Hi C.
Sorry to hear that you relapsed. Unfortunately, that's a common problem early on in the treatment. There are two main possibilities.
1. Your intestines simply haven't had sufficient time to heal
2. You may have other food sensitivities that are causing the problem.
Both scenarios are probably occurring. If I were in your shoes, I would stop or at least minimize eating commercially manufactured foods, especially those with more than 5 ingredients. A long ingredient list is a very high risk for someone with MC. You didn't specify which muffins you bought, but here's the ingredient list for Udi's Blueberry Muffins, for example:
INGREDIENTS: UDI’S BEST BLEND (TAPIOCA STARCH, BROWN RICE FLOUR), EVAPORATED CANE JUICE, WHOLE EGGS, WATER, WILD BLUEBERRIES, NON-GMO VEGETABLE OIL (CANOLA OR SUNFLOWER OR SAFFLOWER), PALM OIL, BAKING POWDER (SODIUM ACID PYROPHOSPHATE, SODIUM BICARBONATE, CORN STARCH, MONOCALCIUM PHOSPHATE), SALT, VANILLA (EXTRACTIVES OF VANILLA BEANS, WATER AND ALCOHOL), SUNFLOWER LECITHIN (SUNFLOWER LECITHIN, TRICALCIUM PHOSPHATE, RICE FLOUR), LEMON FLAVEDO (LEMON PEEL, SUGAR, LEMON OIL), XANTHAN GUM, CRYSTAL SUGAR (SUGAR, CARNAUBA WAX). CONTAINS EGG.
CONTAINS EGGS
I don't see soy in that particular product, but most foods contain soy derivatives, and over half of us are sensitive to soy. Since you don't know all your sensitivities at this point, an ingredient list such as this one is fraught with risks. I've highlighted in red the ingredients that many of us are commonly sensitive to (at least before we heal).
It's best to eat a very bland, non-inflammatory diet for roughly a year (depending on how much damage has accrued that needs to heal) to prevent the inflammation from being regenerated.
It's possible to order generic Entocort (budesonide) from overseas for a fraction of the cost of domestic budesonide. Many members get their budesonide from the online overseas pharmacy at the link below. The product (Budez CR) seems to work exactly the same as the domestic budesonide products, and you can order a 3 month supply (270 capsules) for $121.50 plus shipping. Just don't order more than 270 capsules at a time, because U. S. Customs inspectors have a policy of confiscating orders for more than a 3 month supply at one time. Unfortunately, due to having to go through customs means that it usually takes 2 to 3 weeks to receive an order, depending on how busy they are at the port of entry. Since prescriptions written by a doctor licensed to practice in the U. S. are worthless outside the borders of this country, no prescription is needed to order from this pharmacy:
https://www.alldaychemist.com/1447-budez-cr-3mg.html
Most members find that proper intestinal healing requires much longer than the GI docs realize, and they have to take budesonide for at least 6 months to a year before they can successfully wean off it without relapsing. Also, please be aware that the more time you take to complete the final dose tapering, the better your chances of maintaining remission after the drug is discontinued (IOW, the slower the better). There appears to be a possible rebound effect (similar to the rebound effect that results from discontinuing a PPI) that promotes increased inflammation after the drug is withdrawn (due to mast cell numbers returning to the normal population level).
Good luck with this, and please continue to ask questions, because this is a very common problem among the members here. The length of treatment and the withdrawal regimen are crucial to success when using budesonide. And, of course, all food sensitivities must be removed from the diet before discontinuing budesonide, or relapse is very likely.
Tex
