Diagnosis?

[bunnymum2014]

Hi all,

Just wanted to ask for some advice regarding my symptoms.

I have been suffering with either watery or loose stools for a good few months now. At first the doctors thought it was an infection but this came back negative, so they are looking at inflammatory bowel disease. My blood tests have been normal except my potassium levels are very low and my white cell count was raised.

I pass loose or watery stools upto 7 times a day, which is worse in the morning. I have had fresh blood in my stools, bleeding from my anus, and I have had pure red stools too. My stools are covered in slime. I am also suffering from a lot of fatigue and exhaustion, constantly feel like I have a fever (even though I don't), my muscles ache, and when things are at their worst, I have ulcers all over my mouth an tongue. The other thing that has happened more recently, is that I have constant stomach pain which I can only describe as throbbing, or like my stomach and gut don't fit right in me, which is worse on passing stools. My stools have also become a bit harder, and passing them is really painful in my stomach. I also have a lot of back ache at the minute.

Food does not affect me at all - I eat whatever and whenever and it does not affect my symptoms. I also have lost about 1.5 stone since this has started.

I am due to have a colonoscopy early October, but just wanted to more advice.

Anything would be appreciated!!

Bunny x

 

[DJW]

Hi Bunny and welcome.

Its possible you have IBD but I'm no doctor. Glad you have a colonoscopy. I trust they will do biopsies?

Hope you get answers. Sending you my support.

 

[alex_chris]

Bunny, really sorry you have all those troubles. A colonoscopy definitely is the next step in checking what is wrong. Unfortunately diseases such as Crohn's or UC are not very easy to be diagnosed just based on a description of symptoms. Usually the colonoscopy also involves the GI taking a few tissue samples to be checked in the lab. Make sure you opt for the "sleep through the colonoscopy" option - they will give you some drug and you won't feel a thing, otherwise a colonoscopy can be pretty uncomfortable/painful.

 

[Lady Organic]

when is your appointment? a full month waiting would be too long if you already have blood and mucus the 7 times you go to the toilet. If I were you, I'd call back the GI or go to the emergency if the GI cant inspect you sooner. You want those symptoms to be treated asap before they increase even more and risk being out of control.

 

[bunnymum2014]

Hi guys,

Thanks for your replies! I am having a colonoscopy with biopsies and yep, I will be sedated! I have had a nightmare with my doctors who don't believe me - they think its IBS. Today, I had diarrhoea 3 times in the space of an hour, I bleed and have cuts/sores around my anus.

Funnily enough, I was admitted to hospital as an emergency last Monday after I had 3 bouts of red diarrhoea and awful stomach pain, and the earliest colonoscopy they could offer me is this one in October. Its a bit complicated because the hospital I got admitted to as an emergency wasn't my local one, so I am now registered outside of my local area and my GP is reluctant to do anything else, because I'm registered at a different health service/location.

It's so backwards and it shouldn't be like this! I'm a physiotherapist so I am pretty clued up with health issues, but this is real starting to worry me because my quality of life is not that great at the moment!

Thanks for your help!

Bunny x

 

[Lady Organic]

im sorry you had to go through this with your doctors. Im hoping the qt of blood wont increase until your colonoscopy, if it does dramatically, please dont wait and return, they dont have a GI at endoscopy everyday for emergencies? where do you live? Now you have Blood and this is definately not a sign of IBS, unfortunately it had to come to this point for you to be taken seriously. It makes me feel sad when i read stories like this and this happens too often. your case seems like CD to me, since you have the mouth ulcers, which is very typical of CD. In my caes the symptoms developped more rapidly, skipping the plain diarrhea phase and started directly into gradual blood and mucus and within only 2 months I had urgencies to the toilet every hour with cramps, and only blood n mucus, not even stools. I waited way too long before seeking medical attention, should have gone to the ER, but I was young (22) and in denial of something serious, thought it was a bug or something :-(

 

[bunnymum2014]

Hi Lady Organic,

I promise I will get myself seen if anything gets worse like you, I waited far too long to get this sorted - mainly because doctors appointments are so hard to come by, and also because I didn't really want to face hospitals and tests.

When I worked in the NHS I heard so many stories like this for all sorts of conditions, makes me sad too.

I do experience urgencies. I get cramps when its bad, but to be honest the pain I feel (and am feeling right now) is a throbbing pain all over, but sometimes with a sharp pain that stops me in my tracks on my right side. Pain relief doesn't work, and the only other thing I have been given is cocodamol, which I already knew, but I can't take because then I wouldn't be able to drive or get to work. It's like a vicious circle!

I am only 21, just landed my dream job, and now all of this is getting in the way!

The one thing I don't get is how I can have days like yesterday, where I felt feverish, tired, sick, achy and in so much pain, whereas today I just feel tired and in pain. Definitely suggests some systemic inflammation to me. Sometimes being a medical person when all this is going on doesn't help!