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Racing through the meds

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Ulcerative Colitis
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Posted 8/23/2010 4:33 AM (GMT 0)
I am new to this site and am hoping to find individuals who have experienced or experiencing what I am.  I was recently admitted to the hospital with a significant flareup of what they are calling UC of the rectum/sigmoid area of my colon.  I had suffered from bouts of proctitis for years and had always been able to manage it with rowasa/canasa.  This last time the canasa didn't work (I didn't use it regularly as I should have - started feeling better and stopped). Now symptoms progressed to bleeding, diarhea, significant cramp/spasms, weakness, and dehydration.  Prior to being admitted they tried, Lialda, enema, 30 mg prednisone.  Was admitted following a couple week regime of these med and received cipro and flygel antibiotics.  As a result of not responding to these drugs I was given my first infusion of remicade and due for the 2nd on 8/31.  It seems as though everything went soooo fast - going from the suppositories that once worked to now all of a sudden into remicade.  Was wondering if anyone else switched this quickly to this type of treatment.  I have also been put on 40 mg of prednisone.  Just the other day I started experiencing the effects of a weakened immune system - thrush and now nystatin.  I feel like a walking pharmacy chest and diving in real fast. 
Posted 8/23/2010 6:22 AM (GMT 0)
I asked you in your other thread what your meds were and now I see this. It seems something else is going on since the cipro/flagyl was given to you...or was that just thrown in for good measure? Did you have stool samples before they were given to you?

Personally, you should have been on an oral 5ASA in conjunction with the rectal...and using the Rowasa as the main rectal med and supps for support or in help with tapering.

I've never been in your situation...seems your UC might have spread upward.

Is it possible you have Crohn's and not UC?

q
Posted 8/23/2010 11:06 AM (GMT 0)
yea they through in the antibiotics as good measure. I had had a colonoscopy and then a CT scan in the hospital. They say it is located to the lower rectal, sigmoid area. Just seem like since i had the colonoscopy things have changed symptom wise. But then again - my stress level both inside and out of work is huge and had not been getting good nights sleep/or eatting well cause always on the run. I hear that this also plays a large part on flareups and imagine it also plays a part on the length of recovery.
Posted 8/23/2010 1:19 PM (GMT 0)
It's not unusual to all of a sudden not respond to drugs. I have UC limited to the rectum and ended up having surgery to remove the colon and rectum because my UC was non-responsive after a 10 year remission. I think you are wise to continue to climb the drug ladder in hopes of finding something that will get you back to remission. Stress may or may not play a role in your disease; it never affected mine; my last flare that resulted in surgery was in the most peaceful time of my life. UC is unpredictable and has a mind of its own, unfortunately.

Sue
Posted 8/23/2010 2:10 PM (GMT 0)
Just to add to what the others have said - it seems to me, just from reading folks' experiences, that there is a train of thought among GIs now to basically hit the UC from the top of the med ladder fairly quickly, in hopes of calming down the flare, rather than the slow ascent up that has been common for some time.
I'll add that onto my list of questions for my GI appt. next week.
Posted 8/23/2010 2:40 PM (GMT 0)
thanks for the info. I really want to work towards getting things under control as soon as possible and this has been a brand new ballfield for me just over the past couple weeks. how quickly things can change and you have to start doing things sooo different.
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