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Ulcerative Colitis
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Posted 10/9/2008 4:49 PM (GMT 0)
Hi my name is Kelsey, I am 24 years of age, and have suffered from Ulcerative Colitis since Febuary of 2002, I am in need of any suggestions that may help me to go into remission!  I struggle quite a bit on the stress side!  I keep feeling depressed and not wanting to live like this forever!  If you have any suggestions let me know.  I am on the generic of paxil and take Sulfasalazin 500mg tabs 2 in morning and 2 at night.  Plus a prilosec and mallox when needed.  I have been having an outbreak major and can't seem to stop the diahrea from coming.  I suffer from high anxiety when it hits in cause I am afraid how bad it will be and if i will need to be hospitalized!  I am in need of help. any suggestion would be appreceated!
Posted 10/9/2008 5:00 PM (GMT 0)
(((((((((((((((((((big hug Kelsey)))))))))))))))))))))))) I am new to this so I don't have a lot of suggestions, but there are many people here who do. I am so sorry you are feeling depressed. Does your GI know that you are having a flare?
Posted 10/9/2008 5:08 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Kelsey. Welcome. Your dose of sulfasalazine seems a bit low - my 17 year old takes 2 pills 3 times per day when in remission and takes as much as 12 pill per day when flaring. He is in a mild flare right now (that I think/hope may be clearing up) and takes 3 pills 3 times per day. Have your tried rectal meds at all? Probiotics? There are many to choose from, but Culturelle is relatively affordable and can be purchased at Wal-mart. My kids also both take immune suppressors (6mp and Imuran aka Azathioprine).

I very recently heard about an antidepressant that has some hope for Colitis - the test was on mice and the colitis was chemically induced, but the results were favorable. The medicine is desipramine - you can google it and ulcerative colitis for more information on the study. It might be worth a try since you are taking an antidepressant anyway.

I am so sorry you are struggling right now. I'm sure there will be more posts to follow with more encouragement and ideas to get you feeling better!

Again, welcome!!
Posted 10/9/2008 6:12 PM (GMT 0)

Hi, my name is Christina, and I too am new to this site. I understand where Kelsey is coming from. I was diagnosed with UC in December of 2001. I was a Junior in high school and no one had really heard about this disease yet. I was scared to death when the doctor gave me several different types of medicine and then told me that if the medicine didn't put me into remission with in a year, I would have to have a surgery. I was at the doctor's office with my mom and we both decided that surgery was out of the question. Year after year I saw the doctor and nothing got better. I was sent to a GI in Eugene, Oregon who tried the same things the first doctor tried. I seemed to get worse, not better. By this time, I was finally married, my husband and the rest of my family and I talked and decided that we wanted to go with the surgery. We asked the doctor and he said he wanted to try a new medicine. At this time I was on Asocal amd the he decided to go with Lialda, which is the same thing as Asocal with a different name. This too did not work, so I asked again for the surgery. The doctor told me to take Prednisone. Then he took me off that and put me on Imuran, which again is the same as prednisone. I was getting worse every year and didn't know where to go since the doctor wasn't helping me. My husband and I recently moved to Texas and I got a doctor here that I was afraid was going to be the same way as the doctor in Oregon. I asked him once for a surgery, and now I have a surgery date of Oct. 15th of this year. I am scared and happy at the same time.

Now, I know that surgeries are not for everyone and that UC affects us all different. I know there is a new medicine out there called Remicaid. It's something worth looking into. I hope you find a good treatment Kelsey.

Posted 10/9/2008 6:33 PM (GMT 0)
Christina this is probably a very good move for you. ((((((((((hug))))))))))))
Posted 10/10/2008 1:24 AM (GMT 0)
Hey there Kelsey and welcome!



I'm new to the site too!.. I'm 29 and was diagnosed with UC just last month, and I'm still learning so much about this. everyone on here is great and has been such a great help with suggestions and everything! I have really bad panic attacks, they freak me out. Some people have suggested walking, keeping a journal ect.. I just try and keep busy =)
Posted 10/10/2008 5:55 AM (GMT 0)
If you're not taking a good probiotic then I strongly suggest you do, the one I use (with some success) is called primadophilus reuteri, it's made by natures way, it's available at most healthfood stores and it should be kept in their refridgerator (as well as yours when you get it home) only one/day is needed and it's affordable (in Canada I pay 29.00 for 90 caps which lasts me 90 days), it also aids with lactose intolerance, high cholesterol and for women vaginal health (it's fine to take even if you don't have any of those issues). It should be taken daily and indefinitely (remission or not)

I also suggest (as my GI did to me) to take a fibre supplement daily and indefinitely as well, always start with a small amount, wait for your system to adjust (will likely cause added gas and bloating which is completely normal, just fight through it as it will pass) and increase slowly only if necessary, take with plenty of water, one with psyllium in it is highly recommended, I use one called Prodiem stool bulker (it's common in Canada, but only a few US states seem to carry it) metamucil is similar to Prodiem.

:)
Posted 10/10/2008 2:22 PM (GMT 0)
Stress is HUGE Kelsey. Remove it.. It was a big big factor for me.
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