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Ulcerative Colitis
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Posted 8/15/2009 1:10 PM (GMT 0)
I'm new to this forum. My husband, who is 23 has UC, and was diagnosed 3 years ago. We do not have medical coverage, and cannot afford to do remicade treatments. When we did have medical coverage 2 years ago, he was put on asacol, and prednisone, and appeared to be doing well, aside from the occasional lack of energy. It took roughly 8 months for his flare-ups to begin again, after he stopped going to the specialist, and the remicade treatments stopped. We sought help from his family doctor, who switched him from asacol to sulfasalizine due to the asacol not working, along with prednisone, but tapering off of it after 2 weeks. Every month or 2 he'll have flare ups again. I'm not really sure what to do...I'm working hard on trying to get a full time job so that we can have medical coverage, but until then, we need to figure something out to assist him with these flare-ups. He's constantly running to the bathroom, and hasn't had solid bowels in a while. Any suggestions would help big time! I'm 22 myself, and am still learning about this disease.
Posted 8/15/2009 3:28 PM (GMT 0)
Hi, welcome to HW :) I'm so sorry that your husband is suffering so much but I think it's awesome that you are trying ways to help him and to understand what it is that he is going thru.

A couple of things he can try is:

Start a fiber supplement. This can help bulk up his stool. However, not all Uc'ers can handle fiber in any form. So this is a trial and error thing.

Start on probiotics. A probiotic is basically good bacteria. Uc'ers tend to have an overabundance of bad bacteria in the colon. The probiotic can help replace the bad with the good which in turn can allow it to heal.

Eat a low fiber, low residue diet. This can help slow down the bowel movements. Diet is trial and error and what works for one may not work for another. But basically stick to white: fish, chicken, rice, potatoes etc. Avoid raw fruits and vegetables, spicy foods, caffeine, alcohol, seeds, nuts. Also drink plenty of water to replenish the body from the D that he is having.

A good site to visit is www.ccfa.org as well take a look at our resource section to learn more about UC.
Posted 8/15/2009 4:29 PM (GMT 0)
All these great recommendations from Sherry could help a lot! And I'd add that peanut butter is something I tolerate well when I'm flaring. I don't have any problems with dairy..... I make my own yogurt, and let it sit out on the counter 24 hours before refrigerating it (which is supposed to get rid of all the lactose anyway and increase the good bacteria)... I LOVE this stuff, yum!
Potatoes are a little hard on me, but pasta sits very well.
I really second Sherry's recommendations of fiber and probiotics. I was sort of "smoldering" (frequent poos, a little blood once or twice a day, but not a full blown-flare) and I think the probiotics fixed me.
Some drug companies will help people without insurance, too, though I don't know details about that.
Posted 8/15/2009 4:45 PM (GMT 0)
The makers of Asacol (and some other drugs) will give people who cannot pay for their prescriptions the medicine for free. Here is the info on P&G's program.

http://www.pgpharma.com/patient_assistance.shtml

The generic mesalamine enemas might be quite cheap...check with your pharmacy about the price for them.

It also appears that the makers of Remicade have a patient assistance program! So definitely check on that!
http://www.seniormag.com/free-medication/centocor-remicade.htm

Good luck!
Posted 8/15/2009 10:43 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks to everyone for this help and support! I will be trying out these suggestions, and hopefully we'll see some dramatic improvements.
Posted 8/16/2009 1:05 AM (GMT 0)

I understand completely!  I lost my medical coverage about 6 months ago after being laid off, and this has been the worst year for me with UC.  My Doctor wanted to start me on 6mp, but without insurance, I could not afford to go in every 2 weeks for the lab work.  So I did a ton of research and am trying to make a change through diet.  For the last 2 months I have been on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet.  It takes some getting used to but the diet has helped tremendously.  Also probiotics, fish oil, and a good multivitamin. 

Here is the link for more info on the SCD http://www.breakingtheviciouscycle.info/

 

Good Luck!

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