Thursday, April 14, 2011

Managing Colitis

Sorry I haven't posted in a while. I just got fed up with dealing with being sick all the time. I had a hard time finding the right treatment for my colitis and I am still not sure about the current treatment I am on.

The good news is that after my last colonoscopy in February (I think) the doctor confirmed that I only have colitis in the lower part of my colon. Speaking of colonoscopies--am I the only one that can't finish the prep drink? This is the second time that I couldn't finish it all. I even started drinking it early and sipped ginger ale in between to keep from being bloated. The ginger ale did help and I recommend that as a way to get through the prep. I'm a small person and I don't eat or drink  much anyway so why do I have to suffer and drink all of that? They should do the doses by weight. Grrr.

Anyway, back on topic. I told my doctor that I had a bad experience with Asacol so what does he do? He puts me on Sulphasalazine, which is known to had worse side effects than Asacol. And guess what? I took my first dose on Christmas Eve and it triggered a major migraine. I spent Christmas Eve alone in bed (not really alone--my faithful dog was at my side) and missed my family gathering. So then I said I would try Asacol again. I already have a problem with headaches and Asacol made them worse. So, on to Plan C. Since I have colitis in the lower part of my colon, the doctor said I could get by with a rectal treatment. Now I was told that I was being given suppositories so I imagined a small gel-like pill that I would have to insert, but no, it's more like an enema. I have to do this every night. It's not too bad, but I think it's giving me diarrhea so I have to talk with my doctor.

Has anyone read the side effects for these colitis treatments? One of the most common side effects is colitis. WTF? I give up.


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