Good morning from Mark's room where the "team" met and have concluded that this is an inflammatory process likely related to an autoimmune issue and will be treated with steroids which though they don't treat the disease, they do help to control symptoms while they work through the process of tracking the disease. The disease is likely as I say part of the broad scope of autoimmune diseases where the body's own immune system fights the body rather than the disease or syndrome. So the immune system needs to be treated along with the digestive system which isn't metabolizing in a normal fashion and the body is chemically out of balance. Docs will have to do a multi-faceted treatment to bring the body functions into alignment. Enzymes that are deficient will be fortified and during all this, GI docs will manage the process.

Once again Mark will be moving rooms on Monday to coincide with the change of resident shifts in the medical school. Fortunately Cyndi from oncology will move to GI and will be our continuum and be able to keep everyone informed about the historical issues.

Steroids begin today.

Ken Crocheron