Intro:
I am a recently married 52 year young woman who until being diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis was very strong and healthy. My husband and I love going out of town often on road trips to visit friends. Now he mostly goes by himself as I usually am too unsure to go.
Some more about Brenda:
Hello, I am from Ontario. I was just married this past June. I love camping and traveling. I like to spend time with friends and family. I’m told I don’t act my age. {can be good and bad} ha.
Symptoms:
I am currently coming of the prednisone again so my symptoms are pretty good right now. Mostly a bit of pain when things are moving and still urgency.
My Story:
I was diagnosed in June 2012. I started to think something wasn’t right before xmas. But when the blood showed up in February I went to the Doctors. I was referred to an Internist who performed a colonoscopy which showed UC. This is when the meds began. 8 grams of Asacol per day. I started loosing a lot of weight and having to take time off work. I was then prescribed the Steroid Enemas. Yuk. The urgency I had since the beginning didn’t alow me to keep it in. More wasted money as I gave the Naturopath Doc a try. $1000 later with a variety of products including Aloe Vera, probiotics, to name a couple.
This is probably a year later when the Imuran was prescribed. I had a thing with my self that If I had to go to the bathroom 5 times then I would go home. So in 2013 my salary was about $5000 less due to missed work. I then tried the Nutribullet and wizzed up kale, flax seeds, nuts, protein powders, fruits, antioxidant ingredients. I think all this made me worse. Early this year I finally gave in and started taking prednisone at 40mg/day for 2 weeks. I had an upcoming holiday and I really wanted and needed to be well. It involved a 4 hour road trip. I could not believe how much better I felt after only 2 days. OMG. What a relief. I didn’t realize just how bad I felt till I felt better. Then after the 9 week taper off my symptoms came right back.
Then I was getting married in June and I really wanted and needed to be well for that. So I asked my Doctor to prescribe the prednisone again this time he gave me 50 mg/day and so on. My wedding was awesome and we are very happy.
Once again after the taper off symptoms came right back. All this time I have been on the Methotrexate also. My hair was so brittle falling out and just looked awful as did I when the prednisone was done. I forgot to mention that I have had about 5 accidents during the 3 years. So I am usually even afraid to go grocery shopping its all I can do to get to work, make it through work and get home again. For about a year that is all I did.
Then my upcoming honeymoon 9 days on the beautiful Vancouver Island. That’s right a plane and airport and shuttle and road trips and mountains and lakes and all that. What was I thinking? I went to my Doctor and begged for one last round of prednisone for this trip. He obliged me and our honeymoon was fantastic. What a blessing it was. I am so blessed to have a great supporting husband.
I have been on Remicade now since March 2014. So as you have heard it has not fully put me in remission as of yet. I am still hopeful though because everyone else there is on 6 week intervals and I am on 8. So my next Doctor apt I plan to ask for infusion every 6 weeks.
I am currently at 30mg of pred on my way to none. Hopefully never again for any of the other meds.
Medications / Supplements:
I am very undecided about the Asacol, Imuran, Methotrexate, Steroid Enemas, and all the Naturopathic products I was convinced to try. I am not sure any of these products helped much if at all.
written by Brenda W
submitted in the colitis venting area
I am a recently married 52 year young woman who until being diagnosed with UC was very strong and healthy. My husband and I love going out of town often on road trips to visit friends. Now he mostly goes by himself as I usually am too unsure to go.
