Faecal occult blood testing

[juljul]

Hi all,
Just wondering how many of you have ever tested for faecal occult blood. And if so, did you have to request it yourself, and was the test via the GI consultant or GP or both?

Have not personally been offered this as of yet and I have been under investigation for 2 years though they always asked me if I had seen blood (which I had at times with mucus) - but not offered the basic occult blood test. And I kept forgetting to ask for it though I had meant to

Not having been offered it - am wondering if this is NHS penny pinching with my PCT or is this a UK NHS general scenario? Just curious.

I am thinking of purchasing one anyway - can anyone recommend one whose result is accepted by the NHS and one that is straightforward to use, thanks.


juljul xx

 

[DustyKat]

Sarah had FOB done and it was requested by the GP. A different system here I know.

If I felt it was necessary I would straight out ask the GP to request it. I personally believe it is a perfectly good test if you have something going on and obvious bleeding is not a symptom. Best results are obtained by taking three specimens, each on a separate day.

Good luck!

Dusty. xxx

 

[Ihurt]

I asked my primary care doc for a script for one. Over here they send you to the lab and the lab gives you these cards. You take them home and when you have to go to the toliet you swipe the stool with this little paint brush that is included in the kit with the cards and you just paint it in the little square on the card. They usually give you 2 cards. You use two seperate bowel movements usually.

The only bad thing is that if you have irritation in the anal area or any hemmhroids, you will get a positive result. I mean also if you see blood in your stool, well the test is kind of useless since you already know you have bleeding. But if you want it done I see no reason your doctor would not let you have it done..

 

[UnXmas]

I had it done on the NHS, years ago when I first started pursuing a diagnosis. I was given a stool sample kit by my GP to take home, collect a sample, and bring back to the GP surgery for them to send off to a lab. This was while I was on a waiting list to see a specialist - I don't think my GP would bother doing it now as once you're seeing consultants they basically hand over all testing and treatment to them. My GP suggested it if I remember correctly.

 

[juljul]

Thank you DustyKat, Ihurt and UnXmas... :ghug:

 

[dannysmom]

Danny had it - even tho he never saw blood in stool - and it was negative.

 

[xmdmom]

I had a gi say the guaiac test was pretty much useless. I'm not sure why.

 

[juljul]

Danny had it - even tho he never saw blood in stool - and it was negative.

__________________
Jeanne
Mom to Danny (15), sick since Dec 2008 but current diagnosis uncertain:
- dx w/ probable Crohn's Dec 2009 (dx questionable after negative reaction to prednisone Mar 2010)
- dx w/ Cystic Fibrosis Jan 2011, retracted May 2011
(Danny's story)

Hi Jeanne,
Thank you too for your input... :hug: I had to go and read your story about your boy Danny. I am so sorry to hear you and he are going through this. :ghug: ... I can't imagine how tough that must be for you as a Mum. I want to comment on your thread, though it was created a while ago... if you don't mind (hope to do that later). I just want to say that I too am undiagnosed with my many GI issues and I too got negative reactions to steroids given as suppositories, and used as a cream when I had external soreness and redness. etc. If there is a bacterial element to the disease, you perhaps could expect a worsening of symptoms is what I would have thought. So does that imply a bacterial component for those who react negatively to steroids? Perhaps in some cases. The suppositories in particular made my anorectal pains far worse. I suspect I might have MAP in my bowels because I used to drink a load of milk, and UK supermarket milk is certainly contaminated with it. Plus the fact that I responded favourably to self-treatment with azithromycin (Zithromax) last year makes me further believe I might have this. I took it because I suspected MAP. I had at some time read of a UK study involving patients with severe Crohns Disease (1997 study in London, St George's Hospital Medical School) who were given an anti-TB drug (rifabutin) and clarithromycin or azithromycin (11 were intolerant so had to be excluded) and had achieved substantial clinical improvement - the drug combination both inducing and retaining remission. Link :::here::: ...authors: Gui GPH, Thomas PRS, Tizard MLV, Lake J, Sanderson JD & Hermon-Taylor J..

.....I think MAP testing might only be available in limited centres worldwide. My own PCT do not even have run broth cultures so I very much doubt they can look for MAP, but you never know It is different with cattle and Johne's Disease!! Perhaps we could get our Drs to send samples to a veterinarian lab ...you never know There has been an open clinical trial on that drug combination since 1997.....was in 2002, Florida ...link to the abstract :::here::: ...authors: Shafran I, Kuglar L, El-Zaatari FA, Naser SA & Sandoval J..
Both sets of authors are calling for more trials...presumably to pave the way for Drs to openly prescribe these drugs. J Hermon-Taylor, one of the authors of that original 1997 paper that was based on a two year outcome (study), had written a comment in response to the second paper that came out of the 2002 open trial entitled:

"Treatment with drugs active against Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis can heal Crohn's disease: more evidence for a neglected public health tragedy." Pubmed link :::here:::

Where are we at now with regards to these drugs. That is the impending question? Can anyone answer this please.

Full refs:
Gui GPH et al, "Two-year-outcomes analysis of Crohn’s disease treated with rifabutin and macrolide antibiotics", Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy, (1997), 39, 393-400

Sharfran I et al, "Open clinical trial of rifabutin and clarithromycin therapy in Crohn's disease.", Dig Liv Dis, (202), 34(1), 22-8

Herman-Taylor , "Treatment with drugs active against Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis can heal Crohn's disease: more evidence for a neglected public health tragedy.", Dig Liv Dis, (202) 34(1), 9-12

I will comment further on on your thread here later today Jeanne hopefully, when I have some more free time...

Thank you too for input xmdmom :hug: I wonder why the GI doc thought the test useless. What about for bowel cancer screening then because it is used in the UK for that? !!

Take care everyone...
juljul xx