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

Ava/Choc - thanks again for the advice. Not in a flare-up atm, was prompted to go to gp by dsis diagnosis. I also haven't had any bleeding, just the diarhoea and nausea, pain and bloating. It seems to be more volume related, just one mouthful of food too much and the pain starts almost immediately building until I have to go to the toilet.

Chocol8 - glad the infusion went ok apart from the little 'blip'. Hope you start to feel better soon. Drip stands are a pain aren't they - hospital versions of supermarket trollies!!!! I hated taking mine to the loo - I kept getting the tubes wrapped round me or the stand & the nurses kept having to untangle me!

Model - welcome (great name) - is your Dr going to refer you to a gastro? I think you need some tests to see if you do have IBD, the inflammation (CRP) level isn't a reliable indicator as it is so sensitive it can be affected by even the slightest cold. Your symptoms do sound exactly the same as mine & I have Crohn's. If your symptoms get any worse especially the pain & vomiting please go to A&E & get yourself checked out. I also had the feeling that 1 more mouthful of food would make me sick & my consultant said that that is a common symptom of the inflammation as the bowel narrows & this makes digestion harder & take much longer so the stomach stays full for longer. As Chocol8 says iron medication can make you constipated & it was this that made my flare up so bad as the constipation made the inflammation so bad my bowel was nearly completely blocked. Hope you manage to get some answers - I think its the not knowing that causes the most stress.

Ava glad that you are starting to feel a bit better & I really hope it continues. The Azathioprine isn't too bad you know but I can understand you wanting to avoid it if at all possible. Unfortunately for me it wasn't an option so I have just had to get used to it although my side effects have started to calm down now except I still have the lovely tache & beard but they're from the steroids I think. I'm starting to feel a bit more energetic now after my 3rd B12 injection - 3 more to go & hopefully I will be ok.

Hope you all have a pain free weekend. I am going out with DP tomorrow night for the first time since Christmas & I'm really looking forward to it. Hopefully won't have too much of a hangover on Sunday as I'm going shopping for my Mum's birthday present. It's so nice to be able to go to town without worrying about how far away from the nearest toilet I am - hope it continues for the foreseeable future.

Well what has been happening is that a day or two before my period I started bleeding which lasted over my period and a day or two longer

Which coincides almost exactkly when I was taking the anti inflammatories; last year when I was so bad I took them for several weeks/months 2 or 3 times over the year

So I am wondering.......

Of course this month although I have no bleeding I have a lot of pain......but I can take painkillers for that. So I'll try again next month; but it would be frustrating if the bleeding was drug related and my tummy problems are 'just' IBS

Just a quick update ladies. Saw consultant this afternoon (2hrs wait) and he has changed me from Azathioprine to Mercaptopurine 50mg (to start). Whilst i was with the consultant, my doctor called to ask when my last blood test was. It was Friday 4th, but for some reason - despite the iron infusion last Wednesday - my iron had dropped again to 8.6.

I understand that it will take a couple of weeks to see the improvements of the infusion but i am bleeding again quite heavily.

I did say that i felt the low residue diet was not giving me any benefits as i am so tired all the time, so he said to introduce vegetables back into my diet slowly if i felt no better...YAY!!! Had some peas and rocket with tea tonight!! Nom nom.

Been suffering from a really heavy head cold since Friday and only been out 1 day out of 4 over the bank holiday weekend, but i guess it was just a matter of time til i caught something.

How is everyone doing this week?

GLad ou can eat veg again- that should solve the iron problem!
If you are bleeding poo then maybe you need to go back on the steroids?

Hi Funny, i discovered that i was anaemic when i was 18 (too many years ago) when i went to give blood and i was a meat eater up until then, so not sure the veg are gonna help that much. Glad to be eating them though! Peas again tonight with mild chillli rice, nom nom.

Really not sure the steroids helped either - i've kept a daily log (lol) since i left hospital charting what happens every day and the blood has been intermittent (as it has been since day 1, 8 months ago). However, more lately, the blood has been very heavy. I joked to a friend today that i didn't have enough blood left to have a period, lol!

How are you things going with you?

MrsP - thanks for the advice, your explanation of the full feeling was spot on. As I say I'm feeling quite good at the moment so feel like a fraud going to gps. Never had bleeding. Just wanted to catch it early if there as now have genetic link. Bloods tomorrow

Hi Choc, i alao have UC and it does sound a lot like my initial symptoms. Like Bread I was also told that steroids might be my long term answer but have ended up controlling it with far more mild meds. I think what i am trying to say is that once diagnosed and controlled, you will feel human and in control again. Promise. It isn't as scary as google may make it. Fearing you might crap your pants is no laughing matter and i sympathise with you.
I have just had a bit of a relapse recently due to having to take some mind blowing antibiotics and was going to a funeral. I was pretty worried that my butt might come to the party and my pharmacist recommended that i took some codeine and paracetamol an hour before as the codeine would block me up. It did. You might to try this if there is somewhere explaining away a clothes change is hard
Harrass until you get an appointment, and good luck.

Hmmm, I must learn to look at the last page of a thread, not just the first before i start waxing lyrical.

Hi Chocol8 glad the appointment went ok despite the delay. At least you can now have a more varied diet with the veg & it might help with the anaemia. Is the consultant trying to find out why your blood count is so low or is he hoping that the iron infusion works eventually? Are you still taking the Laxidol - maybe that's causing you some problems & making you bleed. Just a thought cos I know laxatives in any form aren't recommended for IBD. As funny says maybe you need a longer course of steroids to make sure the inflammation is gone.

I'm feeling ok this week but am really tired after being back at work. Haven't managed to do any work yet but I'm putting it off for as long as possible. I can't believe that I feel so bad after 3 hours a day for 3 days - how am I going to feel when I'm in for my full 21 hours!!!

I've got loads to look forward to over the next few weeks so I'm hoping I stay as well as I am to enjoy everything fully. I'm going out tomorrow night with my 2 best friends - haven't seen them since I first came out of hospital so I'm really looking forward to that.

Hope everyone feels better & are all having a good week.

Hi Paddington and welcome aboard . Don't worry, the thread does this sometimes, i reply to old ones (thinking to myself that they seem familiar) all the time.

Lol at 'my butt might come to the party'. Well put. I may try the codeine trick if i need to but i find that i will suffer a lot afterwards.

Thanks MrsPinot, well done on being back to work - i bet you're absolutely shattered! You're doing well after being off for so long. I'm sure that if they ease you in gently, you'll be fine. It must be daunting to be working again and wish you a wonderful time tomorrow night. Good also that you have nice things to look forward to....it's something that i think we have all missed out on as sometimes it's impossible to even think of going out. Even if it is the local shops for groceries!

My specialist appt has come through today and weirdly, even though i asked for an early afternoon appt cos of the school run, they've made it at 2.45pm. I've arranged for cover but discovered that at 1pm on the same day, i have my skin appt so will take some lunch and a book and sit it out.

Gonna start my Mercaptopurine this evening - though not looking forward to it.

Hello again ladies, I am back to suffering, when I last posted I thought things were improving after the first few days on the asacol tablets and the foam, but since the weekend I have been in agony. I have now lost nearly a stone in about 3 weeks or so. I feel terrible and I am in pain so much of the time, my loser stomach hurts and I have terrible blood and diarrhoea, all day and frequently at night. Some symptoms might be slightly better I think, the pain on going to the loo is less, but I have a more constant pain instead. I find I am grimacing all the time from the pain and tensing my whole body.

I called the nurse this week, she said give it one more week, so I am due to call on Monday. This flare up has been going on and off since Jan now. I am just fed up of it and coping with it and two small DCs is not easy.

TMI ALERT this morning I noticed that there was an intact asacol tablet, one I took last night before bed, I presume, in amongst the blood and diarrhoea. So I wonder if I am not digesting them properly or if transit time is just too fast. Any ideas ladies? I resisted calling the nurse as I want to do as she said and call on Mon.

mrsp enjoy your night out and well down on getting back to work.

Chocol why did they change the med? They are the two the nurse said I may go on if this does not work. How are you finding them? And I have just missed two periods, that has never happened to me before in all my many years!

Hmmm my stomach is a loser, but that should say lower stomach...

Poor you Ava! I recognise every symptom all too well. I can't quite see why your nurse is saying to wait another week when you are clearly in pain and in flare...? Especially as you are losing weight and it sounds like you are not absorbing the Asacol too!!!

My consultant changed the med as when i increased it to 100mg from 50mg it was causing too many side effects. I would probably have had to increase it to 150 - 200mg and i couldn't tolerate it.

Azathioprine works for a lot of people and i was told by one of those people that they try Mercaptopurine with good results, if the Aza doesn't suit.

I really hope you are given help soon Ava - the last thing you need is a weekend feeling like you do. Sending healing hugs to you.

Hi there, I've come to join you...I think! Story so far...
Bleeding/diarrhoea for 3 to 4 months
lots of bloody mucous at every wee which is smelly
some discomfort
very tired, often dizzy
generally unwell at times

Had sigmoidoscopy at GPs he said fissure, didnt use prescription cream as said not to if you have migraines or low blood pressure and I have both. It got better over a few days, but then got worse again.
Went back to GP got sent to hospital, that was Thurs, had brief exam with finger and scope. He said I have colitis, could well be UC. Heard today that my endoscopy is booked for Sunday EEK!

Slightly worried about the laxative, what I can or cannot eat/drink during (clear stuff- is all squash ok?) and how the sedative is going to affect me. Also I did not like the siggy thing- is the endoscopy/colonoscopy (not sure which it is or if there is a difference) going to be worse and will the sedative make it bearable?

Think I have been quite lucky as not been in lots of pain, just uncomfortable. Most gutted it hasnt afected weight loss- in facet if anything the other way!! Typical. Any advice welcommed, thank you

Hello plusonemore - sorry you're here but it's nice to 'meet' you! It does sound a lot like UC to me but you'll get some answers from the colonoscopy. I had both mine without sedation and didn't really feel much, but I know others here have been glad of the sedative so it depends on the individual really. I'm a bit odd as I quite enjoyed watching the screen and chatting to the doctor about the various things he found in there!! The laxative is grim, I'm afraid, but it'll all be over tomorrow and you'll be a step closer to getting sorted.

Ava sounds thoroughly rotten :( :( Sounds as if the Asacol is going straight through you. Maybe the delightful foam enemas would suit you better? I have my Pentasa as granules now and they seem to be more effective and much easier to swallow.

Chocol8 hope the Mercaptopurine does the trick. Is it another one that takes weeks to kick in? You're brave eating peas! I can't have any pulses :(

Ava poor you - you're really having a hard time of it at the moment . Hope you get some answers from the nurse on Monday. Maybe a change of medication would help although it sounds like you're on enough as it is! The weight loss is awful isn't it? I lost just over 2 stone in total with the last stone coming off in just over a week & I weighed 6 stone 11lb when I left the hospital!!!! ! Now the Crohn's is under control I've put 2 stone back on & look & feel much healthier. My periods stopped as well & the consultant said its due to the rapid weight loss - as soon as I put a stone back on they started again & I've now had 3 since leaving hospital at the end of Feb.

Hi plusonemore & welcome to our little thread. It does sound like you've got something going on, but hopefully the colonoscopy will give some answers. I didn't mind having mine - the laxative the day before was worse. You can't eat anything while you're 'clearing out' but you can have water & squash (but not blackcurrant for some reason). I found the sedative ok & I wasn't too dopey afterwards although I slept really well that night. I was like spider & wanted to have a look but I'm nosey like that. It wasn't too painful - just when the scope was going round the 'corners' & they gave me some painkiller to help with that. As my Crohn's isn't in the large intestine I probably won't need another colonoscopy but I do need a small bowel barium meal to see if there is any scarring after my bad flare up - at least I don't have to take the laxatives for that , I just have to fast the day before.

Chocol8 I was absolutely exhausted on Thursday after work - really didn't expect to feel like that. I had a wonderful time last night with my friends who both told me I'm looking really well (nice little ego boost). I'm trying to pack as much in as I can while I'm feeling so well as I don't know how long it will last. Its nice to go out & eat without worrying how long it will be before I need the loo & I hope that feeling lasts!!!

I saw the poo nurse yesterday - my blood count has dropped a bit to 9.6 but hopefully the B12 injections will push it back up a bit. I asked about the hair loss & she said to carry on as I am for a week or so & if its still the same to call her & they'll look at changing me from the Azathioprine to the other 1 which I can't remember 6-something??? I don't think my hair is actually falling out but I think its so weak its just breaking off so its really thin. I'm taking the Horsetail supplement & I got some Skin, Hair & Nails vitamins the other day so hopefully they'll work. The nurse also said I'll have to be on the immuno-suppressants for 3 to 4 years!!!!

eeeewwwwwwwwwww do not like this bowel prep stuff. How long before it starts working? Cant imagine getting through it all either!

Hi Plus, welcome aboard. Yes, it's awful stuff isn't it? You do have to get through it and from what i remember (selective memory) it didn't work immediately - which surprised me. But, when it does begin to work, it really does work!!
As MrsPinot said, the prep stuff is worse than the actual procedure itself. I didn't have a sedative, but if you have someone who can be with you on Sunday night, then i would recommend having it. I had gas and air to help with the pain, but can't say it worked at all tbh. What time is your appt tomorrow?

So glad you had a good time with your friends MrsP. Like you, i had what i fancied eating today - i took my ds to Wagamamas and had a delicious rice dish. It was lovely. I figure that after nearly 8 weeks of the low residue diet not doing a lot for me - as i was still bleeding with urgency etc etc - i may as well eat some veg and give my taste buds a treat!
Like you, i'm still losing my hair - it's just coming out in handfuls.

Hope everyone has been enjoying the sunshine today, it has helped to lift my spirits a bit.
I must say, my hip joints have been causing me so much pain today - i could barely climb the stairs to the car park earlier today. Does anyone else have this?

Hi Chocol8

Hope you don't mind me popping in but i have been lurking on here for a while and prompted to actually post by your comments about hip pain. I was diagnosed with UC about 15 mths ago, hospitalised and really poorly. Sorted out with steroids and now trying to manage just on mesalazine. I felt brilliant on high dose steroids but as I came off them I suffered from terrible hip pain. It has now settled into just one hip and I have recently been diagnosed with sero-negative arthritis which the rheumatologist says is commonly associated with UC. Considering sulphasalazine which can help and also just had a steroid injection into the hip which has made a big difference ( only temporary though unfortunately).

I think a lot of IBD patients have joint problems....

Hope yours settles soon.

Hey Bahama, (great name) welcome and thanks for your post.

Did you have iv steroids whilst in hospital? I did find the iv helped but i don't feel that the oral Prednisilone helped at all.

Weirdly the joint pain has only really kicked in in earnest today (being brewing slowly) but i took the first Mercaptpurine last night - and have been eating 'properly' for a few days after coming off the low residue diet. Could it be that?

Owww! Injection in the hip? Did that hurt a lot? And how long does it last for?

Yes Chocol8 - I had IV steroids then oral. I was very lucky as I responded really well to them. They sorted out the UC and although I had trouble sleeping i didn't suffer to badly from the side effects. Coming off them was really hard though - so tired and achey and the terrible joint pain.

My joint pain is caused by inflammation of the ends of my tendons where they join the bones - heels of hands, elbows, shoulders, knees and hips. Only one hip hurts now but both did to start with . Apparently azathioprine would probably sort it but I really don't want to take it - with kids and full time job etc I am worried about always getting ill.

Although lots of joints are affected it is only my hip that affects me functionally - walking, sleeping etc. Injection was absolutely fine and it should last 3 months- maybe more.

If yours is inflammatory then the mercaptorine should help? It's such a bizarre disease isn't it? Hope you feel better soon.

Hi all,

Chocol8 I've come back to this thread after many months - early on I wrote a stern and partially bolded post saying that it sounded like ulcerative colitis and urging you to go to the hospital/ seek treatment immediately - like another poster said I feel quite... vindicated?... to read that you were diagnosed with ulcerative colitis (like me - though I'm not glad you HAVE UC). I'm also very happy that you were treated in time to avoid surgery, etc., though I can see that you're still not better. Given that you do have these problems, it is good to have this diagnosis because in my experience it means you are taken seriously and never fobbed off (I do live in Australia though).

I was diagnosed with UC when I was around 9-10 years old, I am now in my mid-twenties. After the initial childhood diagnosis I was treated, soon had no symptoms, and even went off all medication until age 17 when it restarted, coinciding with my decision to become a vegetarian. (I didn't make any link at the time.) I was a vegetarian until I was around 22 and between age 17-22 I had regular (3 monthly) flares of ulcerative colitis, some of which caused me to end up in hospital. As I mentioned previously at one point, aged 22, I was very close to having to have surgery to remove my bowel - as others have mentioned, a terrifying/ horrifying prospect, though of course for many it is a lifesaver and means a life that is so much better than what is possible having a diseased colon. My gastroenterologist said that I should stop being a vegetarian as my UC symptoms seemed to correlate with this. I obeyed her and it helped a lot - my flares have become less frequent (I get the early stages 2x a year?) and like funnyperson I can now nip them in the bud (touch wood), detecting the early warning signs and adjusting my diet (following the principles of the Specific Carbohydrate Diet )/ temporarily upping my Pentasa to 3 a day to prevent the flare from developing. Recently (this March-April) I had an unusually long and unpleasant "flare"/ problem that lasted for 4-6 weeks - no blood and may have been the result of antibiotics/ general anaesthetic for wisdom teeth removal, though - and was again able to halt its progress and return to a good digestive system over around 4 days through diet. To me this is amazing progress as you can imagine, being able to relate a lot to the awfulness of many of these posts. My diagnosis is moderate pancolitis, by the way, which is on the worse side of the spectrum. But currently I feel great and have no symptoms.

Anyway, I just thought I'd give a bit of background on myself. If you would like me to write more on my thoughts about diet and how it can help I am happy to - I know the gastroenterologists tell you diet has nothing to do with it, I know they look at you patronisingly and tell you you can eat whatever you want and never follow up on any dietary recommendations that you make that may help their other patients, and it's quite demoralising, but then on the other hand my gastroenterologist (who I do like very much) always exclaims when I see her how she can't believe that I am doing so well and my test results are so good considering my previous precarious health. And I have given up trying to get her to believe that it's because of following the principles of the Specific Carbohydrate Diet. I also take Pentasa 2x2g daily. I cannot have steroids again, I have reached my lifetime limit, but last had them via the intravenous drip when aged 22.

I do hate eating animals but for my own health I feel I have to. :(

plusonemore - hope you managed all the evil bowel prep stuff & that the colonoscopy went ok. Did you get some answers?

Chocol8 apparantly joint problems & arthritis are associated with both Crohn's & UC. The steroids will help temporarily but obviously the effect will go when they are reduced/stopped. I am waiting to see my consultant as he thinks I have sacroiliiitis which is inflammation of the joint where the back meets the pelvis. I have a dull ache in the base of my spine with pain sometimes into my bum/hips. I had an x-ray at my last appointment & he was talking about physiotherapy as exercise & movement do help. The problem is my job means I have to sit at a desk so the occupational health lady is trying to get me a chair with lumbar support.