You might want to send a PM to poster Pouchomarx on these questions. I believe he was told or diagnosed with IgG4 and seems to know a little bit about it. He has started a thread or two on it as well.

Thanks DJB. I actually just got my IgG4 blood test done because for some reason it was never drawn in October. Fortunately, my levels were within normal range (39.5 with a normal range of 4.0 to 86.0).

I've been on Bactrim for 6 weeks, but Dr. O wanted me to come off so I don't develop resistance. It's only been a few days, and I can already feel the symptoms coming back. Very frustrating, as I know you know! I can't tolerate a lot of the other antibiotics, so I am going to try erythromycin.

Have you or anyone else had any luck with erythromycin?

Hope you had a nice Thanksgiving.

quote:

Have you or anyone else had any luck with erythromycin?

I had erythromycin prescribed for acne many years ago and do not recall using it to treat pouchitis, although I have used so many I have lost track. The most effective antibiotics I have found in treating my own pouchitis are cipro and flagyl (taken in tandem), xifaxin, and augmentin. I have used about 3-4 others including keflex with some degree of effectiveness but not as good as the ones mentioned above which I rotate. I am also taking Entocort with the antibiotics and Dr. O has encouraged me to reduce the dosages of each antibiotic to the bare minimum necessary to achieve maintainance with no symptoms. I have a proven track record rotating all of the antibiotics above every 1-2 weeks to avoid any resistance being built up.

I have not yet spoken to Dr. O about lactulose as a possible other treatment for bacterial overgrowth which may be causing some of my issues as well.

Thanks for your input. I forgot to ask Dr. O about the lactulose when I saw him last week.

Just started erythromycin yesterday; hopefully it will work.

I'm getting blood drawn for specialized foods sensitivity tests because I do believe that diet plays a role, at least for me. I did the Paleo diet for four weeks and my eczema began clearing up and my joint points disappeared. I resumed a "normal" diet only so I could get food allergy and sensitivity tests.

I have a background in science, and I am beginning to think there is a connection between conditions like eczema and IBD. Both have to do with epithelial cell linings becoming compromised. I suspect something is happening to weaken the tight junctions between the epithelial cells, thus allowing pathogens to cross the barrier and precipitate an immune response. I remember reading a study which said that people with UC were twice as likely to have eczema when compared to normal controls.

Given that I experienced gradual healing of my eczema and the disappearance of joint pains while on the Paleo diet, I am hopeful for a slow, sustained improvement in my GI health.

I refuse to believe that since I have an immune system condition that it's something I'm going to be stuck with for the rest of my life. That's what the pharmaceutical companies want me to believe. I believe in the wisdom of the body and that inflammation is in response to some type of insult that is being inflicted. The hard part is figuring out what things are responsible, as there are so many variables.