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By way of this support group, I have read reports from many of you have
asked for help for yourselves or a friend who has similar symptoms as my
friend. She is very sick.  Please let me know if there is any chance a
gluten-free diet will help her.  Any other suggestions will be helpful.  I
am afraid for her at this point.

She is 46 and was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis yesterday. Her doctor
did a colonoscopy and said there are ulcers covering her whole colon. (He,
of course, did biopsies.)  Does that mean she could have a rupture?

Her symptoms first began about sixteen years ago. At that time, she was
diagnosed with proctitis (via having a flexible sigmoid). This is an
inflammation of the rectum, I think.  The doctor treated her with
Alzulfadine (sp). T hat didn't help and he did not want to try anything
new, so, just recently she began seeing this gastro who diagnosed her
yesterday.

Over the years, she has been through periods of remission without major
symptoms, but the symptoms have always come back.  Her most obvious
symptoms include anemia as low as 9, diagnosed first in the late 80's;
depression;  leg aches; headaches;  dizziness; can't focus well sometimes
(noticed about 3 years ago and appears more when colon flares up a lot);
bad diarrhea;  when colon flares up, she has had no stool, just blood and
mucus; chronic sinus infections which respond to cortisone;  lots of
flatulence and cramping.

When her symptoms get real bad, she puts up a front and looks fine on the
outside, but she is hurting so bad. This, of course causes her to be
depressed.

Yesterday the doctor put her on extremely high doses of Predniz one for
10 weeks and Asacol.

If anyone has advice or suggestions will you please share them with me  She
doesn't have a computer at home and since she is not working, I will pass
along your replies to her at home. She teaches at our local college.  She
and I both live on boats and her boat is docked right next to mine.  Thank
you in advance for ANY help you can give my friend.

Ginger Conner
Fulton, MS, USA