Check if you can get the Florastor probiotic over-the-counter at a pharmacy. It is highly recommended in the U.S. to protect the gut function while undergoing Rx antibiotic treatment. (Its main...
I'm concerned about your conflicting DXs, and hope you can update us ASAP. How did your Wednesday procedures go? Beaming best wishes to Missouri ... ! / Old Hat (40+ yrs with left-sided UC; in...
Yes, unfortunately the urge to defecate continuously is called "tenesmus" in medical terminology, and it means that the rectum is inflamed. So definitely use the steroid foam nightly. When taking...
Yikes! You're definitely getting more than your share of obstacles to definitive diagnosis. We've had many complicated cases crop up here on the forum over time-- so, hopefully, you'll get feedback...
Not in UK, but I'll just chime in that you shouldn't have to wait a month for biopsy results post-scope! In any case you're not alone with these annoying delays-- some of them in USA & Canada, too,...
You could check out Website of Washington University (St. Louis) then go to Graduate Schools, School of Medicine, Specialties, Gastroenterology (Digestive Disorders), IBD. Seems they have 9...
Gotya! Advise you to re-read what Straydog posted on 7/28 in your earlier thread-- because she has a long experience with Crohn's herself. Based on her comments there, it seems like a good idea to...
I looked again at your earlier thread where you said the specialist couldn't scope higher than ca. 15 cm. due to severity of your inflammation. That would seem to explain the persistence of your...
The hospital should have given you more info if the scope found a stricture. That means it's hard for waste to pass through that affected area in the gut. Probably you should eat soft foods like...
Did the specialist diagnose you with Crohn's? RE multiple BMs after C-scope: your mucosa was super-inflamed, then you had to purge, then a scope passed over your irritated mucosa creating some...
Good luck with the procedure finally arranged. Sorry that you had to jump through so many hoops to get proper attention. / Old Hat (40+ yrs with left-sided UC; in remission taking Colazal)...
You are a dear friend, Songlady, to wish us all well in the Northeast heat wave! Glad to read that you're getting a bit of relief from chemo side effects. The painful place you describe might be...
If nothing is working to reduce the pain enough that you find it unbearable, it seems that you need an ER consult. What is the nearest urban area to you that has a major medical center? I ask because...
You're welcome! When I was diagnosed (via C-scope) I had severe UC from sigmoid colon downward, and that affected my sacrum bigtime. It felt like my torso was encased in cement! Then the steroid...
Welcome to the HW Forum, but sorry you have these problems. It's frustrating to be put off when seeking appointments with doctors; unfortunately that happens more often since the pandemic changed a...
We did some earlier threads about Zeposia here on the forum in case you'd be interested to search archived posts. It's a relatively new drug with some scary potential side effects-- so you have good...
Jess, if your foam is 10% steroid, it's not urgent that you wean off it ASAP, the way it is with liquid retention enemas or oral steroid meds-- to avoid harmful side effects. I can well understand...
Why don't you find a safer place to vacation? (Considering that UC management has been a big issue for you lately, and you're still relatively new to Entyvio.) I think we seniors especially need to...
Thanks for info! Way back in Yesteryear when I got DXed (1980), I wondered why something beneficial to healing couldn't be sprayed within the colon while gastroenterologist was already "in there" via...
You're welcome! I find that boiled rice or potato (baked, boiled, even FFed in healthy oil) are good for firming bms, and can help reduce to 1 daily. I pay some attention to medical stats RE...
Hi! Rather than hijack Jessxxx's post, I'll reply here to the questions you asked me RE left-sided UC. (1) Remission means no blood, no mucus passed with bms, and no urgency. (2) My Rx is 3 x 3...
Yay, Jess-- that's good news that the c-scope is now done, and your inflammation hasn't extended upward!!!!! It's normal to feel unsettled for a couple days following scope, but then you should...
Quincy, I retrieved my Icy Hot, which says "original". (If there is a variant I haven't seen it in the chain drugstores.) It contains 10% menthol so it smells slightly pepperminty, but not...
Throbbing in legs made me think of sciatica-- or another neural condition. Not fun. / Old Hat...
Rats! Very sorry that you have these chemo miseries, Songlady. I keep wondering why the docs can't adapt the so-called "pencil-beam" radiation to internal cancers since it seems to work so well for...
Congratulations on your expanded family, Sweety! RE allergies being possible cause of new UC flare, I think they can be if they disrupt your sleep many times. At least in my experience, inadequate...
Hang tough, Quincy! Sorry to read that you have those recurrent pains. Have your docs tested blood for rheumatoid factor? Do you get any relief from pain-relieving topical lotion(s)? In the U.S. we...
Geezer, do you supplement vitamin D3? / Old Hat (40+ yrs with left-sided UC; in remission taking Colazal)...
LOL, Serenity! Actually, a good thing that hubby reminded you at the last minute. When I load up errand bag prior to leaving home, I tend to forget something that had seemed top priority the day...
Best wishes for your follow-ups, Geezer & Quincy! / Old Hat (40+ yrs with left-sided UC; in remission taking Colazal)...
Inflammation in the descending colon requires oral med. The liquid retention enemas treat topically from the sigmoid flexure downward. Lengthy dosing with steroid retention enemas may improve...
It's an S1P receptor modulator called Etrasimod, and is said to be a potential competitor for Zeposia, which gets marketed by Squibb. So, of course, the big pharmas are excited about its...
Thanks for that info, ipoop! Maltodextrin gets sneaked into everything in U.S., besides. / Old Hat (40+ yrs with left-sided UC; in remission taking Colazal)...
I think the problem is that you still have to wait to schedule a scope, that is needed to determine the extent of your inflammation. If you have inflammation above the rectum you need the liquid...
Nope! My gut hates being empty. Plus I take oral UC med and need to stay hydrated. / Old Hat...
Great that your husband is such a big help with household re-establishment! You are pretty amazing yourself. I think you're wise to pursue the chemo where you started it, and hope it totally...
LOL, and congratulations!!!!! Keep the perfect ones coming regularly, eh? / Old Hat (40+ yrs with left-sided UC; in remission taking Colazal)...
Colons can vary in length-- so some of us can clean out sufficiently with a 64 oz. liquid prep while others require the gallon. The prep that has been the least problematic for me is 8 oz. Miralax...
There is a known variant of UC where inflammation occurs in the cecal patch and also on the left-side of colon, usually involving the sigmoid and rectum = proctosigmoiditis. If your sister has repeat...
Brava, Notso! You totally "nailed it" RE all the stuff that can be associated with IBD. / Old Hat (40+ yrs with left-sided UC; in remission taking Colazal)...
2-4 weeks, as I recall. Take the oral med with a full glass of water then be sure to stay hydrated throughout the day. Glad that you finally convinced the medical staff to move in a more helpful...
You just mentioned having used retention foam during pregnancy. Then were you diagnosed with UP or UC? If yes, were you advised to follow-up with gastroenterological surveillance post-partum? If not...
You are flaring with ulcerative proctitis or u. colitis! Brown-tinged mucus has excrement mixed-in. Red in mucus = blood. Why you feel wet many times is because mucus also comes out if/when you expel...
Metronidazole (Flagyl = brandname in USA) is an amebicide, anti-protozoan. It's unlikely to quell ulcerative proctitis. You are right to schedule a C-scope for accurate diagnosis. / Old Hat (40+ yrs...
Did any oncologist ever mention the so-called "pencil-beam" radiation to you, Songlady? I believe that standard radiation to torso is especially risky for IBDers, but have wondered in recent years...
Relieved that you found time to update us, Songlady, thank you. Keeping you in my thoughts daily! FU is definitely appropriate to malignancy. Did you keep your original port, or need to get a new...
I agree with Poopydoop. Stool improvement to consistency takes a lot of time when one has been majorly inflamed by UC. Porridge with some solid bms shows that you're making some progress toward...
Gads! That's annoying to go through epidural placement, no picnic, and then they take it out to send you back home. Maybe they'll cancel the TAH contingent on biopsy results that gauge aggressivity...
Sulfasalazine is mesalamine bonded to sulfa-- so that it hopefully dissolves closer to the colon. However, it can cause unwanted side effects, including photosensitivity to the eyes. It sounds like...
Songlady, I just plugged back into HW, having been preoccupied with Ukraine crisis for much of the past 6 weeks. So sorry to read that you need another surgery-- as if moving out-of-state was not...