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Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!seismo!harpo!eagle!allegra!jdd
From: jdd@allegra.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.med
Subject: Re: Colitis, Cortisone
Message-ID: <1964@allegra.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 7-Nov-83 19:16:39 EST
Article-I.D.: allegra.1964
Posted: Mon Nov  7 19:16:39 1983
Date-Received: Tue, 8-Nov-83 23:35:40 EST
References: <1928@hplabsb.UUCP>
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories, Murray Hill
Lines: 27

About a month ago I was diagnosed as having ulcerative colitis.  My
gastroenterologist, whom I think is good (he was recommended by a doctor I
think is good), sent me home with prescriptions for Prednisone (synthetic
cortisone) and Asulfadine (sulfa plus aspirin).  I'm having a few problems
with this treatment that I'd like advice on.  (Ideally, of course, I would
discuss these problems with my doctor, but he seems hesitant to do so.)

First, the cortisone has significant mood-altering properties.  I'm
sufficiently zombied-out, at the dosage I'm taking, that I can't get very
much work, or anything else, done.  This is disconcerting; is there any way
around this?

Secondly, the symptoms don't seem to be clearing up very fast.  At first,
the gastroenterologist said that he didn't think I'd be on the cortisone
long (with "long" meaning "six months to a year or more"), but he hasn't
said that recently.  Any idea of the success rate for cortisone?

Lastly, my gastroenterologist has said nothing about the causes of the
colitis or of long-term strategies to keep it from recurring.  Assuming I
ever get that far, what should I do to keep from having it again?

Any advice will be welcomed, though not necessarily followed.

Cheers,
John ("If I Had Known I Was Going To Live This Long,
       I Would Have Taken Much Better Care Of Myself") DeTreville
Bell Labs, Murray Hill