Introduction:
My name is Merina, 25 years old from northern Ontario. My boyfriend and I have been together now for over 8 years. High school sweethearts, long distance relationship during college and recently just bought our first home and settling into our new careers! This year he was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis.
January of this year my boyfriend was diagnosed with UC.
This summer has been by far the worse in terms of flare ups yet. His current medications include salofalk enemas and prednisone. He has been on these meds for the past 3 months. the doctor had concluded that he is steroid depended due to the fact that every time he flares, he is so closed to being weaned off his prednisone (20-10mg). The doctor recently did another scope on him to determine the progression. We have now been told that remicade is the next step. We are in the process of TB testing and was wondering about any input in regards to remicade? We have been doing our research and are aware about its side effects on paper. Any information or experiences would be greatly appreciated.
Secondly, we have recently changed our diet to gluten/grain free. We have been told from numerous doctors that diet plays a minimal role in the treatment of colitis however we are willing to try anything that works, even if it helps a little bit…a little bit can go a long ways. We were told to stick to a low residue diet during flares however this still seemed to cause problems. He has mentioned that after eating gluten free & grain free so far he experiences less cramps then as per usual. Not sure if this has anything to do with the fact that he is in a higher dose of prednisone since he has just been recovering from a flare as well. We are curious to see who else out there has seen any success with this diet overall?
Lastly, I just wanted to say how much this disease has shed a light for the both of us. I have so much respect for people who are dealing with this as well as their loved ones who surround them. The patience strength are key and I know it’s not easy but I am confident there is light at the end of the tunnel…!
written by Merina
submitted in the friends & family members section
my boyfriend was just recently diagnosed with UC
