My Story

I was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis in 2003 at the age of 23.  After many tests and a few misdiagnosis’s, I went to see a gastroenterologist (GI) who described my case of UC as very advanced and effecting all of my large intestine.   It was so bad that in my second scoping, they brought in a group of med students to observe my rare case, which was rather daunting considering this was my peer group.  I got started on the normal course of action which included the drug Colazal.  I was also given suppositories in an effort to help get the medicine directly on the affected area.  Over the next few months it seemed as if my symptoms were only getting worse so the doctor stepped up my pill intake.  At my worst point I was drinking 19 pills per day and having to use the bathroom on average of 13 times per day.  It was often hard to make it all the way to the bathroom which happened to be on the other side of my office.  This continued for months until my doctor decided that Colazal wasn’t for me and switched me over to Asacol.  At this point I also started using enemas to again help get concentrated medicine to the necessary area.  Several more months and it was time to add a steroid since they were unable to get my UC under control.  This was an amazing relief for a few weeks as the steroid suppresses many of your symptoms.  It was only after the doctor started to wean me off the Prednisone that my UC symptoms came back fiercer.  I had heard about taking aloe internally and started a side regiment of that for good measure.  This was my first experience with anything natural or homeopathic, and it didn’t seem to make a positive impact.  I was a severe case at this point and I was willing to try anything.  All along my doctor continued to tell me that I could eat whatever I wanted as we were concerned about me getting enough calories since I lost 30 pounds in the first few months after being diagnosed.  Another scoping proved my condition continued to worsen and that was the first time Remicade was introduced as a treatment option.  The drug is administered intravenously that once started could not be stopped.  If you ever want to give yourself a panic attack, please feel free to read the side effect possibilities for Remicade.  I knew at that point that the doctor perhaps didn’t have my best interest at heart and I wasn’t willing to consider removing my colon entirely before my 25^th birthday.  One doc had even said that it wouldn’t be long before colon cancer onsets due to the overactive cells within my intestines.  It was time for me to start taking matters into my own hands and doing a little more research.