Hello all - settle in for a long tale!
I was diagnosed with IBS some 26 years ago at the age of 17 after noticing blood in my stool. One colonoscopy later and a quick course of prednisolone and predfoam and all was well with the world. Two years later whilst at University I had another flare, this time more severe which lead to me ‘dropping out’ and returning home. Cue another scope and more steroids.
This cycle of remission and relapse continued as I’m sure it does with most of us. I spent several years on Asacol, tried alternative therapies and generally tried to get on with life. By that point I had been diagnosed with Crohn’s Colitis because I guess I just like to be different! I managed to go back to University to finish my degree in 2008 before having my worst experience yet in 2010.
I started with what seemed to be another flare - bleeding, cramping, urgency...you know the drill. I saw my GP who prescribed a course of oral steroids starting at 40mg with the intention of tapering off as the flare calmed down. Only it didn’t calm down. I was going to the loo upwards of twenty times a day, couldn't walk upstairs without stopping halfway, and panting at even minor exertion. After several weeks the GP sent me to the local hospital to be admitted where I was given IV steroids. I spent a week on a ward where I was diagnosed with moderately severe disease in the colon, before being discharged having lost 40 pounds over the space of a month. I was completely knackered and had difficulty doing anything. Luckily, I was on the summer break from Uni so that meant I could take time to look after myself.
Post discharge I ended up under the care of an excellent gastroenterologist. We discussed my treatment plan and I was put on azathioprine which did the trick albeit with minor issues. There was one point when infliximab was discussed but was not needed as the symptoms cleared up. In 2016 the gastro told me I had achieved “remission in a true sense” and I was discharged back to my GP. Oh, and I finally got my degree!
So, that brings me to today. Since 2016 I have had little or no problems with my bowels but around two months ago I started to notice blood in my stool again. I thought it might pass and, being male, initially ignored it. The amount of blood increased to soaking the tissue when I wiped and turning the water pink. Some nice big clots appeared too. A trip to the GP awarded me with a five day course of oral steroids which didn’t even touch my symptoms. This felt different though, so I went back to the GP the following week who referred me for tests for colon cancer on the urgent pathway.
Two weeks later I was seen by a surgeon who arranged for bloods to be taken and a CT scan that day. He phoned me that evening to tell me there was no evidence of cancer which was such a relief! He said that there was no evidence of active disease on the CT scan either. Bilirubin levels were up, which he found odd but said he would make a referral for a colonoscopy and a gastroscopy as we needed to find where the blood was coming from. I really couldn’t fault the service I received.
Now, I’m still bleeding, constantly and in not insignificant amounts. I have terrible joint pain. I’m going to the loo eight to twelve times a day, mostly passing nothing but blood. Some days I pass no stool. Some days I have diarrhoea. But I’m absolutely exhausted, fatigued beyond belief. I’m back to struggling to walk upstairs and struggling for breath if I do anything remotely energetic (like walking the 50 yards from the car park to the office). Work have been fantastic and are allowing me to leave early every day, simply because I’m too tired to be of any use come mid afternoon, but the rumour mill is in overdrive with colleagues noticing weight loss and me generally looking like crap. Still, if anyone asks, I’m happy to give them the details!
I’ve had to chase the colonoscopy appointment and I’ve been told it’s been booked for 4th June. By the time that comes around, I don’t know what state I’m going to be in. My old gastro team don’t want to get involved because I’ve not been referred to them. The new gastro team won’t do anything because they’ve not diagnosed anything. The GP won’t do anything because they’ve referred me to the hospital. So I have no idea where to go from here. I don’t want to burden A&E but I’m going to have to do something. My only thought is to try to get an appointment with the GP tomorrow and beg and plead for them to send me straight to hospital as happened in 2010 (and as one gastro team suggested today by email).
So, sorry for the wall of text (which would probably help some of you sleep :boring but I suppose I’m wondering what other people would do in my position?
I was diagnosed with IBS some 26 years ago at the age of 17 after noticing blood in my stool. One colonoscopy later and a quick course of prednisolone and predfoam and all was well with the world. Two years later whilst at University I had another flare, this time more severe which lead to me ‘dropping out’ and returning home. Cue another scope and more steroids.
This cycle of remission and relapse continued as I’m sure it does with most of us. I spent several years on Asacol, tried alternative therapies and generally tried to get on with life. By that point I had been diagnosed with Crohn’s Colitis because I guess I just like to be different! I managed to go back to University to finish my degree in 2008 before having my worst experience yet in 2010.
I started with what seemed to be another flare - bleeding, cramping, urgency...you know the drill. I saw my GP who prescribed a course of oral steroids starting at 40mg with the intention of tapering off as the flare calmed down. Only it didn’t calm down. I was going to the loo upwards of twenty times a day, couldn't walk upstairs without stopping halfway, and panting at even minor exertion. After several weeks the GP sent me to the local hospital to be admitted where I was given IV steroids. I spent a week on a ward where I was diagnosed with moderately severe disease in the colon, before being discharged having lost 40 pounds over the space of a month. I was completely knackered and had difficulty doing anything. Luckily, I was on the summer break from Uni so that meant I could take time to look after myself.
Post discharge I ended up under the care of an excellent gastroenterologist. We discussed my treatment plan and I was put on azathioprine which did the trick albeit with minor issues. There was one point when infliximab was discussed but was not needed as the symptoms cleared up. In 2016 the gastro told me I had achieved “remission in a true sense” and I was discharged back to my GP. Oh, and I finally got my degree!
So, that brings me to today. Since 2016 I have had little or no problems with my bowels but around two months ago I started to notice blood in my stool again. I thought it might pass and, being male, initially ignored it. The amount of blood increased to soaking the tissue when I wiped and turning the water pink. Some nice big clots appeared too. A trip to the GP awarded me with a five day course of oral steroids which didn’t even touch my symptoms. This felt different though, so I went back to the GP the following week who referred me for tests for colon cancer on the urgent pathway.
Two weeks later I was seen by a surgeon who arranged for bloods to be taken and a CT scan that day. He phoned me that evening to tell me there was no evidence of cancer which was such a relief! He said that there was no evidence of active disease on the CT scan either. Bilirubin levels were up, which he found odd but said he would make a referral for a colonoscopy and a gastroscopy as we needed to find where the blood was coming from. I really couldn’t fault the service I received.
Now, I’m still bleeding, constantly and in not insignificant amounts. I have terrible joint pain. I’m going to the loo eight to twelve times a day, mostly passing nothing but blood. Some days I pass no stool. Some days I have diarrhoea. But I’m absolutely exhausted, fatigued beyond belief. I’m back to struggling to walk upstairs and struggling for breath if I do anything remotely energetic (like walking the 50 yards from the car park to the office). Work have been fantastic and are allowing me to leave early every day, simply because I’m too tired to be of any use come mid afternoon, but the rumour mill is in overdrive with colleagues noticing weight loss and me generally looking like crap. Still, if anyone asks, I’m happy to give them the details!
I’ve had to chase the colonoscopy appointment and I’ve been told it’s been booked for 4th June. By the time that comes around, I don’t know what state I’m going to be in. My old gastro team don’t want to get involved because I’ve not been referred to them. The new gastro team won’t do anything because they’ve not diagnosed anything. The GP won’t do anything because they’ve referred me to the hospital. So I have no idea where to go from here. I don’t want to burden A&E but I’m going to have to do something. My only thought is to try to get an appointment with the GP tomorrow and beg and plead for them to send me straight to hospital as happened in 2010 (and as one gastro team suggested today by email).
So, sorry for the wall of text (which would probably help some of you sleep :boring but I suppose I’m wondering what other people would do in my position?