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New here, new to IBD !

Hello all

I am 56 and live on the south coast of England with my wife and two lovely teen-aged daughters.

A few months ago I was barely aware that IBD/Crohn's/Colitis was even a 'thing'. My route to diagnosis was not quite plain sailing which, having looked through some of the intro stories here, seems not uncommon.

Around late October last year I started to notice my toilet habits becoming a bit erratic and small amounts of blood appearing on stool/toilet paper. An appointment was made with my GP, who gave me a quick rectal exam and initiated the stool screening test - which I submitted and it came back negative.
With this result in the bag, at a follow up appointment a couple of weeks later the doctor suggested I may have some internal hemorrhoids and asked me if I thought I was constipated. I mumbled something about maybe, as I never felt like I had 'completed' when going to the loo. I pointed out that my symptoms were still there - if not worse, but he seemed to have lost interest and sent me off with a prescription for Fibogel laxatives.
Things immediately escalated from there. I was rushing to the toilet a dozen times a day with watery diarrhea mixed with blood. Needless to say I stopped taking the laxative but the above continued as November became December. Weight started to drop away fast as my appetite went. Abdominal discomfort and pain became a feature as did spells of fatigue. A couple of weeks prior to Christmas I couldn't cope at work any longer and got signed off sick.
The GP relented at this point and arranged an out-patient appointment for a flexi sigmoidoscopy exam for the 7th of January. Somehow, I seemed to be low priority on a check list somewhere.

I didn't make it to that. The day after Christmas day I was so ill - not eating, drinking, could barely stand - or even string a coherent sentence together, my wife bundled me into the car and presented me to the Accident and Emergency dept at the hospital.
It took them a day and a half to re-hydrate me and get me to point where the flexi camera examination was done and IBD was confirmed. There was severe ulceration prompting the consultant to remark 'it looks like you've been putting a brave face on about this for a long time ?'.

I was in hospital for 12 days and after receiving IV and enema doses of steroids and a second endoscopic exam, I was discharged on a reducing dose of Prednisolone, and Pentasa on the 6th January.

I am glad to report that I have gradually re-gained my strength (and some weight) over the past few weeks and that I am feeling quite well now and everything is currently good and drama free in the bowel movement department.
I am returning to work next week, all being well.
I am due a clinic appointment with the IBD consultant very soon, at which point I believe the transition to Azathioprine will amongst the main topics of discussion.

Wow, that went on longer than I thought. Thanks for reading...

BTW, the IBD nurse just informed me that the biopsy result could not determine exactly whether I have Crohn's or Colitis, so I guess I'm classified as 'IBD-U' !

Best regards

Richard
 

scottsma

Well-known member
Location
Tynemouth,
Hello Richard and welcome.Sorry you have to be here and also sorry you ended up at A&E. But luckily you're on the mend,somewhat.It being the UK,things could have gone undiagnosed and untreated for months.Please don't take things for granted though,or ignore any future changes in your health.We have a "Diagnosed at 50 and over " thread,which might be of interest,but you'll find support and advice from many of the good folk on the forum.Glad you're feeling better.
 
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