Introduction:
I am a 41 year old mom, wife, and lawyer in Boston, MA, who was just diagnosed with UC in January 2012. I pretty much think of nothing but the UC these days.
Symptoms:
One loose foul-smelling stool each morning; some ominous tummy rumbling during the day; muscle stiffness.
Newbie Looking For Wisdom:
For the three weeks or so preceding my diagnosis, I was on the pot maybe 6 times a day – including middle-of-the-night trips – passing either bloody, loose stools or just blood. So yucky to even write about. About a week before the diagnosis, I started vomiting while on the pot. I landed in the ER where they gave me a CT Scan and a colonoscopy the next morning. The prep nearly killed me. I was admitted for 24 hours and had a blood transfusion. I left the hospital with a diagnosis of UC, on Asacol and Rowasa, with a prescription for Prednisone. I convinced my GI doc to let me try to get my symptoms under control with Asacol and diet before starting the Prednisone. Within about a week, I was down to one loose, bloody stool each morning. The blood tapered off and this week I have none. I’ve even gone two days without any BM at all. Currently (3.5 weeks out of hospital) I’m on just Asacol and the SCD diet.
Here are my questions.
First, has anybody had this kind of rapid healing
on the Asacol alone?
It’s impossible for me to tell how much the med’s are doing vs. the diet.
Second, has anybody else experienced
muscle stiffness on the Asacol?
It almost feels like I’m getting pulled muscles from very little exertion. (By the way, I was very healthy and did yoga and/or walked/ran every day before getting sick. I have not exercised since then because I’m still building up enough energy just to stay awake all day and be a wife and mom and lawyer).
Third, have people made lifestyle changes
to reduce stress?
My doc’s have advised me to do so. I do have a very stressful job, but I love it. If people have used stress-reduction to heal, what methods have they used? Does it work?
Any thoughts would be much appreciated!
written by Michelle
submitted in the Colitis Venting Area
I am a 41 year old mom, wife, and lawyer in Boston, MA, who was just diagnosed with UC in January 2012. I pretty much think of nothing but the UC these days.
