Introduction:
My name is Gabrielle, Gabby for short. I will be 25 years old in September and I was diagnosed when I was 17, back in 2006. I work for a Pediatrics primary care office as a medical assistant, and have a 3yr old of my own.
Some more about me:
I am 24…. I have a daughter (3yrs old) named Madison…. I was born in Brooklyn, NY and currently live in Florida (but I can’t stand the beach lol)… Lately life is all about trying to stay healthy, working, and being a goofball with my kid haha.
I think one thing that is extremely interesting is, I also have a blood clotting condition called, Protein C deficiency, which, meds for that and meds for UC, DON’T ALWAYS GET ALONG
Symptoms:
Same old symptoms, different day. I believe that’s the only way to look at it, honestly. When does it finally get better?????
Super Mom/Crazy Issues
Ok… so…. I was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis when I was 17yrs old in my 2nd semester of Senior Year (2006). I had random bowel issues, I guess you could say for some time, maybe months, before my major break through. I was rushed to the hospital by my dad when I called him and told him that when I went to the bathroom, all that came out was blood and it LITERALLY, scared the crap out of me haha. They kept me in the hospital, admitted, for a week. Doing god knows how much blood work, rectal exams (checking for blood and what not), CT scans, and of course…. a colonoscopy. In the end, I was sent home with a prescription for Asacol 2pills 3x’s a day, Canasa suppositories, and Rowasa enemas. Needless to say, at 17, I was not feeling the suppositories or the enemas.
So I had little improvement with the Asacol 2- 3x’s a day, so my GI at the time increased me to 3-3x’s a day. That worked for a while, with the occasional flair ups. It was so embarrassing to me at the time, which it still is to this day, but for a teenager just trying to have fun, I didn’t wanna go to the movies, I didn’t wanna go out to eat with my boyfriend, I never wanted to do anything really, just in case I needed to get to a bathroom fast. It seems as if, I would be pretty therapeutic for a few months, and then out of no where it would hit again. I had pain/cramping, bloody diarrhea, frequent bathroom trips, and it always comes with a lot of gas haha.
It finally seemed to be getting better after the increase in meds, and the occasional scope/MRI/CT scan to see how I was improving. In June 2006, I went to my PCP complaining of extremely bad abdominal pain, and she then sent me straight to the ER due to my history of UC and wanted to rule of Toxic MegaColon (if you have really listened to your GI and heard this term thrown around, and then read up on it…. IT’S NOT FUNNY!) so they ruled it out as just UC flair, pumped me with Morphine for pain lol which, doesn’t help BTW, just gave me a migraine. When I woke up the next morning, I couldn’t walk and when I tried to stand up, I would pass out. My dad, again, rushed me to the same ER, and that’s when they found my DVT(blood clot) going up my entire left leg, into my groin, and my lower abdomen, causing the pain I had the day before.
SO that’s my medical history lol. I was on Asacol this whole time. GI dr’s never wanted to try me on anything else. It was actually working pretty well, along with trying to avoid certain things that I realized would cause discomfort and upset my UC. My family is very supportive, down to my fiancé and his family.
During my pregnancy, I was able to come off my UC meds, without any issues. Apparently the hormones during pregnancy can counteract UC symptoms. That was pretty cool.
I think now, my UC is the worst its been in a very long time, I’m not responding well to my new medication, since Asacol 400mg is no longer available. They have me on Apriso, don’t use it…it doesn’t work. Now my question…..
My GI dr is wanting to start me on : Humira, I need any opinions or advise. I’m actually very nervous about starting this medication.
Medications:
Asacol worked pretty well. Canasa doesn’t help me, it actually makes the cramping/nausea worse. Rowasa only works if you stick to it. Apriso 0.375 is not doing much for me. You have to take 4pills once every morning, and they’re huge light blue horse pills. Soda is delicious and it’s hard to give it up, for me anyway, but I know it can cause discomfort, all the carbonation and whatnot.
written by Gabby
submitted in the colitis venting area
My name is Gabrielle, Gabby for short. I will be 25yrs old in September and I was diagnosed when I was 17, back in 2006. I work for a Pediatrics primary care office as a medical assistant, and have a 3yr old of my own.
