Methodist Health System | Methodist Charlton Medical Center | Shine | Spring 2015

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10 Methodist Charlton Medical Center • ❁ Spring 2015
Several years ago, Jodee Sedalnick
experienced unusual abdominal pain.
“It was abdominal pain and
cramping that would not go away,”
Jodee says. She sought help from
her physician, Charles Lostak, DO,
gastroenterologist on the medical
staff at Methodist Charlton Medical
Center, who ordered a colonoscopy
with a biopsy. The diagnosis was
ulcerative colitis (UC).
“I read somewhere that the average
age of people who get this condition
is somewhere between 15 and 30,”
Jodee says. “I was 39 years old when I
was diagnosed.”
A three-alarm fire
UC is an inflammatory bowel disease
that causes sores and inflammation in
the lining of the colon and rectum.
In addition to abdominal pain,
symptoms include cramping, diarrhea,
and rectal bleeding. It is a chronic
condition that can cause severe
dehydration and anemia due to a
loss of blood. Ultimately, it can lead
to cancer.
Quenching the flames of
SOOTHE YOUR STOMACH
To learn more about treatment for ulcerative
colitis and other digestive diseases
visit