Archive for November, 2009

A colonoscopy for colitis anyone?

It is something that you will most probably have experienced at the very early stages of your diagnosis but have you had it again?

What am I talking about? Undergoing a colonoscopy.

“Ouch!” you may think as you just shiver at the thought of what the procedure involves. When I had my first one in 1994 is was awful, lets not beat around the bush. But that was with old technology. Nowadays, things have really moved on with a very small camera and cable being used. There really should be little pain, more just mild discomfort. And many consultants actually offer sedative as well.

So there is no reason why you should put off or be worried about the procedure.

And it is very important that colitis sufferers are checked at least once every ten years, then as they get older perhaps once every five years. There is a greater risk of sufferers being prone to bowel cancer and a colonoscopy is the ideal procedure to ensure that you are not in any way affected by it. Plus the consultant will be able to assess your colon’s current health in respect of the area affected by the inflammation.

I have provided you with a link to a website that discusses “all things” colonoscopy. Whilst a lot of the info is based around colon cancer it also addresses the subject of colitis and the role of a colonoscopy.

http://www.colonoscopy.org

I have had a few emails recently about the topic of surgery and I thought I would copy a response I gave to a young guy who has been suffering from symptoms for apprx 10 months but was only diagnosed about two months ago.

He is already considering surgey which, as I have stated, is a huge step to take.

Here is my response to this question:

“You are a young guy and have not been diganosed for long. It may seem like hell that you are going through but you must realise that surgery is a massive step to take. I would recommend that you vary your medication, try others available, look at changing your diet.

Whilst you have been suffering for eleven months, it was only properly diagnosed four months ago. Allow for the medication to do its job and do what I suggest above.

I would ask the consultant as to the exact extent of the ulceration of the colon. If it is just a few inches around the rectum (procitis) then you should forget about surgery and concentrate on getting better through rest, medication and diet I would not even contemplate surgery until at least half the colon is affected.

I had surgery when it was found two thirds of my colon was affected during a relapse. Before the relapse, I lived perfectly healthily despite having two thirds of the colon susceptible to colitis, by managing my condition with medication, diet, rest and just being sensible about what I did, how I lived. I still went on holidays, still lived normally, enjoyed a wide and varied diet, drank alcohol, in fact life’s experiences were pretty much similar to the time before colitis apart from having regard to and accepting that I was diagnosed with colitis and adjusted life accordingly when required.

You do really need to think long and hard about this before any action is taken.

The surgical process can be hell as well and is not guaranteed.”

He is young and wants to get on with his life which is only natural but that has to be weighed up against having the symptoms for only ten months and not being sure of the extent of the inflammation.

After years of remission and relapses, surgery can possibly be seen as the panacea for riding yourself of the disease but there is a huge amount to consider before a decision is made.

Okay, here is something a bit different that I had not done before. And that is…

Recommend someone elses product.

You might be aware of it, you may not. It is by Mark Anastasi and is called “Colitis Breakthrough”

It concentrates on the role of diet and re-educating the reader to wean themselves off the modern synthetic diet and concentrate on what many may class as “super foods” but are in fact foods that can be easily found in a supermarket, foods that you probably already may sometimes eat.

Rather than just blindlingly offering you this, I wanted to get to the facts so I contacted Mark and understood exactly what is offered and whether it would be of benefit to you.

And the great thing is….

I can recommend it fully. You will be informed of the theory behind what is said and why it is vitally important to ensure diet forms an integral part of your own colitis management. You will be informed of exactly what you need to eat and what not to eat. This is not some flashy diet book with recipes. This explains what, why, how and for whom to give you exactly the knowledge you want to strengthen your defence against colitis.

As with anything with colitis, there is no guarantee everyone will benefit, so he has included a money back guarantee if you are not entirely delighted with your purchase after you have read it. If you want your money back then you get it back. I did the same and I demand that anyone else also offers the same to you.

And with anything to do with colitis, it is one of the few things that is guaranteed.

Go now and click on http://tinyurl.com/yemus76 and find what could well be the missing link for you to make even further progress in your daily challenges that colitis brings.

Michael

I want to post this encouraging news once again on research undertaken in Canada about the efffectiveness of Asacol, the mesalazine anti inflammatory drug used to keep those diagnosed with colitis in remission.

Here is an extract from the briefing…

“Results from the largest prospective controlled ulcerative colitis (UC) trial conducted to date, called the QD dosing investigation for efficacy IN UC maintenance (QDIEM), found that once-daily dosing of Asacol(R) (mesalamine) delayed-release 400 mg tablets at 1.6-2.4 g/day was comparable to twice-daily dosing for the maintenance of remission in patients with UC. The study, which met its primary endpoint of non-inferiority, found that 90.5 per cent of patients taking Asacol once-daily remained in remission at six months compared to 91.8 per cent of patients taking Asacol twice-daily. These findings were announced at the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) Annual Scientific Meeting in San Diego, California.”

As always, consult your doctor before altering the dosage of any medication that you are taking. I used to vary from 5-6 400mg tablets per 24 hours as I believed that it was important to continually monitor the amount of medication that was being consumed and if it could be altered in any way. The key here is to keep testing and keep reviewing.

If you are suffering from symptoms that might be indicating colitis and you have an appointment with your doctor, here are some questions that you should ask:

Do I have IBD?
Which type of IBD do I have?
Which parts of my bowel are affected?
What is the long-term prognosis for someone with this condition?
What treatment options are available to me?
Which treatment option(s) do you recommend, and why?
How does the treatment work?
When will the treatment start to work?
What benefits can I expect from the treatment?
How long will I need to continue treatment?
Are there any side effects I should watch out for, and what should I do if they happen?
Are there any medications, foods, or other things I should avoid while using this treatment?
Do I need to make any changes to my diet or my lifestyle?
What else can I do to take good care of myself?
When should I come back for a follow-up appointment or tests?

Now, you doctor may not be able to give you a full answer to each question, but at least you will have a better understanding of what you may be facing.

For colitis answers from someone who has experienced everything that the disease can throw at you then go now to my colitis answers

New research has just been published on the influence of genes as perhaps a reason for a colitis diagnosis.

“People with painful, chronic bowel conditions such as Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis could see a glimmer of hope from new research.

Scientists say they’ve spotted a genetic flaw that could drive a rare childhood form of colitis, and the finding might have implications for the broader range of illnesses collectively known as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

Genetic analysis of nine children with a severe form of early-onset colitis found mutations of two genes producing cell receptors for interleukin-10, a protein that controls the body’s inflammatory response, according to a report published online Nov. 4 in the New England Journal of Medicine.”

If you want to learn more go to the publication for a full account.