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

MrsPinot, so glad your dietitian is pleased with your progress. And wow, at £15 for a tin of Modulan! Still, as they say in the advert, you're worth it.

I called my IBD nurse today but she's not in til Monay afternoon. I was very poorly this morning - the second time i rushed to the loo, i had an accident en route - then sat there in agony, shaking and wretching with pain. My abdomen has been very sore all day. I'm not sure if it's the Azathioprine or the Laxido....?

Having looked up the side effects of Azathioprine online, i have been experiencing the symptoms: tiredness, nausea, sickness, weakness and painful abdomen. I have cut down to one Aza and no Laxidos today - and only one iron tablet as opposed to three daily as my doc suggested (poo is just black sludge now and i have proven - cos i am not bleeding - my iron was increasing without the iron). Any thoughts ladies?

Hello ladies, Chocol, your stay in hospital sounds like it hasn't sorted things that much? I hope you are ok. The iron tablets might not be helping as they can make you constipated , and that leads to more inflammation, you could try floradix, it is a liquid iron and b vitamin tonic and is gentle on the bowel, it is from Holland and Barrett and really works.

I'm still not great, better than I was, and now down to10mg of prednisolone this week and still on the pentasa foam, as soon as I finished that things were bad again, so I rang the IBD nurse and she sent me another prescription she also has made me an appointment for a colonoscopy as they want to see what's going on, she said I could have the full anaesthetic or gas and air so I wouldn't be out of action for24 hours after, which is tough with the DCs.i think my mum would have to come over to help me and she lives abroad, so a real hassle.

Anyone else had colonoscopy with gas and air? I had the sigmoidoscopy last year with no pain relief, I though it was colonoscopy, but nurse has told me now it was sigmoidoscopy and it was horrendous agony, again the nurse said this was because of the inflammation. I can't decide what to do, gas and air or anaesthetic?

I am not noticing any real effects of the steroids now I'm weaning down onto the low dose, except my lovely tache! The steroids I don't feel have worked for me, though I am a little better, but the uc seems to be creeping back in.

Mrspinot, lovely name, I cannot touch alcohol while I am like this and would love a crisp glass of Pinot. Interesting what you say about legs, my knees are killing me and my nails, which are usually strong are peeling?

Welcome to the thread, it's good you have found us.

Hello there. chocol8 I think its important you take your colitis meds, by which I mean your steroids, pentasa and azathioprine, as the doctor prescribed. Otherwise your chance of getting this under control is less.

Maybe stop the laxido/iron/buscopan etc other bowel mobility stuff for a week as you aren't actually constipated anymore are you? So perhaps those medicines aren't needed anymore. And rest and rest and rest and rest: good books, music, dvds and craft/drawing with the children, gentle sits in the garden: that sort of thing! And if the tummy pain vomiting etc continues then contact your GP or the hospital again, they will have your motes and the doctors letters and perhaps they would have a better idea what to do about our medication.
Keep the fluids up: camomile tea is nice.

sorry...notes....your medication

Hi Ava - nice to meet you. I had a colonoscopy in January & was sedated & given pain killers but not gas & air. Was a bit painful when the scope was going round 'corners' but it was over in about 30 minutes. I've never heard of a GA for a colonoscopy - I thought they liked you awake so that they can get you to change poistion if needed. Although it wasn't pleasant it was better than the endoscopy I had earlier last year as the sedation didn't work that time & I ended up having to swallow the scope - not pleasant!!!! Good luck & hope get an appintment sooner rather than later. I'm now down to 5mg of prednisolone & finish them next week - fingers crossed everything seems to be ok at the moment. I even went out to eat yesterday & had spicy food & a few (?) glasses of Pinot & I feel absolutely fine today, although I have eaten foods that I know I'm ok with. The problems with my legs have completely gone now & I can run up the stairs now - couldn't even walk up them 6 weeks ago. Hope you feel better soon.

Chocol8 I've never had Laxido but I know that its the same as Movicol & that can give you quite bad pains. As far as I know most Drs don't recommend laxatives for IBD as it can cause problems & constipation isn't usually a symtom of IBD, although I suppose if you've had it before the UC it may still happen. The iron tablets can make you very constipated especially if they're Ferrous Sulphate. I had to take them last year & my GP gave me Ferrous Gluconate which is supposed to be gentler on the bowel. They had the same effect for me though & my consultant thinks that the really bad constipation led to the bad flare up of the Crohns. I suppose that without the constipation I may have never been diagnosed but my Drs have said that I should never be prescribed iron tablets again. If you can get your HB level up with diet it is probably better for you although it can be easier said than done.

Hope you manage to get all your meds sorted soon - its a minefield isn't it? Take care.

Hey Ava, so sorry to hear the UC is creeping back and that you are suffering.
Personally the Predinisilone did nothing for me either. They just made me angry and shakey. However the iv steroids sorted the bleeding within 5 days, although the symptoms are still hanging about refusing to budge. I am on 15mg of Pred - as a reduction from the iv and have developed some lovely sideburns and under chin hair which i have to pluck and wax. Yum!

A colonoscopy is the only way they'll see what's going on inside but i reckon if you had a lot of pain with the sigmoidoscopy, you will definitely feel the colonoscopy. I didn't have sedation as i didn't want to have to stay overnight at my Dad's but i was in a great deal of pain during the whole thing. But everyone's different - the sigmoidoscopy for me was uncomfortable, but not painful. I watched both on the screen, it was really interesting.

It must be really difficult to have your Mum abroad for this - i was lucky my Dad was in the country for my hospital stay or there would have been no one else to look after my ds.

Oh how i would LURVE a Malibu and Coke - i dream about it, especially on warm days. I will carry on dreaming as daren't risk even a sniff at the moment.

Been chatting on the phone whilst writing this so only just seen Funny and MrsPinot's messages. Because of Thursday morning i had no Laxidos yesterday and only one at lunch time today. I am definitely constipated and the IBD nurse said that this can be a symptom of UC too. I was very compacted all the way up the right hand side, although was still having watery poo and diahorria (one day, i will learn how to spell that properly).

I have been given Ferrous Fumarate capsules - the doctor said one a day, but the nurse said 3. I am dropping down to one a day as otherwise it will become cycle of diahorria and constipation, generated purely by medication, which i could do without. Especially as it is so flippin painful! The Gluconate is what i took for years with no problems but when i had a break and then started again, my system would not tolerate them.

It doesn't help that i am on the low residue diet still, but i am eating fish, which i am not happy doing - being veggie - but know it's a necessity. There's no nutritional value with white pap for food, but i have been told to continue until all the symptoms have stopped.

Oh Chocol8 you really are having a bad time of it aren't you? Have the doctors discussed a polymeric diet with you? I was on this at first when I was in hospital & it is basically a meal replacement diet & you just have drinks which give you all the nutrients & calories needed. The idea is that it gives your bowel a complete rest so that the inflammation can heal & the food is reintroduced slowly - usually after about 4 to 6 weeks. The Crohns & Colitis website gives some info about this - but don't go onto the forums, they're full of horror stories!!!

Apparantly you can still have diahorrea when you are constipated - it goes by the charming name of constipation overflow!!!! Its the body's way of trying to get waste out past any blockage - you may find that you pass a lot of water as well. I was just thinking tho - are they sure its constipation and not a blockage from the UC inflammation? Can you call the IBD nurse & ask her to get you an urgent appointment with the consultant? When I went to the hospital last month the consultant told me to do this if I have any problems & they will fit me in at the next clinic. It might be worth asking as you don't seem to have benefitted from the hospital stay.

Hope you feel better soon - let us know how you are.

I think constipation can be a symptom of uc and remember one time not going for about 10 days, this was during the year long on and off flare up. I had been starting to get better, but then it flared up again after the constipation and the consultant told me it was because of the constipation and to use fybogel, which really worked I took one sachet a day for ages.

I am feeling terrible again. Does anyone else ever get woken in the middle of the night by pain and urgency? Last night I was awake on and off from4am running to the loo, mainly passing a lot of blood, but my whole stomach is wretching and in agony. This went from 4 till6, on and off. Now I feel fine bbut have hardly eaten, as soon as I eat or drink it starts again. The steroids made no difference to me before really and this time it's the same, initially I felt loads better, but as I wean off them the symptoms return.

I still can't decide what to do about sedation for the colonoscopy, my inflammation must be worse this time as my symptoms have been worse so I will need something, gas and air mean I won't have to be resting for24 hours, but I am scared of the pain after last time! I have a while to decide though.

Chocol things still don't sound good for you either. I sympathise with the facial hair, I and using Jolene on my tache! Could you ask the nurse about floradix, it is an iron tonic that does not cause constipation, it's v good, holland and barrett sell it

Thanks MrsPinot, yes i did speak to the dietitian about the different diets that let your bowel rest. She said most of them taste pretty vile and that as a veggie who they don't want to lose anymore weight, that the low residue would suit me better.
I'm very happy that the urgency during the day is not the 40 times that it was - the urgency only really happens in the morning times now - and without the blood loss, which was a lot. I will speak to the UC nurse on Monday and i am due for blood tests a week on Wednesday. I have cut down to 1 Laxido and 1 iron tablet a day now and not had any pain. I will take 50mg Azathioprine tonight and if all is ok in the morning, two tomorrow night. I have cut down to one Omeprazole daily as my tablet intake has reduced.

Poor Ava, yes i remember those times well. Up at all times - usually between 4-6 strangely - running back and forth between the loo and my bed and accidents en route. The iv steroids stopped the bleeding almost immediately for which i'm grateful. I do still have diahhoria but it's not all day. It's just taking its sweet time to heal.

The doc seems to think the Floradix will not be absorbed properly, over taking a capsule - but i may try it.
Regarding the pain, when i think back, the first time the consultant had a look in his office and confirmed it was UC, using a sigmoidscope i was later doubled up in pain from the air escaping, however i was absolutely fine when i had the sigmoidoscopy in the the theatre. The colonoscopy was pretty awful for me - the whole process is vile - but you will need support with the 2 days prep beforehand more than afterwards possibly.

I hope they get you in sooner rather than later, you certainly need to be seen soon.

I am a total coward when it comes to a colonoscopy and I always ask for a general anaesthetic. No gas and air or suchlike for me. But thats because I'm very squeamish and not brave about my nether regions. So they give me an injection of something and I fall asleep and then when I wake up its all over.

I remember those awful nights too. I also remember a holiday on Brittany when I was pooing blood constantly and we discovered on the last day that we were literally yards from the sea which was round the corner but I hadn't been able to walk long enough without going to the loo to discover it. DH had to be rung to come and drive us back to England: he took time off work and came as a foot passenger on the ferry and when he got to Brittany we discovered the sea had been there all along.
It got better thank goodness. I really do think the medication works.

I'm with mrspinotgrigio on the blockage issue. Will exercise and camomile tea help? Sounds silly but sometimes a bit of movement and warm water might get things going more naturally.
gotta do this one as its easter just to cheer you all up
[bsmile]

[busmile]

[busmile] [busmile]

Lol Funny, thank you! They're multiplying like rabbits!!!

[busmile] [busmile] [busmile]

[bugrin] Had to try it out too.

Sounds serious and acute, and does sound like UC or Crohn's. Don't leave it. If your doc can't get you an appt pronto, go to A&E. My own Crohn's had me rushed to A&E with septacemia, put on IV antibiotics and in surgery the next day. All a long time ago now, and it worked out fine...but still, not a great experience. You'll likely have more (and better) options if you can confirm the diagnosis and get on to treatment ASAP.

Whoops may have replied to a very old post on this thread

Hi Cows - love the name! I seem to be doing this a lot lately, replying to old posts. You sound like you had a terrible time of it. How are you these days?

Just to say, i think the Azathioprine 100mg is causing me problems. I took them last night and was back on the loo with diahorria, cramping and much pain this morning.
It knackers me up for the whole day and robs me of any energy i may have had. I've virtually sat on the sofa since Saturday afternoon, just completely wiped. I forced myself to go out to the local shop and get some shopping this afternoon, but again now, it will probably screw up tomorrow. It took me ages to get ready and i should have washed my hair but just couldn't. My ds and i are going slightly stir crazy!

I have cut down the iron and the Laxido to one a day from 3 - so i was surprised that i felt so bad again this morning.

poor chocola8 maybe stick with 50 then it might be enough for you.

That 's wat i was thinking Funny. I've taken 50mg today and called the IBD nurse to discuss, but she wasn't there. Will hopefully speak to her tomorrow.

Are you any closer to a decision about your colonoscopy?

:( I wish I could make it all go away for you, Chohol8 and Ava.

Awww, thanks Spider! I'm much better than i was before hospital, i just wish i felt better and had some energy.

I spoke to my IBD nurse earlier (she's on the front of the NACC News magazine, for winning an award) and she said that i was to eat lots of fresh meat to get my iron up. I'm veggie, so will get some Quorn (weirdly, this is micoprotein, which is derived from mushrooms....but if it works, it works) as the sausages are nice with spaghetti hoops and mash. She said to drink my meds with orange juice and to keep taking the iron (i had reduced and had poo that wasn't black this morning, yay - but could see there was blood and a lot of mucus still there). She said my haemoglobin was less than 5 so i need to get that up.

I've been told to go in for another blood test at the end of this week cos of the Azathioprine but to keep it at 50mg. She did say it would get better over time, but i cannot continue like this in the meantime (especially with school starting next week) and i know that a lot of people can't tolerate it.

How are you doing Spider?