Q regarding entocort (budesonide) --or, when to call the dr.

[JenniferS]

Morning, all,

I'm in a fair amount of pain today. In my uneducated, assuming, vague mind, I think it is coming from my ascending colon. Although I often have pain there--sharp twinges I've assumed to be spasms, lately it has been more constant and a bit worse, remaining tender and not just spasming. I'm on the generic of enterocort, but wondered, 1) does/should entercort help with pain? 2) Is this something I should call my GI about or is it just another part of living with lc?

And the other Q that keeps nagging me, after a bm that wasn't as close to norman as two days ago, is, if I am still struggling with this while on 9mg of budesonide and a severely restricted diet (still on rice/potatoes, pork, almond milk and butter, and near baby-food consistency veggies), does this mean the meds aren't working for me as they should? It seems others on the medicine talk about being able to eat what they want.

I do wonder if my recent increase in pain and bm issues is because of one slight change, probably a no-no, but wanted to save some money. I bought rice chex the other day. It didn't seem to have any of the food items I'm trying to avoid in it, although it did have foreign words in the ingredient list.

And on a side note, I am beginning to worry that I am deficient as, with having D for a year and a half that led to weight loss, followed by this restricted diet since Oct, I don't think I've had much in the way of nutrients in some time. Someone tell me I am doing the right thing, even though this rice-diet seems to contrary to what I know to be true about nutrition.

[tex]

Hi Jennifer,

Entocort might reduce pain in some ways, since it can reduce inflammation, but as far as I am aware, it has no significant analgesic attributes, so whether or not it has an effect on pain, may depend on the source of the pain. The ascending colon is typically the section of the colon most likely to have the highest concentration of inflammation associated with MC. It is also the area of the colon most likely to absorb the greatest amount of budesonide (the active ingredient in Entocort).

I'm guessing that the butter you referred to is almond butter, which does not contain any casein. It might be worth noting that I tolerate almond milk just fine, but almond butter (and any other nut butter) causes me to have GI distress similar to what you described. On the other hand, if you are talking about using dairy butter, and you are sensitive to casein, then the butter could be causing gas and cramps in that section of your colon. Butter is loaded with casein.

While a few people are able to eat what they want, while taking a corticosteroid, most of us here find that we still have to avoid the worst food offenders, even while taking Entocort, in order to have normal BMs, and to eliminate our other symptoms.

If the box of Rice Chex is marked "GLUTEN FREE", it should be fine. It's safe for most of us. I also like the Corn Chex, and I eat it occasionally, if I don't have time to cook breakfast, and I like the Honey Nut Chex, also. The Apple Cinnamon Chex also seems to be safe, but I find that I don't crave the flavor. A few people have reported that they react to the Chex cereals, though, or at least they did when the GF products were first announced.

When our food is going right through us, there is no point in worrying about good nutrition, because we are unable to absorb many nutrients, anyway. After we achieve remission, then we can fine-tune our diet to take care of any nutritional shortcomings. In general, after we have been reacting for a year or so, most of us seem to be deficient in vitamins D, B-12, folic acid (and a few of the other B vitamins), and we also tend to have a magnesium deficiency. A magnesium deficiency can cause leg and foot cramps, restless leg syndrome, and various other issues such as increased blood pressure.

It might be a good idea to check with your doctor about the pain, since anytime pain is increasing, rather than decreasing, is not a good sign. The Entocort might be causing it, or it might be due to something else.

Tex

[JenniferS]

Thanks, Tex,

And yes, I meant almond butter. I stay away from anything dairy like the plague. :)

I will, with great distress, see if laying off the almond butter helps. If not, I'll consider calling my GI.

[tlras]

Hi Jennifer,

Sorry you are in pain. I would try doing without the Rice Chex as well and see if you improve. Some people react to the BHT preservative in it. The tocopherals are derived from corn so if you don't have an issue with corn then that shouldn't be the culprit. I'm not happy about the BHT in my cereal but I don't know what else to eat at the moment and so far it seems to be agreeing with me. I can't do meat and veggies for breakfast....just not gonna happen.

Hope you feel better. I would definitely see a doctor if the pain doesn't go away soon. Is it low in the right abdomen? I've had a bad pain there before and thought it was appendicitis. Never hurts to get that checked out.

Terri

[JenniferS]

Oh! Interesting, Terri. I believe (but am not sure) that I might have an issue with corn. I've stayed away from corn products just in case. Yes, it is in the low right. Did yours turn out to be appendicitis?

[tlras]

I didn't go as it wasn't a bad pain and it went away within a few hours. I had that same pain come back 3 weeks ago and lasted the same amount of time. If I had gotten to where I was vomiting I suppose I would have gone immediately to the ER. I guess it wasn't anything to worry about as I'm fine now. When I first had the pain I went to my GYN worried about ovarian cysts as it was starting to feel like a female problem. And it very well could be in my case.....they are doing an ultrasound next week on the ovaries. Hell being a woman.

Terri

[JenniferS]

Laughing at your last statement. Hope everything at the OBG turns out ok.

[tex]

I can't do meat and veggies for breakfast....just not gonna happen.

But Terri — what about the great Southern breakfast of bacon and eggs and grits? It sticks to your ribs like nothing else.

Hell being a woman.

I certainly wouldn't argue that point, but someone has to do it, and men certainly can't be expected to take over the job — among other things, they would never be able to stand up to the stress.

Good luck with the scan.

Tex

[tlras]

@Tex...lol! I always tell my husband he's got it made in the shade.

I had totally forgotten about grits. Used to eat that stuff like crazy when I was a teenager. Thinking about trying eggs out again and see what happens. A hard-boiled egg sounds good for breakfast....just hoping I don't react to them. Maybe that'll be my next food item to try next week.

I need all the luck I can get in the next few weeks. I found out Wednesday I have possible invasive cervical cancer and maybe even endometrial cancer. I have to have minor surgery done.....scraping out my uterus and cervix and I'm told they will give me Vicodin. I've already checked to make sure it's GF and it is.....thank goodness. I've never taken the stuff but it had better not send me into a colitis flare. So haven't been thinking about my MC lately. I'm still doing well without Pepto but my stress level was high the last two days and instead of D I got bad acid reflux....still have it but getting better. So we'll see how all this upcoming stress will play out in regards to my MC....hoping things will stay calm! This is a big test on my nerves. I see antibiotics happening in my future and I'm already freaking out about that. I'll deal with that when I get there.

I'll still be checking in though!

Terri

[tex]

Wow Terri!

We'll be praying for you, that whatever is going on turns out to be benign.

Is the procedure scheduled for next week?

Tex

[tlras]

Tex.....unfortunately not next week but hopefully the week after. Still haven't heard from their scheduling department. I have to call my cardiologist, as I have Mitral Valve Prolapse, to see if I really need to take antibiotics for a minor surgery. I'm hoping not....as I worry about what the antibiotics might do to me with my MC. I'd have to take a few before the procedure and a few after, I think is the protocol. If I have to have a hysterectomy which looks to be the case, then I think my cardio doctor would definitely want me to do antibiotics. Ugh! And I've done so good about staying away from those for years!

Thanks for the prayers!

Terri

[Sheila]

Terri,
I'm so sorry you are going through so much worry and stress. You're in my prayers

Sheila W

[Gloria]

Good luck, Terri. I've been amazed at how well you've done with your MC. It's a shame that you have to worry about cancer. My prayers are with you.

Gloria

[ant]

Dear Terri,

I will pray and keep my fingers crossed for a good outcome.

Best wishes, Ant

[Deb]

Terri, my hugs and prayers are with you too! Deb