Thank you Laura, for your courage!
My name is Marty.
Up until ten years ago I was healthy as a horse...
Then after seeing a urologist for a minor prostate infection while in Boston on business, I was put on one round of Cipro. No problem right?.... Wrong! Everything changed overnight....My system went crazy and I had the worst diarrhea (multple times a day) from that day on through today.
My life immediately changed.
I could not do my job, and have diarrhea like this.... My career had involved traveling Coast to Coast and International flights constantly five days+ a week, and I was good at what I did. After less than 3 months of having incredibly terrible diarrhea in a x-country Boeing 'jon' I finally had to give it up, and find something that I could try and do from home.
After 8 gastroenterologist's and (7 years of testing) I was finally diagnosed as a Celiac disease patient.
So I immediately entered into a 100 % gluten free diet. (Totally gluten free), every meal prepared at home, with no possible chance of accidental cross contamination. All the specialist said I should respond sooner or later.
It's now been three+ years, and I have had no response (none...) to the gluten free diet in any way. (In fact, it's getting worse every month or two)... And my wife says I have literally 'turned into a hermit'.
This afternoon I visited my parents, and they told me they had seen the DHC special on 'Habba'. I immediately came home and began researching it in depth.
After a couple of hours of research I ended up on this site a few minutes ago.
I have got to tell you that 'everything' I have learned about 'Habba', everything...points directly to the symptoms I have.
'Right down the line from the poor response to antispasmodics, to the lack of severe abdominal pain during the diarrhea, to improvement of symptoms when fasting'.
Wow!
I have to say that this 'just makes me kind of dizzy' when reading about Habba ....as it is, as though someone described my symptoms word for word.
Tommorrow morning I am going to call my Gastroenterologist (Who now is a good friend we have seen each other so often), and ask her to set up a conference call with Dr. Habba as soon as he can work one in. I want to see if there would be any harm in going ahead and beginning a low dose titrating trial of cholestyramine as soon as possible.
From everything I've read, it looks as though this would be no problem, and it would not take very long to see if we have any improvement.
I do know I have Celiac disease from the antigen blood tests, and Celiac being a genetic disorder needs a trigger... (like Cipro to start it),...but this certainly would explain the fact that my body is 'just not reponding to treatment', as well as the fact that this diarrhea does not fit the usual Celiac pattern.
The bottom line though is this:
I joined this conversation to add this post to say, "whether or not this ends up working out for me or not,.. the important thing is that: "Laura, by you going on this DSC television show... and talking about your problem: you have probably changed many peoples lives in an incredibly important WAY that none of them will ever forget!"
"As you well know, all of us out here who are suffering from the horrible consequences of severe multiple bouts of diarrhea everyday are truly not having a great quality of life experience,...."
"But,... even if your efforts in bringing this to the public eye only helps a handfull of people, You will certainly have changed those peoples lives in a way most 'healthy' people could never, ever understand. (& be blessed by God for doing so.)"
"Thank you Laura,...you may (quite possibly) have just changed my life".
Sincerely,
Marty
(Update)
My Gastroenterologist office is closed until after the Thanksgiving holidays, so I will not be able to do anything until then...... ( Was horribly sick for 5 to 6 hours from eating 2 or 3 bites of turkey............) I wish I never had to eat anything, (ever)....... 'I literally dread eating'.
...... (question) for those of you taking cholestyramine.
Can any of you tell me what the side effects are to taking this (in the low dose form used for treating the Habba syndrome?).. I would assume there are some...(Have you found them to be mild, severe, in what way? etc.)
(I just wonder what side effects I will be experiencing when I begin the medication....)
Also, for any of you who have taken it long term, do these side effects lessen over time,... or are there any tips you might offer for lessing side effects,... such as taking it at night verses day, etc?
Finally, I'd like to ask one more favor from anyone who reads this..."I'd like to ask you to please"...'take the time to say a prayer that this constant, all day terrible diarrhea that I have, actually does respond to the treatment for Habba syndrome'! And I will keep you all in my prayers as well.
I have often heard the saying "What doesn't kill you will only make you stronger", but as you all know, sometimes it...just... seems hard to believe, as it feels as this is killing me.
I would truly appreciate any of your prayers,
Marty
First week in JAN. 2008
OK, I have recieved a script for QUESTRAN from my Gastroenterologist, (Dr. Cynthia Rudert MD / Celiac Specialist) but she told me that I would be foolish to take it because she said this medication will absolutely cause major bone lose over a fairly short time. She said that since I love to hangglide and downhill ski that taking this medication would definately put an end to these activities that I ('use to love to do.')
This really scared me, so after getting the script filled, I have put off taking it, because I really do not want to lose the things that I love so much!!!!
But the last week have been so absolutely miserable and devastating,....I had the flu and they put me on very strong antibiotics...(results were diarrhea every 20 minutes, with heavy bleeding as well)... So... Tonight I took the first dose of Questran.
If there is anyone out there who can verify her claim that this medication causes massive bone lose, PLEASE let me know.................
For some reason I cannot access page two of this discussion, my laptop just will not go to the page two.
However, I could really, REALLY use some advice.
My email is :
[email protected] and I am just about totally exhausted trying to find some sort of way to stop the diarrhea.
I do not know yet if the Questran I took will work, but if it does ..... (The loss of bone density, if this is true,) would just as well kill me, because it would destroy the things I love to do.
If the Questran does not work,... I am about at the end of my options, as this diarrhea is definately killing me.
If there is ANYONE out there who could give me any advice I would gladdly appreciate it, as I do not know where to turn.
Marty
Please remember I can not access page two of this discussion.
My email is:
[email protected]