Open main menu ☰
HealingWell
Search Close Search
Health Conditions
Allergies Alzheimer's Disease Anxiety & Panic Disorders Arthritis Breast Cancer Chronic Illness Crohn's Disease Depression Diabetes
Fibromyalgia GERD & Acid Reflux Irritable Bowel Syndrome Lupus Lyme Disease Migraine Headache Multiple Sclerosis Prostate Cancer Ulcerative Colitis

View Conditions A to Z »
Support Forums
Anxiety & Panic Disorders Bipolar Disorder Breast Cancer Chronic Pain Crohn's Disease Depression Diabetes Fibromyalgia GERD & Acid Reflux
Hepatitis Irritable Bowel Syndrome Lupus Lyme Disease Multiple Sclerosis Ostomies Prostate Cancer Rheumatoid Arthritis Ulcerative Colitis

View Forums A to Z »
Log In
Join Us
Close main menu ×
  • Home
  • Health Conditions
    • All Conditions
    • Allergies
    • Alzheimer's Disease
    • Anxiety & Panic Disorders
    • Arthritis
    • Breast Cancer
    • Chronic Illness
    • Crohn's Disease
    • Depression
    • Diabetes
    • Fibromyalgia
    • GERD & Acid Reflux
    • Irritable Bowel Syndrome
    • Lupus
    • Lyme Disease
    • Migraine Headache
    • Multiple Sclerosis
    • Prostate Cancer
    • Ulcerative Colitis
  • Support Forums
    • All Forums
    • Anxiety & Panic Disorders
    • Bipolar Disorder
    • Breast Cancer
    • Chronic Pain
    • Crohn's Disease
    • Depression
    • Diabetes
    • Fibromyalgia
    • GERD & Acid Reflux
    • Hepatitis
    • Irritable Bowel Syndrome
    • Lupus
    • Lyme Disease
    • Multiple Sclerosis
    • Ostomies
    • Prostate Cancer
    • Rheumatoid Arthritis
    • Ulcerative Colitis
  • Log In
  • Join Us
Join Us
☰
Forum Home| Forum Rules| Moderators| Active Topics| Help| Log In

Update on Phoebeskye86 ... had my colonscopy today

Support Forums
>
Irritable Bowel Syndrome
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply
❬ ❬ Previous Thread |Next Thread ❭ ❭
profile picture
*Phoebe*
Veteran Member
Joined : Sep 2005
Posts : 769
Posted 10/17/2005 1:36 AM (GMT -7)

Hi guys, here’s the update for Phoebeskye …..

 

Don’t know if you remember the “blood in stool…worried” post a few weeks back, but that was me , I was passing blood and had had diarrhea and nausea for about three months. Finally I saw the specialist, had my prep yesterday (dog awful stuff) and the colonoscopy this afternoon. Still feeling really tired but I wanted to do the ‘update’, I promised id keep you informed!

 

Well the prep was awful, mainly from the nausea feeling I had all day and the lack of food, and also the solution I had to drink this morning tasted like seawater and made me dry reach! The actual colonoscopy was fine; the needle was the worst part!

 

The doc saw me after my tea with three sugars and my four yummy biscuits (sugary food was orgasmic). He showed me the diagram he drew on during the procedure, I have “extensive ulceration of the colon”. I counted the spots that he put to represent an ulcer and there’s over 32 of them! Also ‘severe anal scaring and ulcers’, so they’re through the colon and around the anal area, which explains a lot (weight loss, pain when passing, passing blood, nausea etc). I had blood tests done which show I have a very low blood count and anemia. So that’s the update! As I said still a little woozy hasn’t sunk in yet, and I don’t know whether to take this as good or bad news. Glad it’s not cancer for sure! And also a BIG HUGE UNMEASUREABLE relief to be able to put a ‘face to the name’, to know what this mystery is that is going on inside of me. Still, I thought maybe I’d have ONE ulcer, not 32.

 

Hope everyone is well!

 

I'm also wondering whether this means I don’t have ibs and that instead it’s the ulcers causing all of my symptoms. Must ask the doc that when I see him next. They took biopsies so I suppose they’ll tell the docs more stuff that they and I need to know.

 

I'm sort of confused as to how I should take this, maybe it's the drugs and I'm not thinking straight...

 

 

profile picture
dbab
Veteran Member
Joined : Jan 2004
Posts : 4151
Posted 10/17/2005 4:57 AM (GMT -7)
Hi phoebe,
Thank you for sharing your results. I'm sorry that you had a hard time with the prep, I know how it can be. It sounds like you may have Ulcerative Colitis which is what I have also. I don't know how many ulcers my doctor found or if he even counted however 32 sounds like a lot to me. You will most likely get this diagnosis confirmed with the biopsies. My biopsies were inconclusive however the visual diagnosis was confirmed.

Its hard to say whether your symptoms can be caused by IBS or the UC. Some doctors say that you can't have both however not all of them think that. IBS is usually diagnosed through an exclusion process to rule out something else. My doctor says I have both because my symptoms for one does not conclude for the other. I have UC however my main symptoms are constipation (not a normal symptom with UC) and I have had IBS for 16 years. I don't believe that just goes away, I KNOW I have IBS.

Your symptoms however sound like the classic IBD symptoms. We have a UC forum on the site and they may be able to help answer some of your questions. Please come back when you are feeling better and you get your biopsies :)
profile picture
Sarita
Veteran Member
Joined : Mar 2005
Posts : 2486
Posted 10/17/2005 9:35 AM (GMT -7)

Phoebe, it definitely sounds like IBD - either Crohn's or Ulcerative Colitis, like dbab mentioned - and not IBS.  Though this is not good news, at least you will now be able to start treatment, educate yourself about the disease, and hopefully get yourself into remission.  These are chronic diseases that tend to flare-up randomly throughout your life.  They are not associated in any way with a shorter life span, however.  Some people get a couple of big flare-ups and otherwise feel great; others have flare-ups pretty regularly.  It is estimated that 2/3 of people with IBD will need surgery at some point to resection their intestines after the intestines become too diseased (can't remember where I got that number, but I think it's a good estimate).  Otherwise, there are tons of maintenance drugs out there and some very promising new ones that have allowed people to avoid surgery when they couldn't in the past.  The best website for you to get information is the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America, www.ccfa.org.  There is probably one in Australia too. 

It is undeniable that the ulcerations are causing those symptoms.  You should check out the UC board or the Crohn's board, where lots of people can relate to the symptoms you are enduring and help you get things straight.  Now that you will surely soon be diagnosed officially, it will be much easier for you to explain to family, friends, professors, etc. about the problems associated with IBD.

I'm really glad you got that scoping.  Sounds like you breezed through it and with the great attitude you've shown, you're likely to keep going strong.  Keep in touch!

profile picture
dbab
Veteran Member
Joined : Jan 2004
Posts : 4151
Posted 10/17/2005 9:39 AM (GMT -7)
Phoebe,
Sarita said it better than me... I just reread what I typed and I don't make sense of a lot of it right now LOL. I guess it was way too early :)

Thanks Sarita for that well said response :)
profile picture
Sarita
Veteran Member
Joined : Mar 2005
Posts : 2486
Posted 10/17/2005 10:00 AM (GMT -7)
Des, you underestimate your sympathetic prowess!  You know more about that UC stuff than I do; I'm still only pre-med over here : ) Sigh...one day, one day...

profile picture
GAWZ
Regular Member
Joined : Jun 2005
Posts : 74
Posted 10/17/2005 10:54 AM (GMT -7)
Sarita are you going to be a GI specialist?
profile picture
7Lil
Veteran Member
Joined : Apr 2005
Posts : 3269
Posted 10/17/2005 10:55 AM (GMT -7)
Sarita, if you are I will come see you no matter where you are in the world.  tongue
profile picture
Sarita
Veteran Member
Joined : Mar 2005
Posts : 2486
Posted 10/17/2005 12:53 PM (GMT -7)
IF I make it to med school (hoping to get some control of my little "issues" first - but I'm hoping to be there within two years), I will probably do a residency in internal medicine.  I have thought about doing a GI fellowship.  We'll see how old and crotchety I am after my residency! tongue I'd love to treat all of you!
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply




HealingWell

About Us  |   Advertise  |   Subscribe  |   Privacy & Disclaimer
Connect With Us
FacebookFacebook TwitterTwitter PinterestPinterest LinkedInLinkedIn
© 1997-2021 HealingWell.com LLC All Rights Reserved. Our website is for informational purposes only. HealingWell.com LLC does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.