I found the best doctor!

I'm just so happy right now! Had an appointment with Dr. Rubin at the University of Chicago the other day. I'm in love!

He IS going to fix me and he promised that I won't be using suppositories forever as maintenance. He also immediately found out that my inflammation is only in the rectum right now. I was worried because last June, my situation went from rectal inflammation to hell in about a week. He is not going to let that happen ever again. Yay!

So for now, I'm still on my 4 Lialda and he actually put me on Anusol suppositories instead of Canasa (which wasn't working). I wonder what my maintenance therapy will be...I was too excited and happy to remember to ask. I'll be seeing him again though in 3 months and forever!

It's always good to have a doctor you like but I think he's blowing false sunshine up your butt. He hasn't even told you what he's going to do. He doesn't have any different magic potions than any of the other GI's. It's all the same ole same ole options whoever you go to. In any event, I hope he's right. I kind of liked my GI right off the bat too but for the opposite reason. He didn't blow any false sunshine up my butt and I interpreted what he said to me as that this disease is forever and that I was screwed. I appreciated his honesty because with my first autoimmune disease that doctor blew false sunshine up my butt and after a couple of years I realized that just about everything he said was a lie.

I agree with gary, it sound unrealistic. it is always good to be positive & I hope he can meet his promises but my GI was the same way and my UC has NOT been easy to control. I think if we could go back, she wouldn't have been so gung-ho.

Thanks, all. I know deep down that this disease is unpredictable and that a cure is unrealistic at this point. I am very happy though to be in the hands of someone who is a mega expert and who treats me as if me and my minor flare are important.

I was only in "remission" from last August-this Feb. I love that he considers that unacceptable and thinks my non-flaring periods should be much, much longer than that.

He did all the bloodwork needed for other drugs like azathioprine (which I will likely refuse to go onto) or Humira. We shall see...

That's what I get for typing too early in the am! Whoops...I edited it. I meant that I will refuse azathioprine, not Humira. My reasoning is that I'm trying to conceive and I understand that azathioprine is proven to cause issues with fetal development etc. Some doctors have told me that this is not true about azathioprine, but I'm not convinced. Humira actually seems safer for pregnancy.

Good luck!!!

The only goal my GI (previous in another state) had was to ensure that I knew my disease better than him. The one I have now said it would be his personal failure if I ended up hospitalized or in a major flare. Good luck with your GI. He's positive, at least.

Yay, Katmom! A fellow Chicago UCer and "Rubiner." Glad that you have found him too. I actually talked to Debbie to get on the high priority list...she got me in within 6 days of my initial call. SO great!