Could this be Ulcerative Colitis?

[Chocol8]

Sorry this is gross, but i am worried and looked online (prob not the best of ideas) and found that most of my symptoms seem to fit UC: different coloured stools which frequently changes but is mostly very loose.
Blood in stools (a lot), if i pass wind, i can pass pure blood but usually mess myself (very unpleasant), stomach churns constantly.
Being sent (eventually) for a colonoscopy to have a look see. Does anyone know what else this could be please? x

Oh Chocol8, sorry it was horrid for you :( Still, you have new things to try now and fingers crossed that they'll be the answer.

Hello Ava! Suonds as if you've had a rough ride as well. I can't imagine coping with UC as well as pregnancy/young babies. You're very brave!

Ha ha, Ava, i just read your message about the finger condoms and only half an hour ago, i opened the box of suppositories and saw them!!! So funny!

OldBag, yeah, i'm sure the nurses have seen it all, but all they could offer me after 10 mins of looking was an adult nappy.... I declined and tried in vain to dry my leggings and knickers off with loo paper instead. I usually carry spare pads and knickers but i took only the basics with me as i didn't want to lose anything.

Cor, an hour walking the dog - that is truly brilliant! Well done you! Still, blood and wind surely constitutes a flare...? Poor you. I find the urgency quite distressing and tiring as it happens so frequent. It wears you out eh?

I noticed some small spots on my belly yesterday after my shower but thought nothing of them. When i came back from the hospital, i had about 15 spots. It looks like chicken pox. I was completely floored with pain and tiredness this morning and went back to bed where i stayed for about two and a half hours (being disturbed by the doctor and various friends by phone). I felt a lot brighter when i got up and managed to collect my son from school and put my prescription in this afternoon.

I have had it twice before, once as a baby and once in my late twenties, so not sure it could be this, but certainly feels the same as in my twenties. What do you think? My doc is of the thinking you can only get it once...so could have a fight on my hands. As i pointed out, i have just come off steriods, so my immune system is low.

Yes the finger condoms, nice. You know Chocol, if it is chickenpox you are lucky you are off the steroids, apparently you have a terrible reaction to chickenpox when on steroids. So that was a lucky escape.

Old bag, I have had terrible trouble with constipation in the past too and my consultant told me that the constipation actually leads to a flare up, could that be what's happening with you? I had to take fybogel to get things going and it really did help settle things down. I definitely would say blood and wind mean a flare, though it could be a mild one.

I am just exhausted today. I left the DCs with my brother this afternoon to go into town and buy stuff for my dd's christening in a few weeks. It was a good trip, I got some lovely things I wanted, but I am shattered now

Hope you don't mind me coming back for advise,I posted last month about the diarrhoea,mucous,occasional blood and pain I've beed having. I just wanted to update,really and ask what you think I should be asking gp for next week.
So,have had some tests;

Sigmoidoscopy-(with different gp)said it was all normal but I should have a barium enema xray because of continuing symptoms.

Gallbladder Scan-One gallstone found,not very big.

Endoscopy-(with-out sedation,glad it was quick) all seemed normal apart from slightly tight pyloric spincter.Which is to be expected as I had pyloric stenosis as a baby.

The reason I really don't want the barium enema xray is I had one 2 years ago when I was constipated with blood and mucous and it made me ill.I was so bunged up I got a bladder infection and my stomach was sore,swollen and painfull for about 3 weeks.

So,what shall I do?will see my gp next week to discuss results.Shall I ask for a colonoscopy or not? I am actually a bit better now.no blood for about 21/2 weeks and reduction in amount of mucous.But this has been going on to some degree for about 3 years,maybe its just ibs.
One other thing is I keep getting little ulcers on inside of lips and a very sore tongue.

Could I possibly have crohns? I don't know anymore.
hope you are all feeling a bit better,when you look ok people don't give you much consideration,do they?
sorry its so long.

just read this back,advice not advise!!
my stomach is gurgling like crazy today and have got smelly wind!any clues on that one?
I am truly sorry to bother you all while you're not feeling good,hope you don't mind.And btw,oldbag,crapping myself in a marks and sparks with NO toilet wasn't much fun either(and I was actually at the check out when it happened)

l4k the sore tonguie and ulcers do suggest colitis or Crohn's. A sore tongue was one of my first symptoms, followed by a hideous crop of ulcers, long before the bowel symptoms started. I'd go back and ask abut a colonoscopy - even if you're not in ab active colitis flare, they'll be able to see scarring if that's what it is.

Chocol8, might it be shingles? I hope it's nothing too horrid.

Thanks spider, don't think I can avoid the colonoscopy but no sure I could do that one without sedation. Does it take long, the actual procedure I mean? And shall I just let my gp send me for one or do you think it's time to use my private insurance for a referral to a GI ?
Thanks.

The colonoscopy takes about 20-30 minutes, I think - not too bad. The laxatives and food restrictions the day before are the worst bit, to be honest! By the time you're on the table you'll not care what they do as long as you can have something to eat afterwards!

Sorry i've not been on for a while, MN site on my laptop seems to take ages to type into at the moment. I type a sentence and it evenutally catches up and i can see what i've typed - most annoying.

Lol at Spider about not caring what they do to you as long as you can eat. Mind you, i was given a vile sweet cup of tea and a 3 pack of biscuits - which i didn't eat. I figured if i'd waited 27 hours to eat, i was damn well gonna eat what i wanted - in this case, chip shop chips - and very nice they were too!

Poor OldBag! I know exactly how you feel! And on your birthday too! It's not fair is it? Which steroid is it you have? I have been prescribed Pentasa granules (weird), liquid enema and suppository. Not a whole bundle of fun, especially last night after the second enema - i woke up 2 hours after i had used it and was rolling around in pain. I didn't know what to do with myself! Also yesterday my poo - and blood - was black. I checked with the UC nurse who said this wasn't normal. She suggested today to leave off tonight's dose and try half tomorrow night. I will have some painkillers handy this time.

By the way, i have 2 brand new Colifoam spare if anyone is interested -i will send them in the post rather than them be wasted.

Does anyone know how long the biopsy results take? He took 7 in all and it took half an hour to do his thang 14k. I asked if anyone in the room (3 nurses, one doctor) had had this procedure themselves but they all said no. I did feel like the doc on the end of the scope probably used to work for Dyno Rod though, the way he was chucking it in there was quite alarming. I was in agony and must have nearly used a canister of gas n air!

Anyway, one day we'll all hopefully feel better eh? I so hope it's soon!

PS, thanks Ava, i was worried that it may be chickenpox, but it isn't luckily. I wonder if it was a reaction to the Kleanprep i'd taken the previous night. When i took the morning dose, more spots appeared later. They are still there but not itching thank goodness.

Chocol8, that sounds horrible! Black poo if you're not on iron is definitely something that need to be checked. Your doctor doesn't sound as if he was very good at it. Mine was lovely and I barely felt a thing both times. Dynorod made me snort though :o

Just scared myself - went to the loo and thought I was having a massive bleed. Turns out my mooncup runneth over!! :o

Thanks for asking

I'm a bit fed up; actually 'during a meal' I had an attack. I was eating & I had to get up to go to the loo and everything I had eaten came through

& now my bottom is burnt - I guess by stomach acid

Hey ladies, I am feeling much better and that's why I didn't come back on!

Old bag I am on a reducing dose of prednisolone started on 40mg week one, 30mg week 2 and just started 20mg for week 3. The foam is salofalk mesalasine foam, one squirt is1g and I take one squirt twice a day. Before this flare up I was on pentasa suppositories, 1g at night. They were working sine the last flare finally settled in about June, but even doubling the dose did not get this flare under control.

I sstarted to feel much better within about3 days, but your doc is right, the steroids definitely disturb the sleep. I was on them from Dec 2010 to june2011 while I w pregnant and often was up from around 4am, that was hell. What I find is that if something disturbs my sleep (and a 2 year old and5 month old can be restless sleepers) then I struggle to get back to sleep. And oherwise I am usually awake from the steroids around5am, but I am less tired than from the uc so it's worth it.

I hate being on them though as I find they make me a bit short tempered I have shouted at ds when usually I am really patient.

The uc nurse said to call her once I have done this 3rd week on20mg, it is supposed to be a month on the 20mg dose, but I want to reduce faster if possible. The months I spent on them before had me a moustache and round face, though that disappears.

Old bag I hope that helps, and I would say at week three on serious and foam I am much much better.

14k I had my colonoscopy without sedation and I will never have another one without it, it was awful. Hope you are ok

Hi oldbag, when I was on the prednisolone only ( last year) I was up and down on the dose like a yoyo. I had a different consultant then, he retired and the new consultant put me on the pentasa suppositories and then I finally was able to slowly wean off the steroids. So I found the oral steroids alone, not enough. I have since then been taking the pentasa suppositories. But with this new flare up they gave me the steroids and the foam, I think it's the combination that has worked well. At the start of my long flare last year I had mesalasine enemas and they worked too but I couldn't continue them as I got pregnant.

My consultant who retired was so lovely but he said he'd seen loads of old docs like himself get a bit out of touch with new meds etc. And I think he was actually getting a bit like that himself as it was once he retired and I changed consultants that the flare up finally settled. Apparently, if you get pregnant and you are having a flare up it can stay like that the whole pregnancy, it was like that for me for7 months and I had to have growth scans and loads of appointments and consultant care for the pregnancy. Thankfully my dd is6 months old and healthy and happy.

But in answer to the insomnia, I go to bed about 10/11ish and wake about 5 if nothing disturbs me. If I get disturbed I can't get back to sleep easily at all. This time it's not been too bad really, but I am only on week 3. Last time it got worse and worse the longer I was on steroids and pregnancy didn't help. But I am less tired than from the uc. The steroids can give you a mad energy, I have done loads of housework and gardening in the last couple of weeks.

Oh and the 7 year olds will be safe! It's not tooooooo bad! Though you could lay it on thick with DH if he's supportive. Unfortunately my DH is nt too supportive and I have not him I'm on steroids this time...

OldBag, i found the same thing as Ava with Prednisolone. Getting to, and staying asleep was a real problem. I used to wake between 4am - 6am and not be able to get back to sleep, though i was straight on the loo upon waking.

Was also very short tempered and gave a "professional" a right roasting by phone in the middle of McDonalds just before Christmas. My sister said she had never seen me so mad.

However, i came off them over a period of 6 weeks, 5mg at a time but sadly they had no healing effects for me at all. I did get a round face though, but that is gradually fading.

I'm not on iron so not sure what the black poo is all about. It is now black about half the time but the pain and urgency (and possible constipation) is nearly making me cry.

I've had a terrible time since the colonoscopy last week - literally no energy -finding it hard to even raise an arm. My doc does not seem to be very empathic, maybe she feels she should leave it to the hospital, i don't know.

How long does it take for the biopsy results to come through? I have a docs appt on Friday so will ask then.

Lol at whether a room full of under 7's will be safe!!

Chocol poor you that sounds awful. I remember with my colonoscopy I saw the consultant on the day and then had to go back again for the results a week or so later I think, but it was in Aug 2010, so my memory might be playing tricks. I think the fatigue and lack of energy are so bad with this at times, I really feel for you and hope you get this sorted soon and the meds start to work, how many days have you been on the enemas and suppositories now. What are the pentasa granules?

When I have been constipated my consultant recommended fybogel as he said constipation can exacerbate the flare up. I also have two books I ordered from amazon ages ago which are really good and I'd recommend to you ladies: Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis by Fred Saibil and...I cannot find the other one on the shelf at the moment, when I do I'll post the title

Thanks for all the advice.I am actually feeling a lot better so haven't been back to gp yet.
I've been eating just protein,veg and salad and the diarrhoea has stopped for now.I suppose it will start again if I start eating properly again but I'm happy to ignore while I can.
Still have sore gums/tongue and mucous in bm and a bit of pain but I can Live with that atm!
Take care all,I'll keep you updated.I always read you're posts but don't have enough info to be of any help.
x

Hey ladies, how you all doing?
I am hoping i have a bit of a break through this evening. I have been pretty much housebound for nearly two weeks due to pain and urgency. It has been very extreme. I woke at 2, 5 and 6.30 this morning and these days only just manage to do the school run with a toilet stop or two midway.

The UC nurse called me back this evening and said she will try and bring my appt forward from 27th and send me a prescription for Pentasa foam enemas as i can't get on with the liquid. She said to take the oramorph if i need it.

She said she was just looking at my biopsies and i have Melanosis Coli. It is apparently caused by abusing senna products and laxatives - something i have never done. Unless the constipation treatments over the last 40 years have contained it...? I basically have a suntanned bowel! Very strange when i am as pale as they come!

Ava, yes i got some books from the library and also thought the one you mentioned was very good. I also picked out, "Inflatammatory Bowel Disease, the facts" by Louise Langmead and Peter Irving and "Coping Successfully with Ulcerative Colitis" by Peter Cartwright.

I will ask if i can see a dietician because my diet is becoming very restricted lately and as a veggie, it is already pretty bad.

Hi chocol8,
sorry you are suffering so horribly atm,hope things improve for you soon.I've never heard of Melanosis Coli but I have been told in the past that constipation remedies can harm the bowel.Is there any treatment for it?
Is this extreme flare and symptoms a typical pattern,did the nurse soud concerned or are you expected to just get on with it?
I seem to be returning to diarrhea and when I saw the gp for something else she said she is referring me to to gastro team at local hospital so am waiting for appointment.
take care.

Hi again,any improvements yet chocol8?

I have a question if anyone can help-gp said she referred me to gastro but letter has come to choose and book appointment with colorectal surgery dept.Is this right do you think?
any ideas?
thanks