Happy 2012. I expected to heal quickly. After all, in 2011 I ran 2 marathons and was in the best physical shape I'd ever been. I was indestructible! Invincible! Unstoppable! Deluded, actually. My entire life's health mantra up to that point had been 'you are your habits.' If you take good care of your body by exercising regularly and feeding it properly, you will not have health problems, right?? Boy, was I in for a rude awakening.
The Asacol Dr. G. prescribed on that fateful December day did not work. At all. By January 7, I was up to 25-30 bloody toilet episodes a day and could barely stand up. Needless to say, my husband rushed me to Hillcrest Hospital that morning. In my delusional state, I STILL felt like it was a big waste of time, and all I needed was an appointment with a Gastroenterologist to put me on something a little stronger. Drugs remedy all ails, right? Ha. Wake up Butt Princess!
After what seemed like hours in the ER, I was admitted and hooked up to IV steroids and fluids. The GI who was assigned to me, Dr. W., confidently assured me that the meds would stop the bloody diarrhea "like a faucet" to jump start me into remission, at which point I would commence a lifelong journey with med management. Dr. G. also came to visit, claiming that I had a 'garden variety' case of UC, suggesting that surgery would probably not be needed. Not ideal, but I could deal with popping a few pills a day to keep my colon calmed down. I was confident that I would be out of the hospital in 3 days, tops.
After a week at Hillcrest, the diarrhea episodes had subsided considerably, to 5 or 6 a day, but that was not even close to Dr. W's criteria for discharge. Instead, he recommended Remecaid, a strong biologic drug that was administered by IV. If it proved effective, I would undergo 2-3 hour infusions every couple of months for the rest of my life. Dr. W was not confident that it would help (30-40% of his patients experienced success with Remecaid), and strongly suggested surgery. I was NOT ready to part with my colon, so enthusiastically consented to the Remecaid, sure that it was the golden ticket back to health.
Another week went by, and my improvement was pretty minimal. Dr. W. again recommended surgery, but I was not certain that all medical options had been exhausted. Fortunately, my husband, Jeff, does alot of work for the Clinic, and his friends there recommended I go downtown to consult with the docs at their Digestive Diseases Institute. Holding onto my colon for dear life, I requested a transfer downtown for a second opinion. I was afraid Dr. W. would be offended, but instead he said it was the smartest thing to do. He assured me that the Clinic's gut docs are the best in the country, if not the world. A transfer downtown would mean I would have access to cutting edge research in medicating this horrible disease. It finally dawned on me that this awful illness was not going away. I was terrified.
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