I've had the same issue. My parents could always tell how bad my UC was by how much I was coughing. I never tried inhaled steroids. After I had my colectomy the cough went away....
I'm about 10 weeks out from the last J pouch operation, and I would really encourage you to at least research that option as much as you can. You already know that prednisone is a terrible drug to...
I recently went ahead with the colectomy and J pouch construction and I'm very happy with the results. The recovery time will be different for everyone, but it was about three weeks before I could...
Hey Kcolwell, I'd also like to wish you the best with your j pouch surgery. I'm curious, did they construct the J pouch at the same time as your colectomy? I thought that when you need emergency...
To say that UC makes things like finding a job difficult would be an understatement. If your symptoms are bad enough that you won't leave the house, then its clear you need to do something to get...
If you want to learn more about surgery I would suggest you check out Jpouch.org, and maybe also search UCVlog on youtube. Before you go that route though you still seem to have a few pharmaceutical...
Depending on your individual circumstances it may be useful to have a colonoscopy after a year. It is probably also possible to continue treatment without it, but going through with it will provide...
Kazbern brings up a point in his last sentence that I'm always wondering about. How underreported is IBD in developing nations? It can be hard enough to diagnose in developed nations. Is it possible...
I would wager that any drug that could help him at this point will likely come with risks. So while prednisone is a nasty drug, a short course of it may be something to consider if the doctor thinks...
Diagnosed with pan colitis here and never saw any relief from rectal meds. That being said, I still think they are worth trying if you are in a persistent flare....
I'm also curious if you've tried remicade. Rectal meds never helped me, but they have helped enough people here on this forum that I would recommend giving them a shot before surgery. In the mean...
Ditto on throwing up the horrible solution they make you drink. Next time you go in for a scope mention the discomfort you had during your last procedure to your GI. The worst I ever felt during a...
Awesome news. Hopefully the remicade will keep you feeling well for a long while....
Howdy Katkat. As I understand it, if you have UC that requires surgery they typically remove the entire colon regardless of how far up the inflammation goes. I could be mistaken here; I had...
I'll echo those who are wishing you good luck, I hope you get a positive result from the scope. I know what you mean about not being able to wrap your head around surgery when you don't feel all that...
Hey Lauren, just wanted to say hang in there. I had my colon taken out on the first of December and the initial few weeks really were terrible. My appetite took a little while to come back after I...
I lost a little weight after surgery, but I'm about 6 weeks out now and have returned to 185 which is roughly where I was to start with....
Hi Knahs1. Hope your recovery is going well and you're getting used to the new plumbing. My surgeon used stitches and some kind of glue to close me up so I'm afraid I can't give you an estimate on...
I'm sorry to hear that your fiance is feeling so poorly. While the physical symptoms of this disease are bad, I can attest to the fact that the emotional burden can be just as severe. I don't...
I'm sure you don't need me to tell you how much UC sucks and can affect every aspect of your life. Its a horrible disease, and unfortunately it does make school, work, and having a social life more...
Best of luck with the remicade Bostongirl; I'm hoping it buys you a long term remission. Though, I think you're right to keep learning as much as you can about surgery in the meantime. Remicade...
My UC remained pretty much the same for six years. I was diagnosed with mild pan colitis and a single run of prednisone knocked out my first flare in no time at all. Asacol worked pretty well after...
Yowza, that would have scared the heck out of me. Glad to hear it wasn't anything serious. I had two major set backs after my surgery. The first one was seven days into my hospital stay when my...
Wishing you the best with your recovery! Take it easy, enjoy the wonderful hospital food (or ice chips), and don't forget to chew well. For me the first two weeks were really rough, but since then...
Its been just over a month since I had my step 1 of 2 surgery and I hope you are as happy with your decision as I am now. The first two weeks after the surgery were rough and not without...
I sympathize with you about trying to make it through college with UC. I was lucky in that Remicade drastically improved my symptoms long enough to finish my last quarter, but by the time I took my...
I would recommend at least trying remicade before seriously considering surgery. I built up a tolerance to it fairly quickly, but while it was working it was wonderful. I never had any side effects...
Hey Rise Against, Jpouch.org is a great place to learn about the J pouch surgery. They also have a section there dedicated to the K pouch, but I don't know as much about that. Also try searching...
Yah, all that can happen leaving you no better off in the end than when you started. Though its also possible the pouch may work exactly as its supposed to, giving you a high quality of life without...
Just to add to what Journey said, I would also recommend not jumping into surgery to hastily. Most people are happy with the results of the surgery, but there are also a good number of potential...
Hi Rifle! I don't know much about PSC aside from what I just read on wikipedia so unfortunately I can't help you out there. If you're looking into surgery and want to go for a j pouch I would highly...
Liability perhaps? In the case of your husband's cousin, if they don't know for sure whats wrong yet, why risk prescribing drugs? I don't know why they wouldn't for your aunt though. Like suebear...
Remicade helped my symptoms for a few months; I was sure that I was close to remission. Then it stopped doing anything at all. I had a scope shortly after it started losing its effect and found my...
I personally prefer to go with the known risks, and wouldn't go for the trial drug. However, everyone's situation is different, and of course I can't tell whats best for you. It sounds as though the...
I feel for you rpg. My college had an obscenely long walk from the parking lot to the nearest restroom and I got caught out there twice with nowhere to go. During the worst of this last flair I also...
I was diagnosed at 16, and went 7 years before I had another scope. Of course during that time my UC was pretty well controlled with 5 ASAs....
Stopping prednisone suddenly can cause serious side effects. However, I think you need to be on it for more than a day or two for that to be an issue. I could be wrong though, I'm certainly not a...
The first appointment I had with my GI he told me to go ahead and make an appointment once a year so long as everything was going okay....
Very interesting, thanks for sharing. Imagardener2, where do you get your turmeric supplements? Sounds like something that might be worth a try....
I would wager the risk of flaring from contracting the flu would be significantly higher than the risk of getting the shot. My two cents anyway....
Wow, you should definitely have a GI that is willing to sit down and talk with you at length about any concerns you have about this disease. There are some very good doctors that work for kaiser; if...
Sounds like we are in a similar situation. I've been on prednisone since the end of last year and have basically run out of pharmacological options. My GI has been prodding me towards surgery for a...
Before starting me on the 6mp my GI ordered a blood test to check how well I would metabolize it, not sure exactly what it was. He was surprised when he got the results. Apparently I was the first...
I started taking methotrexate after remicade began to fail due to me building up antibodies to it. I couldn't be on 6mp since I can't metabolize it, so it didn't take long to build resistance to the...
About a week ago I got the worst chills and could not get warm despite being buried under a pile of blankets. I was shivering so bad i was sure I must have had a terrible fever, but when I took my...
I never had much luck getting out of a flare with asacol. After i was diagnosed it took a course of prednisone to get me in remission. The asacol was very effective as a maintenance drug for several...
I would second what bostwis1 said and get it checked out by a doctor right now....
I built up a resistance to remicade about 6 weeks after my third dose, but I wasn't on 6mp as I can't metabolize it. Trying to pair the remicade with methotrexate now, but it doesn't seem to be...
KC, I really hope things start looking up for you soon. I started flaring in November; my doc bumped up my asacol dose with no effect. In late December I went on prednisone, but that only helped for...