Greetings to all. I am hoping to find some answers for my beautiful, 21 year old daughter. She was diagnosed in January 2011 with UC and was placed on mesalamine enemas, and then on the oral mesalimine (Lialda.)
These therapies did nothing and her symptoms quickly worsened. In May she had her second colonoscopy and the colitis had spread to 2/3 of her colon.
She was placed prednisone, but stopped taking it after three days because she started getting terrible heart palpitations and her hands and feet/ankles swelled horribly. Disgusted by the fact that the medicine didn't work (in fact she believes that the oral Lialda made it worse. We went to a new specialist yesterday. He would like my daughter to begin a combination of immunosuppressors and Remicade, or consider surgery. She is afraid to try them and has pretty much told me that she is hoping to cure this disease through her own natural methods.
She is now practially bedridden, too weak to prepare the little food that she is able to eat (while I'm at work,) and has lost over 30 lb. since February. We have been ordering a wonderful whey protein drink that she is able to consume, but everything else just doubles her over with cramps and then diarrhea. I honestly think that this disease has depressed her to the point that she doesn't care to live anymore and I don't know what to do. She is angry with me for not letting up, and angry at the world for getting this disease. Prior to this she was constantly on the go, working as a yoga instructor and personal trainer. She managed to graduate from college in May, even though she couldn't sit through the ceremony.
Any help would be greatly appreciated. I have heard great things about the Remicade. Has anyone had suffered side effects?
These therapies did nothing and her symptoms quickly worsened. In May she had her second colonoscopy and the colitis had spread to 2/3 of her colon.
She was placed prednisone, but stopped taking it after three days because she started getting terrible heart palpitations and her hands and feet/ankles swelled horribly. Disgusted by the fact that the medicine didn't work (in fact she believes that the oral Lialda made it worse. We went to a new specialist yesterday. He would like my daughter to begin a combination of immunosuppressors and Remicade, or consider surgery. She is afraid to try them and has pretty much told me that she is hoping to cure this disease through her own natural methods.
She is now practially bedridden, too weak to prepare the little food that she is able to eat (while I'm at work,) and has lost over 30 lb. since February. We have been ordering a wonderful whey protein drink that she is able to consume, but everything else just doubles her over with cramps and then diarrhea. I honestly think that this disease has depressed her to the point that she doesn't care to live anymore and I don't know what to do. She is angry with me for not letting up, and angry at the world for getting this disease. Prior to this she was constantly on the go, working as a yoga instructor and personal trainer. She managed to graduate from college in May, even though she couldn't sit through the ceremony.
Any help would be greatly appreciated. I have heard great things about the Remicade. Has anyone had suffered side effects?
