UC advice please

[Feelingfab]

My daughter who's 10 was diagnosed with UC. It's been very unsettling for her at such a young age. She takes three doses of Salofalk throughout the course of the day as a preventive measure. However, she's still bleeding and suffering from diarrhoea on a daily basis. Any advice? Thank you

[jaykay777]

Has the doctor or another healthcare professional in charge of her treatment recommended

a special diet for UC? Mine has, and I follow the diet even though it eliminates many foods and beverages I like. I'm sure it isn't easy to impose a strict diet on a young person.

[Feelingfab in reply to jaykay777]

No, but we have an appointment with the specialist nurse in a few months so I am hoping that they will help.Unfortunately, the process has been very slow. We have seen the gastro consultant again but he suggested taking all the meds at once (instead of 3 times a day) which appeared to cause a flare up although this may have been coincidence. We've gone back to three times a day and it has settled a little.Thankfully my dad is a GP so we've been asking for his advice but feeling a little out of our depth. Thanks for taking the time to reply. I'll phone the specialist staff again to try and get some more advice.Thank you

[Valbaty54]

Sorry to hear she has to cope with UC at age 10. It's bad enough as an adult! If the meds aren't working after a reasonable time (a few weeks) I suggest trying to get a gastro appointment quite soon. Finding something that works is an experimental process! Good luck.

[willow24 Administrator]

Hi, ask for a referral to a dietitian urgently. In the mean time try a low residue/low fibre diet. its bland and boring but it contains no to very little fibre so the it is easy on the bowel. Exclusion diets can be very dangerous in children, esp those with IBD as not receiving vital nutrients can be detrimental to growth and development

low residue diet contains white boiled fish, chicken breast (no skin) boiled potatoes (no skin) over cooked veg/ fruit (no skin) etc. Avoid using soya based products unless under nutritional advice as soya can reduce absorption in Iron.

the following web page has some useful info:

crohnsandcolitis.org.uk/abo...

crohns and colitis uk are a useful site for support and information, and cicra.org is focused on children with IBD

Also taking salofalk in one daily dose is not recommended, not only does it cause a peak and trough in levels in the 24 hours, it also heightens risk of developing side effects. By taking 3 times a day as you have been doing is the correct way

Please dont hesitate to ask me anything else and hope your daughter feels better v soon xx

[Shoeysmum]

Life can be so harsh at times. 10 is very harsh for your daughter to be suffering from UC. She's obviously suffering a flare up which, at some point, will settle down and she'll be in remission.

[Feelingfab]

Thank you for your advice.I'm very proud of her for the way she copes.

I phoned the IBD specialist nurse who has prescribed Enemas and we need to send a stool sample away.

I will ask for a dietitian referral also. Many thanks