Hi everyone! I'm 30 years old, and from Montreal, Quebec. 
Here is my story:
I had a baby in November 2007, and she was a big baby (10 lbs!) She was born naturally so you can imagine the trauma that caused. Afterward I started suffering with really painful bowel movements and lots of bleeding. (On the stool, and in the toilet, and toilet paper...always bright red). Needless to say I freaked out and told my OBGYN who examined me and told me I had anal fissures. She prescribed creams and foams and nothing worked. I thought, f that, I'll just deal with it. FIVE years went by, and it became increasingly harder to deal with it. I had gas, stomach cramps....really painful ones, the bleeding, and going for a bowel movement felt like I was giving birth all over again. It hurt, it was big, I bled, and I sometimes wouldn't go for 2 days! I finally brought this up to my gyno, and he suggested I see a gastroenterologist. I had a colonoscopy a year ago, and was diagnosed with proctitis. I started taking mezavant (2 pills/day) and salofalk (2 pills/day) right away but the 2 combined cause me to have extreme back pain. Apparently it's a rare side effect and I'm not surprised I was affected since I'm super sensitive to meds. I was then told to stop the salofalk and to just take the 2 mezavant. That didn't seem to be enough since I still experienced bleeding so I was bumped up to 4/day which is the max. So far, I still have gas, and stomach pain issues but the bleeding and pain during my bowel movements have pretty much gone away. I've always been a tired person due to my insomnia issue but these days I'm completely exhausted. I have joint pain in my knees which I now discovered could be due to this disease, go figure! As well, I now go to the bath room anywhere from 2-5 times a day. Is that even normal??? Also, not that long ago I had a lot of bleeding that lasted 4 days. I ended up in emergency and I was told it was either a flare or an anal fissure. I really find it hard to believe it was a fissure since this was the same type of bleeding I had pre-diagnosis, and when the bleeding started the stool was soft and normal, how could that cause a tear? Anyhoo, I was prescribed cortifoam and all the bleeding went away.
I still have a lot of questions and it's been so interesting to read other experiences, especially when it comes to symptoms. I see my GI every 6 months now and I actually have an appointment with her on Monday where I'll bring up my most recent bleeding episode.
I welcome all advice, and look forward to getting to know all of you!
Here is my story:
I had a baby in November 2007, and she was a big baby (10 lbs!) She was born naturally so you can imagine the trauma that caused.
Afterward I started suffering with really painful bowel movements and lots of bleeding. (On the stool, and in the toilet, and toilet paper...always bright red). Needless to say I freaked out and told my OBGYN who examined me and told me I had anal fissures. She prescribed creams and foams and nothing worked. I thought, f that, I'll just deal with it. FIVE years went by, and it became increasingly harder to deal with it. I had gas, stomach cramps....really painful ones, the bleeding, and going for a bowel movement felt like I was giving birth all over again. It hurt, it was big, I bled, and I sometimes wouldn't go for 2 days! I finally brought this up to my gyno, and he suggested I see a gastroenterologist. I had a colonoscopy a year ago, and was diagnosed with proctitis. I started taking mezavant (2 pills/day) and salofalk (2 pills/day) right away but the 2 combined cause me to have extreme back pain. Apparently it's a rare side effect and I'm not surprised I was affected since I'm super sensitive to meds. I was then told to stop the salofalk and to just take the 2 mezavant. That didn't seem to be enough since I still experienced bleeding so I was bumped up to 4/day which is the max. So far, I still have gas, and stomach pain issues but the bleeding and pain during my bowel movements have pretty much gone away. I've always been a tired person due to my insomnia issue but these days I'm completely exhausted. I have joint pain in my knees which I now discovered could be due to this disease, go figure! As well, I now go to the bath room anywhere from 2-5 times a day. Is that even normal??? Also, not that long ago I had a lot of bleeding that lasted 4 days. I ended up in emergency and I was told it was either a flare or an anal fissure. I really find it hard to believe it was a fissure since this was the same type of bleeding I had pre-diagnosis, and when the bleeding started the stool was soft and normal, how could that cause a tear? Anyhoo, I was prescribed cortifoam and all the bleeding went away.I still have a lot of questions and it's been so interesting to read other experiences, especially when it comes to symptoms. I see my GI every 6 months now and I actually have an appointment with her on Monday where I'll bring up my most recent bleeding episode.
I welcome all advice, and look forward to getting to know all of you!
