Wow, you are the first person I have heard of that is allergic to Mesalamine
(besides me, of course).  I'm just curious-- how did your allergy manifest
itself?  My reaction was very weird-- I got Eosiniphilic pneumonia, which is an
allergic pneumonia.  They diagnosed it when they looked at my chest x-ray and
saw the pneumonia was around the edges of my lungs instead of in the middle.  I
had to take Prednisone to get rid of it, but everytime I tried to taper off the
pneumonia returned.   Still, my dr. did not think it was the Mesalamine causing
it until he took me off the Asacol and it didn't come back.  Then I tried a
Rowasa enema (which also has Mesalamine) and I could feel the symptoms coming
back.  I immediately stopped the Rowasa and was able to stop the pneumonia from
progressing by using a steroid inhaler.  That was when I realized I could not
take Mesalamine even in small doses.

Thanks for letting me know I'm not alone in my weird allergy :-)!




________________________________
From: "pupcasey@..." <pupcasey@...>
To: jpouchsupport@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Wednesday, July 8, 2009 7:09:38 PM
Subject: Re: [J-Pouch Support] i'm encouraged







I was unable to take Asacol because I am allergic to Mesalamine (the active
ingredient in Asacol as well as many other UC drugs).?

Hi Heidi, I had the SAME problem above, you are sooooo not alone there!

-----Original Message-----
From: Heidi Gold <hgold1111@sbcglobal .net>
To: jpouchsupport@ yahoogroups. com
Sent: Wed, Jul 8, 2009 2:43 pm
Subject: Re: [J-Pouch Support] i'm encouraged

Hi, Cindy,

I'm so glad to hear the replies you received so far have made you feel better.?
I can remember feeling very nervous about what to expect after takedown and the
fact that you are dealing with cancer must make the thought of any further
health challenges even more frightening.

It will probably be harder for you to appreciate the j-pouch since you were
responsive to medication when you had UC.? I was unable to take Asacol because I
am allergic to Mesalamine (the active ingredient in Asacol as well as many other
UC drugs).? So even with the drawbacks, my quality of life is 1,000 times better
with the j-pouch than with UC.? Given the choice, we would all prefer to have
healthy, functioning colons, but for most of us the j-pouch is the closest we
can get.? When you are ready for your takedown, we can all give you lots of
advice on what are the best foods to eat and what medicines to ask your doctor
about, but it's a lot of trial and error and your body will adapt? over time.
So, for example, you may not be able to eat a particular food at first but if
you try it again in a few?months you might be able to.

Take care,
Heidi

____________ _________ _________ __
From: rcllmc <rcllmc@yahoo. com>
To: jpouchsupport@ yahoogroups. com
Sent: Wednesday, July 8, 2009 4:20:32 PM
Subject: [J-Pouch Support] i'm encouraged

Thanks to everyone who responded. I am so encouraged. I do realize that this
site is for people who have problems and need help. And thank God for those who
respond and encourage. I will be one of those people. I do have my moments where
I get scared and you seen that moment yesterday. I had my first chemo treatment
today and I feel great. I hope it stays this way. When I started on Asacol it
was the miracle drug for me and have been living a normal life since then. Now
that I have a loop ilestomy I can still eat anything I want. So when I have the
takedown there will be an adjustment. I will be reading and learning till them.
I tend to take on everyone's experience. I need to listen and learn and have my
own experiences. Thanks, Cindi

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