Question about UC and IBS

I am new here and figured I would try this out since I am not getting much info from doctors. about 12 years ago I found blood in my stool. Went through the regular precautions and saw my pcp and was referred to a GI specialist. I had a colonoscopy and they told me I had ischemic colitis. I haven't had any issues since. Until 3 years ago. I started am having very bad stomach cramps and diarrhea. Non-stop... I had a colonoscopy, endoscopy, and a capsule endoscopy. All tests came back negative for everything from chrons disease and cilliac to colitis. They diagnosed me with IBS. On Friday I woke up at 4 am in excruciating pain and diarrhea and nausea. For about two hours I sat in the bathroom in so much pain and going to the bathroom and I noticed blood on the toilet paper. I have had fissures and hemorrhoids in the past and thought it was hat until I looked in the bowl and saw a lot of blood. Bright red. I continued to go to the bathroom about 8 times total until about 9 am. From 6 am on I notice blood every time and it was getting worse. I wen lt to the hospital and the doctor there had said "you have a history of colitis do you get checked regularly with a colonoscopy?" I said no and that the past two GI doctors I have seen didn't seem concerned but this doctor did. They did a CT scan and said I have colitis (didn't mention which type) I of course couldn't go to the bathroom when I was in the hospital for 7 hours because I hadn't eaten. They let me go home and I ate some toast when I got home and it all started again. I went to the bathroom a few times and there was a lot of blood in the toilet. Saturday I had a lot of cramping and just feeling lousy. Yesterday started feeling a little better and this morning started work as usual and had a little to eat and everything went through me right away. All day long I was running to the bathroom (luckily I work from home). No blood today but still having issues. I called my normal doctor for a follow up appointment from the hospital and they said they couldn't get me in until August. I am wondering if I should switch doctors and how often I should be getting a colonoscopy. I do suffer from anxiety and depression which I know can real havoc on my stomach. But if there is blood there is something wrong. I called GI at 9:30 am and didn't hear back until 4:30. Any input would be appreciated here. I am exhausted and just want to feel better. I feel like I am losing it and I don't feel comfortable going places to eat in case I have to run to the bathroom as soon as I am done eating.

They never game me any meds until recently for the IBS. Thank you I thought I was in the wrong since I am being dismissed by doctors. I called Friday at 7:15, 8, and 8:30 with no call back and talked to my pcp office who said to go to the hospital. The GI doc didn't even call me back until 1pm. Looks like I should change doctors again. So very frustrated that I feel this is an emergency or at least urgent and they would want to assist. Feeling very frustrated.

Ischemic Colitis (IC) isn't really our area of expertise, it's injury and restricted blood flow to the intestine. I'd say you should regularly be checked by a specialist whose familiar with IC. Especially if your symptoms haven't gone away, which it can for IC. 20 percent of IC patients require surgery, a resection to remove a bad section of their intestine.

"Frequent clinical follow up of the abdomen, careful monitoring of vital signs and serial radiographic and colonoscopic examinations are needed." Source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2778113/

I'd say the frequency is based on your IC symptoms.

I didn't see a lot of medications listed for IC. Treating the inflammation causing IC seems important. IC causes blood and pain, like our UC does, so we can relate with that part of your struggles.

It seems reasonable to go to urgent care or the hospital if your symptoms are unbearable. Sometimes that gets you to your specialist sooner. You're the best judge of whether or not it's appropriate given your current symptoms.

Ischemic colitis is serious. My best friend had that and was hospitalized for a week. After they "cured" her she was still having issues and was getting the run around too. Even if you have colitis they should of given you some sort of medications and that was very negligent on their part. They use the same medications we take to help with inflammation.

I hope you get the answers you seek because you should not have to live like that. Push for answers.

Answers can come in ER, or right after a scoping - but most frequently come with followup visits. "Colitis" is meaningless because it is a broad range of things meaning a sore colon.

US is an autoimmune disease marked by chronic inflammation, which is clearly visible as distorted cells on biopsies. As your GI about the biopsy results for the final diagnosis.

IBS can cause bouts of colitis. It very seldom cause UC. More likely for chronic UC to cause secondary IBS.

Get meds for the IBS, and find out if there is now a diagnosis (from biopsy) of UC or UP. Even if no UC, periodically follow you history of ischemic colitis - because pieces of your colon could be dying. Taking some mesalamine - even a maintenance dose - might be a good idea because it is a safer drug. It is expensive though, and the IBS meds should come first.

good luck

I do follow the FODMAP diet for the most part. Unfortunately most of my issues are caused by high levels of stress.

Are you allowed to get copies of your scopes and blood tests and other tests (in US we are)? If you can then request these so you can read what your scope results showed, it will be there in black and white although doctors do tend to hedge their bets when a diagnosis is not crystal clear. My GI (U.S.) wrote "consistent with ulcerative colitis" and then a lot of other medical-ese that tells what she saw during the scope.

It sounds like you are being under-medicated since you had a diagnosis of IC so finding a better GI is a very good idea. How are you supposed to know you needed maintenance meds? That's your GI's job to RX them to you.

Welcome to the forum. Even if you don't have UC I'm sure some of the suggestions for IBD will also relate to IC, getting inflammation lowered for example is always a good idea. But don't take anti-inflammatory over-the-counter pills without medical approval.

Wow...that's awesome you got an appt quickly after the run-around you've been through.

Let us know the outcome. I'd suggest you make a list of questions for your GI to get more definitive answere and explanation.

q

Your doctors response to you still does not address your concern that you have never been prescribed any meds to alleviate the symptoms you said you were having which sound rather difficult to live with. Are you supposed to live with them for a "month or two"?

I agree you should have a plan, something to treat your symptoms even if they can't treat your diagnosis, whatever that is. It sounds like they are treating you only for IBS but since you say you've had blood that is beyond IBS.

This forum is UC centered so that's where our expertise in treatment lies. Bleeding from the bowel makes it sound like IBD but where is your bleeding coming from? If your scope report says rectum or left-sided inflammation then you could benefit from mesalamine enemas.

If your doctor or GI continue to say you have IBS and nothing else I'd push back with "then why am I bleeding". If your report says you have hemorrhoids that's the likely source of your bleeding and you should be treating that. Do you take fiber pills or stool softener?

Since the CT scan said you have colitis and is a recurring problem your GI should have some idea of how to prevent it. Good luck.

So I was diagnosed with several ulcerative Colitis in 2014 during a flare, I was given medication and went into remission. Fast forward to 2016 im having another flare but this time for some reason my symptoms seem to stay the same and not improve. The one main symptom that I'm trying to get rid of is excessive gas my rectum area seems to stay warm all day and I can feel myself releasing gas all the time (morning to night) and I can't seem to be able to control this. As of now I'm taking :entocort ec, uceris, balsalazide, col rite, dicyclomone, simethicone, also rowasa enema, Canasa suppository, cortifoam, beano, charcoal tablets, peppermint tablets, and iron supplement. Along with that main symptom I'm having diarrhea and sometimes it's constipation my bleeding seems to have increased since ive been on medication I can't form a proper stool and I just need to know if anyone else experienced something similar or if I should try something I haven't.