The First Follow Up Visit

The first follow up visit occurred about six weeks after I got out of the hospital. I had not heard a word from the doctor's since I left the hospital. I got there to find that my appointment was with an assistant. This didn't particularly trouble me. However, the lab results from my blood tests had not been received by the office. They had to get those faxed in. No one seemed to have a clear idea of what meds I was taking except for me. The assistant ended up calling in an available doctor. He prescribed Colazol (a medication similar to Asacol), increased my dosage of 6-mp, and gave me a plan to complete the weaning of the Prednisone.(YAY!!!!!) I wasn't thrilled about the Colazol but agreed to give it a shot. He kindly gave me 6 days worth of samples which made me feel some better about trying another pricey medication. I did growl when his answer to my complaints about the side effects of the various medications was "tell everyone to blame the Prednisone."
After the Visit

I started taking the Colazol and the increased dosage of 6-MP. I at first hesitated but figured I might as well. A few days into the Colazol, I realized it was doing what the Asacol did as well...making things worse. I called and tried to discuss this with the doctor but phone tag and all those nice screening methods at their office left me frustrated. I ended up telling a receptionist I was not going to take it any longer. Once I stopped taking it, things returned to the normal, cramping, diarrhea, blood, mucus but not constant and overwhelming. That felt like "normal."