@petepat3234 - I was first diagnosed with collagenous colitis 10 years ago- out of the blue. None of the OTC meds did more than allowing me out of the house for a couple of hours. At one point it was so bad I could not leave my room/ bathroom. The GI doctor then treated me with methotrexate. I was also extremely weak from loss of fluids and electrolytes. I drank Gatorade and Pedialyte. The illness returned after a year or two- waxing and waning, leaving me very exhausted and weak at times. Budesonide took the edge off symptoms and prednisone made me feel normal- until I stopped it. Finally, 4 years ago, I was put on immunosuppressive Imuran for several months. It was rough but it worked.
I ended up with normal function, except IBS, but feeling extremely exhausted. In my mind it is the result of chronic”acute” stress for years when there was pain/ discomfort every day - like being burned out.