I've just had a CT scan and it's found considerable thickening of the bowel wall (descending colon) as well as problems in the sigmoid. I've done some googling and now feel terrified that I will soon need a colostomy. Could anyone tell me whether these fears are well-founded or a bit over-the-top at this stage?
Thickened bowel wall - how serious?
- Thread starter Lizzie
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I was having appalling diarrhoea and a fair bit of pain, as well as losing half a stone in a couple of weeks, before they put me on the pred. I presume that means severe inflammation.
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It is probable the inflammation is severe. They would need to determine CD or UC and then go from there. With CD just because the inflammation is severe doesn't mean surgery is inevitable. I'm not sure of the protocols with UC. But with IBD meds are generally tried first.
Symptoms don't always show even when inflammation is severe. My son is asymptomatic but still required surgery and the area was severely inflamed, ulcerative and fissured.
His was in his terminal ileum not colon.
Most times surgery is last on treatment options as they will try to quell the inflammation with pred while starting a maintenance med to reach full therapy effectiveness as the pred is tapered off.
Symptoms don't always show even when inflammation is severe. My son is asymptomatic but still required surgery and the area was severely inflamed, ulcerative and fissured.
His was in his terminal ileum not colon.
Most times surgery is last on treatment options as they will try to quell the inflammation with pred while starting a maintenance med to reach full therapy effectiveness as the pred is tapered off.
Hi Lizzie,
Do not worry, there are several medications that should help you come back to a healthy status. As mentionned above, colectomy is really last option and doctors will try everything with every patient before that. Its therefore too early for you to think about that, especially if the GI team didnt talk about it
Has prednisone already helped your symptoms? If so thats a good start. take the medication prescribed by your GI and report any worsening of situation if this ever occur. try not too worry too much and be positive you will be ok. You could try to have a chat with a GI nurse at your hospital who could inform you some more. Nurses are generally quite nice and have more time than doctors to talk with patients. wishing you well.
Do not worry, there are several medications that should help you come back to a healthy status. As mentionned above, colectomy is really last option and doctors will try everything with every patient before that. Its therefore too early for you to think about that, especially if the GI team didnt talk about it
Has prednisone already helped your symptoms? If so thats a good start. take the medication prescribed by your GI and report any worsening of situation if this ever occur. try not too worry too much and be positive you will be ok. You could try to have a chat with a GI nurse at your hospital who could inform you some more. Nurses are generally quite nice and have more time than doctors to talk with patients. wishing you well.
Thanks, Lady Organic. I am not at the stage of being offered treatment based on CT results because the GI now wants me to have a colonoscopy and I am refusing unless I can have a general anaesthetic (topic of a couple of other threads, by the way). For the moment I am on a lowish dose of prednisolone foam enema. It was helping a lot but the incontinence/bleeding/diarrhoea have been creeping back (seven weeks on from first dose) and so the disease is definitely nowhere near under control. Hard to feel positive!
