8: Hear from a mother caring for a child with Ulcerative Colitis in Singapore_Koh Bee Man

Koh Bee Man, mother of a daughter with IBD.

Her eldest daughter started with severe eczema at 2yo, then at 4yo, added with liver inflammation, diagnosed as hepatitis, caused by her autoimmune system, and treated with oral steroid and azathioprine. At Pr.3, she suddenly had severe, night diarrhoea, and was diagnosed with Crohn's Disease at the end of her Pr.3 term.

She was given 0.5mg Prednisolone for hepatitis and mesalazine for Crohn's. Mom read a lot from the internet, decided to try the Specific Carbohydrate Diet, but it did not work. In Pr.4, she was given FODMAP diet, a low fibre, easily digestible, low-flatulence, slow-peristalsis diet, without onion and garlic, which worked for her girl.

Mom believes her stunted growth will recover once her CD is under control, but to be treated before she stops growing. She had 6-monthly blood tests and colonoscopies in Pr.4 and Sec.1. She received very good support from her family, friends and her school.