I am about to start my first round of IVF and I have chronic pouchitis. I was put on flagyl and cipro together, which made me incredibly nauseated, but helped while I was on it, and then things went back to the way they've been as soon as I stopped. (Does anyone else get sick like that on Flagyl? It was just awful, I couldn't finish the cycle...)
My doctor suggested VSL#3. Has anyone tried it? Is it generally covered by insurance? My inclination is to wait until after the IVF--mid-January--to start with anything new, but I am worried about constantly going to the bathroom, especially at night when it's really a problem for me, throughout this process.
Thanks for your help!

JWG,

I've been on Flagyl and Cipro with no problems. I'm no longer on them. I just started VSL #3 about 10 days ago. No noticable difference as of yet, but no problem with it.

Keep us posted on your condition and good luck with the VSL #3.

I have tried VSL #3. I took it every day when I had horrible pouchitis. It did help. I did not however, take multiple packets a day like it says on the website/back of the packets. I took one packet a day and when I got better, I knocked it down to half a packet a day. At the time, I was going to the bathroom more than every hour a day and was nauseous and weak. After I started taking it and I was also on cipro and flagyl, I finally got better. I took VSL even after I was weaned off of most antibiotics.

My doctor mentioned recently he thought it was starting to get covered by insurance. When I took it in the past, it was all out of pocket and not cheap.

My doctor initially gave me samples but then I ordered it off the website.

I don't really take VSL much anymore as I don't seem to need it. However, I am interested in hearing if anyone else took it especially during pregnancy as my husband & I want to start a family; because I will need to get off my cipro and I figured if I do that, I will need to start taking VSL again to prevent problems.

Thanks for this...I'm starting a cycle of IVF (just today actually) and I think I want to wait before I add more drugs into the mix. Your pouchitis sounds like it was awful! Mine isn't at that point, but it is a hindrance to my life--more my sleeping than anything else.

Best of luck starting your family. I'm not sure of your age and how far off you are from your surgeries, but I would do it as soon as you can! I waited a long time and,like so many of us, my scarring from three abdominal surgeries is what made me have to go the IVF route. The closer you are to the surgeries, the less scarring. And the earlier you do this in general, the more likely IVF will work out.
Thanks again.
J

i took flagyll for 15 days to get rid of slight pouchitis and my doctor also recommended VSL 3 and i have been taking it to replenish the bacteria that flagyll washed away but i am going to keep taking it and see if it works. i have used it for about a month and there is alot of research that VSL can help uc. It comes highly recommended by surgens and my gastroenologist. i havnt taken it long enough to be sure but i think it helps

JWG,

No problem :-)

Yes my pouchitis was horrible...basically it was undiagnosed for awhile and so it got out of control. This was not helped by the fact that I've moved to several different states (sometimes then I didn't have a doctor for awhile) since my surgery.

My surgery was a long time ago. I'm in my 30's now and I had my surgery when I was 17. I hope to get pregnant this year!

Good luck to you on the IVF!!!