/8/2018 9:27:56 AM (GMT-6)

iPoop said...
What's normal for a UC patient, is to be prescribed 4,000mgs a day of an oral mesalamine (asacol/lialda/mezavant/pentasa) and 4,000mgs a day of a rectal-route mesalamine-retention enema. Stick with Sulfasalazine if it works for you (rather than asacol), but it still should be 4,000 mgs a day.

You ask, "why are you struggling?". One word: under-treatment. Your doctors are doing you a disservice by under-treating you, and are causing you to suffer needlessly. If your case is so mild that those dosages were appropriate then you would not be struggling. See what I am getting at here ;-)

First rule of UC, become your own best advocate for what YOU need to be well. Your doctor is NOT all-knowing. Doctors initially, easily shrug-off our concerns. We need to be persistent and insistent on what we NEED to be well. Know what medications are typically prescribed to us, insist that they follow what's normal and accepted for us. Important lesson!


Yeh I kinda learned the doctor thing already haha. I'll try to see the specialist... Or up the dose myself....Thanks.
The poos are back to semi-formed now, yay! Might've been a virus...
You are flaring....assume that first before trying to intellectulise all other possibilities. If you were under proper treatment and then this happened unexpectedly, then consider other possibilities.

I dont believe you have the experience of understanding UC or your own flares yet.

Please keep us updated and get on complete coverage meds.

q
*Heather* I give suggestions, do with them what you will.
Status: ...Asacol 3 @ 2x daily; Salofalk enema @ 3rd night (nightly/ flares, tapered/maintenance)
~diagnosed January 1989 UC (proctosigmoiditis)
~Bentylol 20mg as needed; Zantac 150mg; Pulmicort/Oxeze/Airomir (asthma); Effexor XR 75mg (depression); Rosuvastatin 10mg (cholesterol); Telemesartin 80mg (BP)
~vitamins/minerals/supplements; Probiotics....(RenewLife Ultimate Flora Critical Care + Genuine Health Advanced Gut Health 50 billion @ bedtime)
~Metamucil capsules 6 @ 2x daily with meals; Vitamin D 4500 IU
~URSO 500mg @ 2x daily for Primary Biliary Cholangitis
"TREAT (FROM)BOTH ENDS" worth it !!
quincy said...
You are flaring....assume that first before trying to intellectulise all other possibilities. If you were under proper treatment and then this happened unexpectedly, then consider other possibilities.

I dont believe you have the experience of understanding UC or your own flares yet.

Please keep us updated and get on complete coverage meds.

q


Cheers...I think trying Salofalk triggered it, started the morning after I took the first pill...
I seem to be going back to ''normal" now...Will do 2g Sulfa a day from now on...