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Ulcerative Colitis
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Posted 3/8/2011 8:20 PM (GMT 0)
My UC adventure began in early November of 2010 with what I thought was food poisoning, then amoebic dysentary. I lost 12 pounds in 1 week and went to my doctor to tell him I thought I was dying. They take claims of dying seriously by the way. Antibiotics failed and tons of tests found no lifeforms in me.

I consulted with a GI specialist and prepped for a colonoscopy. This was my second one of these wonderful procedures. The first time I gagged hard on the prep drink. This time, I added a tasty cherry flavor and managed to drink the slop.  My symptoms by now (late November) had gotten much less severe. Now I figured I was just semi-dying.

The GI man found that I have  "mild to moderate" UC with about 30% to 40% of my colon messed up.  I got put on Lialda and this has helped.

Now I'm not semi-dying but chronically miserable.  It's the usual stuff- abdominal pain and discomfort (help me sweet Jesus if I end up in polyester stretchy-waisted pants), bloatation that would rivel end-stage Elvis, monster poops and the ever-popular occasional bouts of either constipation and pooping one's drawers...gotta love it. Though, I gotta admit that I found a perverse/evil sort of humor in my wife describing the smell in our bathroom as "death"...I am a bad man.

I briefly felt normal (I was forgetting what that felt like) for 2 days in late February after getting a shot of immunoglobulin after my teenage daughter came down with chicken pox, but the effects (if not just psychological) went away. I was to start Prednisone the same day I got a vaccination for the pox, but was told to hold off a week as something horrific could happen to me as a result of the vaccine and/or exposure to chicken pox.

Today, I began Prednisone and I already feel better UC-wise, but my blood sugar (I have type 2 diabetes) has skyrocketed. I figure blood will squirt out of my eyes soon. Dang...What the heck, I suppose it could be far worse...ebola, uncurable cancer...being a Republican (sorry, I can't help myself...I am a bad man). Thanks for letting me rant. I feel better. God bless you all.

Posted 3/8/2011 9:46 PM (GMT 0)
I have had a lot of blood sugar problems on Pred. I used a 24hr insuling for years, but had to add a fast insuling before each meal in order to have any control.
Posted 3/8/2011 9:49 PM (GMT 0)
Rant away, rant away! It's nice to be among those who can relate. Prednisone also does wicked things to my blood sugar. The only way I could keep it under control was to cut out pretty much all non-fruit/veggie carbs---yes, it is as delightful as it sounds. Hope you're feeling better soon!
Posted 3/8/2011 10:37 PM (GMT 0)
So glad you have a sense of humor...it helps when things are very bad.

Since you mention diabetes you might consider removing carbs from your diet for the sake of UC also. The SCD (Specific Carbohydrate Diet) has helped me and many others reduce their symptoms into remission. I don't have diabetes but removing carbs and most other forms of sugar has been extremely beneficial. As you no doubt know carbohydrates are turned into glucose (sugar) in the body as are many starches and of course other more recognizable sugars like...sugar.

Like you I know that there are worse diseases to have but it still doesn't seem fair and I'd like to be normal again.
It is possible to get back to a better state. What is the plan for meds after the pred is over?

If you've read anything at all here you know that mesalamine enemas are very recommended. Yes a big pain to use (not painful just ugh) but they actually work to relieve bleeding, inflammation and urgency.

Good luck. Oh and welcome :-)
Posted 3/8/2011 10:54 PM (GMT 0)
Thank goodness you have such a great sense of humor. It will help you get through things...yes and at least you're not a Republican, lol!
Posted 3/8/2011 11:54 PM (GMT 0)
Nice to see you have a good sense of humor about this.  It really helps with a disease that deals w/ poops and other fun stuff.  I will also mention (it wouldn't be this board w/out it)...rectal meds. (I can actually say that to my husband, friends etc.. with a straight face these days!)  It really helps deal w/the low inflammation and blood.  It has helped me more than anything.  Diet hasn't made a difference for me but it has worked very well for others so some experimenting is def. called for.  Also think about adding probiotics and fiber to the mix.

Keep that good sense of humor!  Oh and I am quite a conservative,but I think we can all fully agree that UC sucks!

B

Posted 3/9/2011 12:00 AM (GMT 0)
If you really want to have some evil fun, start acting frisky with your wife and tell her you're going to 'change into something more comfortable' and come out wearing nothing but a pair of men's disposable underwear. Make sure you pull them up extra high and have the velcro adjustable sides. devil
Posted 3/9/2011 5:02 AM (GMT 0)
Welcome to the forum!

My rant...the doc put you on pred instead of trying an addition of rectal meds.

q
Posted 3/9/2011 6:00 AM (GMT 0)
My rant...

When I switched GIs, I got a chance to read my records (the sealed envelope was easy to open). What I told my GI and what he wrote were very different in some cases. For instance, the records state that I never had pneumonia. I was hospitalized for pneumonia in my early 20s. And then my GI never wrote down the side effects I got from pred or my success with using natural treatments. He wrote only the things he needed to to justify his prescriptions and sigmodoscopies/colonoscopies. So for instance, he wrote down that patient said that Colozal gave her headaches when he switched me to Asacol, but he did not write down that Colozal stopped working, Asacol made my condition worse, and Lialda didn't do anything for me except give me substantial abdominal bloating.

I think it's a good idea to always keep our own records. If anything comes up later, we can always pull out our own records too. Otherwise, we have nothing to back up what was said.

Post Edited (subdued) : 3/8/2011 11:03:52 PM (GMT-7)

Posted 3/12/2011 2:01 AM (GMT 0)
The deal is I am supposed to be on the steroid for one month so as to hopefully get into remission. If it works, the Lialda continues as maintenance. I gotta see my regular doctor regarding my escalating blood sugar. None of us are getting out alive anyway...so I prefer the lessened UC symptoms over optimal blood sugar. I never exited the anal stage so I will soon consult with my GI guy regarding rectal meds/enemas...something to look forward to, eh? I just wish my steroids were of the anabolic type so I could work out and turn into a mass monster instead of just getting so darn irritable. darn shame about carbs and sweets...I'll focus on meat and work on my inevitable heart disease.
Posted 3/12/2011 2:13 AM (GMT 0)
You have a great attitude! Good luck.
Posted 3/12/2011 2:42 AM (GMT 0)
Your post made me smile....thanks!
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