Worried- bowel problems

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My husband has, for about 5 weeks, been passing a lot of blood 3 or 4 times a day. He went to the doctor after a week of it and she did an examination with her finger and could find nothing wrong so gave him some cream. It made no difference so he was given pessaries for piles. This eased his symptoms but, after a weeks worth, still no better. He has a blood test on Tuesday, to test for anaemia, gluten intolerance and inflammation of the bowels. She wants to test for these first. If they come back clear then it will be a look at the hospital.

He is so miserable and utterly terrified it is cancer. He is early 30s. It is really affecting him as he is having to rush to the loo.

I've happened to read my magazine tonight and it was full of bowel cancer stuff and now I am suddenly absolutely terrified too.

Can anyone shed any light on what else it could be? We have had such a shit year I don't think we can survive much else.

Hello again,

I've just got back from the hospital. We were still waiting for the proper results from the colonoscopy when DH had a massive flare up. For the last week he has been in agony. Today he was on the loo about 15times. Out of desperation we went to the doctor to see what painkillers might be best to control the pain, as he has no medicine to control it yet.

Thankfully she was lovely and extremely concerned. She phoned A&E and they told her to send him in. Got there at 4pm and had to wait 4hours in the waiting room while dh was doubled over in agony.

A&E Doctor was absolutely lovely. He listened to our tears and frustration. He had the results of the colonoscopy and confirmed colitis (mild!). He also took every sample and told DH he needed to be admitted. He ordered an X-ray and put it through that the specialist come to see him. I feel like more was done at fecking A&E than ever before! It was the first place to not minimise my poor husband's pain!

It got to 11pm, he went to the ward. I asked when results would be in and nobody knows so I came home to get some sleep.

I'm so tired but will check back in with the thread again tomorrow. What a shit day but hopefully it has booted the hospital up the arse!

So sorry to hear that your husband is suffering, hopefully the hospital will be able to help him manage his symptoms/pain.

I have to admit I opened this thread because I too am suffering from stomach/bowl issues and also waiting on a colonoscopy (not until November). One of the worst things is not knowing what it is and worrying about the worst case scenario.

I hope your managing to get some rest and I hope your husband feels better soon.

Another ulcerative colitis person here. I am sorry your husband is suffering from a flare up. I know how it feels to visit the bathroom many, many times a day. It is so frustrating and demoralizing, not to mention painful and upsetting. I hope he is getting some treatment in hospital. Prednisone can get a flare under control quickly. Sometimes they use IV corticosteroids. For me, when in a severe flare it is a huge relief when the prednisone kicks in, sometimes in as little as 12 hours.

The best pain relief is getting the flare under control.

Prednisone is not a long term solution but it can sure help when things are rough.

There are some really good treatments available for long term. Trial and error is often needed to find the best. For me, Entyvio has got me into remission and I am not taking any prednisone, which is great. After 35 years I was becoming prednisone dependent and needed to get off it long term. I am feeling good bowel symptom wise, and a recent scope showed endoscopic remission.

I am not suggesting colitis is a walk in the park. It is a nasty, incurable, and disabling condition. But it is good your husband now knows his situation so he can move forward.

I hope things improve quickly. He is lucky to have you. Take care of yourself too. I know my DH has found it difficult to cope with my condition, and I truly struggle to stay on an even keel when flared. Prednisone makes me a bit crazy and a lot cranky and irritable.

Thinking of you and your husband.

Hope he gets some relief

Thanks all!

He was woken through the night by various people/nurses. X-ray all normal. The nurse who is assigned to him also has colitis and has given him lots of info. The doctor was very kind and they are giving him a steroid to get the flare up under control and pain relief.

He has said that yes, they say it is trial and error. They are checking everything to see if the steroids help. Should be seeing specialist today but he is being kept in for 3 days!

I'm glad though, best place for him. I feel sorely guilty though that I didn't realise how serious it was. I tend to be a "shut up and push on through" person, even when it is inappropriate. I have given myself a real telling off as I remember saying to him that we just needed to find a way to cope. What a twat I have been! I have been so grumpy. We have a small child and I have felt like a single mother all week and have been really quite grumpy but also really stressed and worried about him. What a nice combination! So I fear he isn't really lucky to have me at all.

I need to pack a bag for him and go back for the morning. Luckily family have our child, I'm so tired that the thought of playing the role of "everything is ok I'm happy Mummy" is really quite sickening but will need to face that later.

I have to admit I opened this thread because I too am suffering from stomach/bowl issues and also waiting on a colonoscopy (not until November). One of the worst things is not knowing what it is and worrying about the worst case scenario.

Bless you, it is awful. There is nothing I can say to make you feel better either, I know. All I will say is write down all questions you have and take them with you and ask them! The nurse was not forthcoming at all about any information at clinic. Some people get a proper chat from a doctor it appears but we just had a brief chat with a nurse and were then sent away for more waiting My husband is today seeing a specialist who will bring lots of information. Very nice, but it would have been good to have had this ages ago!

Ah don't beat yourself up. You're both having to adjust to a new normal - there will be bumps on the road.

It'll be easier now he's getting a diagnosis - rather than it all being a mystery.

He'll get better at spotting what makes his colitis flare - and take early steps to knock it on the head. It took me a long time to get my head round the fact that it is lifelong and you have to keep taking the meds even when you feel fine!

And for me diet does make a difference - even if it's just a psychological tool so I feel more in control.

I do recommend joining the Crohns and Colitis Society. Its £15 a year - but you get a 'Cant Wait' card - which is really useful when you're out and desperate for the loo - and a radar key. It's also good to read up on current stuff and just to know you're not alone.

Good luck to you and DH.

Thank you, that is really useful, we will definitely join up! Yes, we were both saying that this condition seems so completely random but it can't be really. There must be triggers. We just need time to figure what they are.

Hello again,
I don't normally update threads this much but felt that if anyone is reading with similar worries, it might help! Nothing worse than finding a useful thread and then not knowing the ending!

We saw the specialist today. He said that dh def has IBD but they aren't 100% sure what it is but strongly suspect colitis. They want to do another colonoscopy Tuesday (not as thorough though so only needs an enema) and have another look as they would like to say definitely.
He will only leave once the blood has stopped and they are happy (hopefully Wednesday latest). He has been told they are confident that he can lead a normal life with the medication. So far the steroids have helped the pain massively but still lots of pooping and blood. He is starving though so eating a lot more than he has for ages.

We were also told off for not bringing him in sooner. Apparently this flare up made him seriously ill and if untreated would have lead to him losing part of his colon. I think it just shows how we have adapted really. He has been living with pooping 5-10 times a day with blood for months and months. It's not like we didn't go to the doctors etc either so they knew. So when it stepped up a gear to pain and 15x a day, we just thought it was a little flare up and thought it would "clear up". That's a lesson for us.

So exhausted but happy that he will only leave when they have it under control and he will leave medicated.

Thank you to all the lovely people who have shared advice and stories on here.

Thank you for updating OP - I’m glad you’ve finally got some answers and can now start to look forward. Hopefully your DH keeps on getting better and manages to find a combination of meds that work for him.

All the best