telling when colitis has finally cleared up

Salofalk Enema 2g each night and Octasa 400mg . Only 8 days of each to go....

I agree ive had uc for about 2 years now and at times i feel like im cured and i could stop the medications but then it comes back but ive noticed it only comes back if i eat something im not supposed to for example something with a lot of spice. You shouldn't stop your medications instead ask for a lower dose, i do believe that this condition can be cured and one day you can come off the medications but only 3 weeks in is too soon to come off.

UC is incurable but with the right meds, UC can go into remission and remain that way for several years. For some the only cure is to have the colon removed.

I was in a roller coaster of flares for two and half years and hospitalised twice before the right balance of meds was found to get the symptoms under control. I have been in remission for eighteen months and take 800grams of Octasa per day to (hopefully) keep it that way.

Spice food won't make UC relapse. That's more likely to be IBS which often goes hand in hand with IBD. A relapse is caused by the immune system attacking the lower GI tract. A bacterial infection could trigger that, the immune system, instead of attacking the infection, attacks the body.

Hi cjb106. - To answer you specifically - nothing. The hospital consultant recommended the medication in his report and my doctor prescribed it for 28 days with the possibility of up to two re-prescriptions without the need of a visit to my doctor.

On his report he describes it as moderate colitis.

Hi waqar94523 - to be sure i would not come of my meds after 3 weeks. I'm intent on carrying it through to the full 4 week course. In the week i'll raise an e-consult (online question) for my doctor .

I've noticed there are communities for "Colitis - Pseudomembranous"

and "Colitis - Ulcerative" but not plain old colitis.

I think we may have discussed this before in another thread. Colitis is inflammation of the colon that can be a result of a bacterial infection or an immune system failure. It really is vital you check with you consultant which you have. IBD is a chronic disease which can make you incredibly sick if not controlled. Have your bloods been checked for inflammatory markers CR-P and ESR?

Yes, i think you mentioned some of the basics and i must admit that i have been getting confused over IBD, UC and what my consultant described as moderate colitis. I am waiting to hear from my doctor who unfortunately sits behind half closed doors. Thanks once again for refreshing my memory and for the additional insight. I count myself very lucky at the moment.

If you have concerns and the wait list to see a GI consultant is long, the hospital may have a IBD nurse. Mine has and her help and advice was invaluable during the two and half years it took to get my symptoms under control. An IBD nurse will know how to interpret the results of colonoscopies and blood tests, can make decisions about whether a quicker follow up consultation is necessary or simply answer questions about symptoms and meds. Even if you think you may have had bacterial colitis and not IBD, he or she will be able to give you some advice and can order blood and faecal tests to see if the inflammation has abated.

Despite what many think of the nhs and doctors i have reason to change my views when i spent 4 days in A&E due to gastroenteritis. Now i have a more informed view based on 1st hand experience. My doctors can be infuriating at times but i remember that like many practices they are firefighting and trying to keep their head above water.

My visit for a colonoscopy that turned into a sigmoidoscopy managed to answer the question of why my stools were turning from solid to liquid to solid on a weekly basis. He introduced my to the word colitis. But never mentioned Ulcerative Colitis. That came about through too much reading. Although they quashed the faulty diagnosis that it was diverticulitis, they still gave me a fact sheet on it and high fibre diets. Go figure.

In another thread someone suggested i may be worrying over nothing. I'm beginning to realise that may be partially true at least.

With all this in mind i managed to reach out to them using their own tools and much to my surprise managed to get a telephone appointment this morning. What was very strange was that they 'swung into action'. They do not have a very good diary and i have to initiate many things. They introduced me to the idea of Irritable bowel disease (IBD - no community for this), getting me off the enema but maybe the other tablets in a reduced dose. So when they finish next Tuesday i do indeed go for blood tests and hopefully in no more enema, just tablets. But for all that i will have to wait two weeks.

BTW: Thank you for sticking by with so much good info.

Let's hope you have an accurate diagnosis soon.

Just to be clear.

IBS is Irritable Bowel Syndrome and can be controlled with diet.

IBD is Inflammatory Bowel Disease needs medical and sometimes surgical intervention and can be life threatening.

Ulcerative Colitis and its sister condition Crohn's Disease are IBD. Look up the Crohn's and Colitis charity for more information.

Already been there thx anyway.