Ulcerative Colitis

[Dew]

I spent one year on Rebetron as a treatment for Hep C.  Two months ago the treatment ended.  I just discovered that during the treatment, I developed a mild form of Ulcerative Colitis.  During the treatement, my eyes itched and I had a skin rash.  I assumed these symptoms were due to the Rebetron, but now I read that they may have been caused by the colitis.  The rash began 5 months after I started the medicine and remains with me still.

I guess I'm asking if there is any research that shows the colitis may have been caused by the treatment and if the rash has been caused by the colitis.

What foods should I avoid? What foods might help?

I eat a lot of almonds and enjoy spicey food.

My blood count is normal and my liver enzymes are normal. My Hep C is gone, but now I've got ulcerative colitis and one mean rash.

[katey]

ABSOLUTELY NO SPICY FOOD FOR YOU WHILE YOU ARE IN A FLAIR UP!!!  lol, i don't mean to scare you, but oh my god, the stomach ache you could cause yourself.  I'm not sure about the nuts, ask your doctor, but PLEASE NO SPICY FOODS!!  Didn't your doc tell you about what you should eat and what you shouldn't eat??  There is something called the "specific carbohydrate diet" thats supposedly really effective when it comes to treating ulcerative colitis.http://www.scdiet.org/ , i believe thats the site where you can find that.
http://www.colitiscookbook.com/  Is another colitis cookbook. Be careful with the fiber!!  When you're in a flair up your stomach is veryyyyyyyyyyyyyyy sensitive.  I would even suggest staying away from the dairy products until you feel better.  Dairy seems to be one of the foods that causes ulcerative colitis patients a great deal of discomfort, ALONG with spicy foods.  
http://home.jam.rr.com/cborchert/uc.html   that is a site that talks about dealing with colitis, medications, and diet.  Tell if me these sites don't work for ya, caues i could find you a ton of other ones. Hope you feel better!! talk to that doctor SOON! (he really should be sending you to a nutritionalist)
katie

[katey]

Opps, lol, i forgot to answer your other question.  Yes, a skin rash is a VERY common symptom of ulcerative colitis.  Also, if you just started having the symptoms after you took the medication for hep c, you should get your butt back into the doctors and have a colonoscopy.  The reason i suggest this is because there are different types of colitis.  Ulcerative colitis lasts for the rest of your life, while colitis that is caused from medication can be treated.  Medication is known for causing colitis, especially strong antibiotics.  (i'm not sure if the meds you were on were antibiotics or not)  If it is in fact caused from the medication, that you may be in luck and may not have it for good.  Even if you do, thats ok too.  You can manage it very well.  You should see if you're alergic to aloe vera juice.  It takes a little while to get used to the taste, but patients have reported that drinking aloe very actually made thier symptoms disappear.  I wouldn't suggest that over anything your doctor advises, but it has been known to be kind of a natural solution.  It totally cleans out the digestive system, and is known for making wounds (such as the ulcerations from the colitis) heal much faster.  Just make sure you're not alergic to it first!!  (i found out i was alergic to it the hard way!) Good luck!