Patient 62

Date: Sun, 27 Aug 2006 00:20:29 +0100
To: jack1faf6.arc.nasa.gov

Dear Jack,

My fissure developed after just a few days of glucosamine tablets which I tried for joint pain. Turned out of the base material was calcium phosphate which turned my bowels to stone for a week! Unfortunately, that was enough to trigger it.

I had five months of agony and being unable to walk, drive or sit down for several hours a day. Proprietary creams, GTN and lignocaine all had no effect.

Then my doctor tried a speculative course of antibiotics, co-amoxiclav (a combined treatment which kills both gram+ and - bacteria), and after just a week of antibiotics, it cleared up completely two or three weeks later! When it started to recur, the same antibiotics cleared it up again. So definitely worth a try, I would say.

Unfortunately, I've been left with a tendency to constipation so I'm having to work hard at that, but it's such a relief to be rid of that awful pain.

I found your site a real life saver so thanks for that and long may it continue. I hope my experience will be helpful to somebody.

With best wishes.

... in the UK

I have taken many different varieties of glucosamine tablets for joint pain through the years and never had a problem with them. So perhaps this patient took some bad ones or does not tolerate them well. I wrote back to the patient and requested more information on the tables and he set this back. Jack

Dear Jack

The calcium phosphate was in the glucosamine tablets, the brand was Biocare. I think the calcium phosphate was just used as a filler.