Like Arroyo, alleged road rage killer has colitis

JASON IVLER. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines – Former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is not the only well-known accused who has colitis. The other one, being held in a regular jail cell, is road rage killing suspect Jason Ivler.

A week before Arroyo, who is now a member of the House of Representatives, was diagnosed with the ailment, Ivler was found to have a form of this intestinal inflammation due to his colostomy.

In a November 15 note to a Quezon City court, Dr. Romeo Abary said the 29-year-old accused, treated on an out-patient basis, was shown to have diversion colitis.

Arroyo is afflicted with an unspecified form of colitis as well. She is still confined at the posh St. Luke’s Medical Center in Taguig City.

On the other hand, Ivler goes for check-ups at the Quirino Memorial Medical Center in Quezon City only on orders of a Quezon City court and is always whisked back to his jail cell.

Ivler is under heavy guard at the Special Intensive Care Area of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology in Camp Bagong Diwa, Taguig City.

Arroyo is now under custody of the Southern Police District albeit recuperating at St. Luke’s presidential suite.

Abary, a surgeon affiliated with the Quirino Memorial Medical Center, had testified before Judge Luisito Cortez of regional trial court Branch 84 that colitis, or inflammation of the colon, is a general term and has many forms.

The physician recommended the reversal of Ivler’s colostomy following an inflammation in the colon which is suspected to have been caused, in part, by the colostomy.

The colostomy, done after Ivler’s intestines were damaged in a shootout with arresting police officers, allows him to defecate through a bag attached to his stomach and not through his anus.

In his testimony last month, Abary said Ivler appeared to be suffering from “diversion colitis.” He defined this particular form of colitis as an inflammation of the gastro-intestinal tract, caused by the deprivation of nutrients in the lining of the disused tract.

The doctor explained that by performing a reversal of the colostomy, the infection may be resolved.

The colitis was discovered after doctors performed a colonoscopy on Ivler, an examination whereby a probe with a camera is inserted into the large intestine.

This was the same procedure done on Arroyo after the former President complained of diarrhea since the afternoon of November 25. She was given antibiotics through intravenous drip to combat the ailment.

Her lawyers cited her colitis as a justification for delaying her transfer to the Veterans Memorial Medical Center in Quezon City, at least until the colitis subsides.

In Ivler’s case, he was prescribed a two week dose of  500-mg metronidazole every six hours on an out-patient basis and was sent back to his jail cell.

Latest medical reports to the court showed that the inflammation continues to subside on the second week of medication. Once the colitis heals, Ivler can be ready for the reversal of his colostomy.

Ivler has not been confined to any hospital following his discharge from Qurino Memorial in March 2010. He is charged with murder in the shooting death of Renato Ebarle Jr.

The court usually allows him to undergo medical check-ups and is treated on an out-patient basis even as he complains of discomfort brought about by his condition.

For her part, Arroyo has been confined at St. Luke’s since November 15 and was placed under “hospital arrest” on November 18.