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From: Dean on 5 Aug 2008 10:11
I have a mild case of Colitis. I would say every five years I get a
terrible bout, worse each time. It grows in intensity to a point
where I have to go to the MD and get some steroid enemas for
treatment. After a month or so of those Im fine for yes another five
years.

Currently in remission and now face the idea of 12 pills per day.
Asacol. I just hate to take this or any medication and currently am
not. I am constantly told by my MD that by refusing to take the
medication I am insuring that a bout will return. Weighing the risk
and reward of not having to take all this medication I always choose
to not take.

Anyone else out there in a similar situation.

Dean
From: me on 5 Aug 2008 11:00
Dean <DeanAllison(a)yahoo.com> wrote:

>I have a mild case of Colitis. I would say every five years I get a
>terrible bout, worse each time. It grows in intensity to a point
>where I have to go to the MD and get some steroid enemas for
>treatment. After a month or so of those Im fine for yes another five
>years.
>
>Currently in remission and now face the idea of 12 pills per day.
>Asacol. I just hate to take this or any medication and currently am
>not. I am constantly told by my MD that by refusing to take the
>medication I am insuring that a bout will return. Weighing the risk
>and reward of not having to take all this medication I always choose
>to not take.
>
>Anyone else out there in a similar situation.
>
>Dean

I had my first flare up at age 48. I'm male and now
age 50

The first flare up was bad.... but I recovered fully
with very minimal symptoms after that

I had a second flare up this year (age 50)..... like
you I hate taking meds as I'm already on cholesterol,
blood pressure, Prilosec, etc.

So when the doc ordered Canasa suppositories
(expensive!) I tried using them only when needed. Would
take them until I felt better and stop taking them only
to get sick again.

So... now I use a Canasa suppository every night no
matter what. I feel much better and the symptoms have
for the most part disappeared.
From: Rufus on 5 Aug 2008 21:35
Dean wrote:
> I have a mild case of Colitis. I would say every five years I get a
> terrible bout, worse each time. It grows in intensity to a point
> where I have to go to the MD and get some steroid enemas for
> treatment. After a month or so of those Im fine for yes another five
> years.
>
> Currently in remission and now face the idea of 12 pills per day.
> Asacol. I just hate to take this or any medication and currently am
> not. I am constantly told by my MD that by refusing to take the
> medication I am insuring that a bout will return. Weighing the risk
> and reward of not having to take all this medication I always choose
> to not take.
>
> Anyone else out there in a similar situation.
>
> Dean

I suffered recurring flares of bleeding with a diagnosis of
"indeterminate" for about six years before a severe flare put me off my
feet and in the hospital bleeding for two weeks straight...lost three
pints and a lot of weight I didn't have on me to lose in the first
place, then spent six months off work recovering. That was in the fall
of '06.

What none of the gastros had done during the previous six years was to
KEEP me on a maintenance dose of medication - they treated the bleeding
symptom (for about a month at a time each event) until it stopped, then
discontinued the meds. I would usually start bleeding again in about
6-9 months as my disease progressed.

Since leaving the hospital in the fall of '06, I started on Asacol and
it gave me severe insomnia and migraine. I switched to Colazal about a
year and a half ago - nine pills daily. I haven't had another bleed in
that year and a half other than after getting scoped and extensively
biopsied in May '08 (seven years passed between my first presenting with
a bleed, and getting a positive diagnosis of "mild" Crohn's just last
May) - and that only lasted about a week and was light fairly light.

At my three month follow up my doc said I didn't need to see him for
another check up for a year, unless I had another flare or encountered
any related problems. And not to even THINK of reducing my Colazal dosage.

My advise - do what your MD says...take the pills...

--
- Rufus
From: Toom Tabard on 6 Aug 2008 04:23
On 5 Aug, 15:11, Dean <DeanAlli...(a)yahoo.com> wrote:
> I have a mild case of Colitis.  I would say every five years I get a
> terrible bout, worse each time.  It grows in intensity to a point
> where I have to go to the MD and get some steroid enemas for
> treatment.  After a month or so of those Im fine for yes another five
> years.
>
> Currently in remission and now face the idea of 12 pills per day.
> Asacol.  I just hate to take this or any medication and currently am
> not.  I am constantly told by my MD that by refusing to take the
> medication I am insuring that a bout will return.  Weighing the risk
> and reward of not having to take all this medication I always choose
> to not take.
>
> Anyone else out there in a similar situation.
>
> Dean

If I understand correctlly, the active ingedient in Asacol is
mesalazine or 5-ASA which is considered the active group in
sulfasalazine.

I used to be prescribed sulfasalazine during flareups. It was only
after I was recommended to take it for several years continuosly, and
to move to a high-fibre diet, that I went into long-term remission,
which was maintained after I stopped taking it. Have been symptom-free
for 30+ years. So, long-term medication whilst in remission can, in
some cases, contribute to effective cure.

However, your UC problems seems minor and infrequent, and only you can
judge whether the suggested treatment is necessary or worth it.

Toom
From: Carole Allen on 7 Aug 2008 02:01
On Tue, 5 Aug 2008 07:11:29 -0700 (PDT), Dean <DeanAllison(a)yahoo.com>
wrote:

>I have a mild case of Colitis. I would say every five years I get a
>terrible bout, worse each time. It grows in intensity to a point
>where I have to go to the MD and get some steroid enemas for
>treatment. After a month or so of those Im fine for yes another five
>years.
>
>Currently in remission and now face the idea of 12 pills per day.
>Asacol. I just hate to take this or any medication and currently am
>not. I am constantly told by my MD that by refusing to take the
>medication I am insuring that a bout will return. Weighing the risk
>and reward of not having to take all this medication I always choose
>to not take.
>
>Anyone else out there in a similar situation.
>
>Dean

Well, he may start you at 12/day, but then at some point reduce it. I
started on 12/day, later was reduced to 9, and then to 6. I can
actually get by on 4/day now. I have been taking it since May 1995
with no bad side effects, and I have remained in remission.

Remember that the lack of symptoms does not mean the disease is gone.
I had about 8 years of non-medicated remission (or at least a lack of
symptoms) before I flared badly in early 1995. Listen to the dr.
Certainly ask him about the possibility of doing a dosage reduction if
he sees them working, and discuss a possible timeline with him.
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