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I think Cabin in the Woods is more funny than scary, although it has some scary moments. Kelly is a total wuss, but she enjoyed it. I have to watch horror movies when she isn't around!

I haven't gone to get my prep from the pharmacy, but I think it's moviprep. Cat, I think they might do the pillcam differently here. I didn't really understand it at first, but it sounds like I go in Tuesday morning to take a barium pill, then I go in Wednesday to get xrayed to verify it went all the way through. then after that X-ray I get the real pill and get strapped in. I'm essentially eating a low residue diet right now so I can probably get in a meal Monday. We'll see how it goes.

and I agree Cindy! Don't accept an IBS diagnosis when you don't feel it's correct. The difference between my old GI and this new one is like night and day. The old one was like, well you have IBS deal with it and see a psychotherapist. The new one says, well you're getting sicker which means we need to do more tests. My old GI basically told me that someday I was going to have to accept it was IBS, but there's just no way it's IBS unless they suddenly start including the red flag symptoms :p Even if they don't find anything it's not fair to stop looking when you're not ready to stop. It's your body, not theirs, and they have no idea what's it's really like for you.
 
I picked up my prep today. It's unflavored PEG-3350 powder in a huge jug. It was a prescription so damn was it cheaper than my typical miralax prep.

has anyone ever flavored this stuff with koolaid mix or something?
 
Carrie, I have not had that prep before. I've only done Miralax & Gatorade myself. Really, it's cheaper than Miralax? I think I paid something like $10 - $15 total for the Gatorade & Miralax in the past? The cheapness intrigues me. From what I've read, if I can get the Prepopik stuff for prep, it'll probably be like $50 even with my insurance. Still, if it's a tolerable prep then I'm happy to pay that much.

So Carrie, are they not making you do prep before the pillcam then? I had to do 1/2 prep before my pillcam - I was told they mostly just needed the small intestine to be fairly well cleaned out, but it was okay if the colon still had stuff in it. They even told me it wasn't a big deal if I couldn't manage the 1/2 amount of prep, to just do what I could and it'd be fine. So it wasn't super strict, but I did have to do some prep for it.
 
I paid $2.68 with my prescription insurance. it says $21.99 retail price. The only thing I have to do for pillcam prep is go back onto a liquid diet at noon Tuesday.

I'm supposed to do my colonoscopy prep Monday morning at 6 (my appointment is at 1). I'm kind of worried about doing it that late... So anyway I have to double check, but I think I can have a low residue meal after the colonoscopy before I go back onto a liquid diet until Tuesday morning for the barium pill test. Then I can have a meal and go back to liquids at noon Tuesday. I don't get the pillcam pill until Wednesday afternoon so it's 24+ hours on liquid only.
 
So I finally got the "correct" report from my doctor. It said there were bloody erosions in the colon. But he isn't calling it IBD? Isn't that the start of IBD? I guess I'm confused... ???
 
Carrie, Peg3350 is the same as miralax. Mix it with Gatorade if you wanted. You can also mix it with juice, koolaid or whatever you like (as long as they don't have any specific things to avoid of course) :)
 
Cat, you made me chuckle! The truth is, I'm a Cowboys fan! I can hear you saying, "NOOO!" :D
I do plan on sticking with finding a diagnosis. I did find it interestig that the polyp (a 7 mmm sessile polyp) was found in my cecum, which is close to the terminal ileum and close to where the pain in my belly is? Now I'm just keepig my fingers crossed that the polyp comes bac kas benign.
 
I did the prep (MIralax) with orange Powerade Zero. regular is way to sweet and I didn't think I could drink it. Unflavored I can't make it through the whole thing. I had a much harder time with the mag sulfate.
 
I did movieprep and it was bloody expensive and ugh that was soul destroying.

Hubby is gone, so what does one do? She gets drunk -_____- I got so drunk last night but now my tummy feels like crap! Bad bad Ali! Oh the shame ha I shouldn't speak to anyone whilst drunk and I should delete my mags because rereading them is cringey, just thought I would tell you guys that randomly lol

Now it's 4:21am and I can't sleep -____- x
 
UGH this stuff is so gross. I immediately threw my second gulp of this stuff back up the second I swallowed it.

I tried mixing some lemonade koolaid mix into it.. I managed to swallow a few gulps, but I'm not even through the first glass yet! ugh! good thing I started a half hour early?

:( next time - not this stuff. ugh. I can't stand the salty.
 
This sounds so similar to the klean prep I had.. the more I diluted it though, the more salty it tasted.
I mixed it with lime cordial. I had 4 sachets to drink.. but could only make it through 1 and a half. Good luck Carrie! X
 
this came in a jug. I had to add over a gallon of water to it :eek: I'm almost through my second glass, I should be on my third. I have to keep taking a break or I retch again. how disgusting. and yes the koolaid powder makes the salty a little more prevalent, but it also helps a little somehow. so nasty. I need to make a note to ask the dr to never ever give me this again! ew haha

this is worse than the barium.
 
Some suggestions needed, I'm undiagnosed however have protectin level of 151, my endoscopy showed no inflammation hower biopsy were taken which I'm waiting for results. This flare up has been the worst being managed my codeine and oramorph. I have a doctors appointment tomorrow and wondering if I should suggest a drug in order to start some form of treatment, after all my other doc was happy to diagnose me with IBD with my previous history and protectin levels, however he won't as he feels he may be seen as treading on the other doctors toes. I need to start something so your suggestions appreciated. Also I'm taking codeine for pain relief, but after taking it for weeks it's slowly causing mild constipation (very unusual, but a side effect of the codeine) I have tried tramadol but these gave me a terrible headache, any suggestions for pain relief?
 
yuck! I was following the wrong prep instructions :( I thought I had caught up, but no.. I have to drink twice as much of this. I'm sorry to complain so much, but ugh.. this is just nasty. I should have done it last night even though it said to do it this morning.


....

I'm not going to be able to finish this prep. I hope it's enough. I'm supposed to be done now, but I'm nowhere near done. :( My appt is at 1pm so I guess I'll keep drinking it til 10? its making me really shaky and warm too.

....

I really hope that was enough. It's more than half gone. I can't drink anymore :( I have 6 pounds of fluid in my body that wasn't there when I got up at 5:45! I don't even want to look at a drink!
 
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Good luck Carrie! I can't believe they told you to drink it all this morning, that's nuts. My first colonoscopy was at something like 1 PM as well, and they told me I could drink half the prep the evening before and then the second half that morning, OR if I just wanted to get it over with, I could drink the full amount the evening before (I ended up taking the latter option). I hope you're cleaned out enough, and good luck with the scope!

Hi Paulcornwall, welcome to the forum. I haven't taken pain meds for my IBD so I can't offer suggestions there. You mentioned having an endoscopy - did you have a colonoscopy too, or just an upper endoscopy? Most doctors won't diagnose IBD without a positive biopsy, so I do hope you get some worthwhile results there. I would ask the doc about the biopsy results and where to go from here - if he recommends more tests, or a medication trial, or whatever. Don't let him send you away without some sort of a plan as to where to go from here. If he does try to write you off as IBS, you may want to look into getting a 2nd (3rd?) opinion. You mentioned a different doc was happy to say it's IBD - I'm curious as to why you're seeing a different doctor now? Any chance you could go back to the other doc who said IBD?

Bluebird, oh you poor dear, drinking does awful things to me too. Presuming you have IBD, IBD'ers tend to get dehydrated more easily, and drinking dehydrates you - so drink lots of water, or gatorade, even tea - whatever you can get down, and that should help you feel better. If you're nauseous, try taking some ginger if you have any, that'll help with nausea - ginger ale is good, or ginger tea. Get some rest and I hope you feel better soon - and next time, stop after a couple drinks! I personally can handle like 1 drink on a good day, but any more than that and I'm in big trouble. Hang in there and feel better!

Cindy, a Cowboys fan!??? Noooooo! Just out of curiosity, how on earth did you become a fan of them?? I've never been big into sports, but I do like watching a good Packers game (in other words, NOT the game from Friday night! Good thing it was just pre-season, sheesh).

My scope is in just over 2 weeks (on the 28th). I'm starting to get nervous! I'm taking some time off work for it, so that'll be nice anyway. I'm taking off the 27th so I'll have a full day to relax & do prep, a full day of course for the scope, and a full day off after the scope too to recover (I was in a lot of pain the day after my colonoscopy in 2010 - I think because they took so many biopsies from me?). So yeah, at least I won't have to worry about work on top of that stuff. But I'm nervous and already starting to stock up on stuff. Did you guys know they make mango flavored jello now? That sounds really yummy, I hope orange-ish colored jello is allowed. I haven't gotten my instructions in the mail yet so I'm not quite sure but I think I did peach jello last time so I think it's okay? Speaking of that, I haven't heard back from my GI yet either, so I'm not sure if he'll let me do the Prepopik or if I'll have to do Gatorade/Miralax again. Hmph, I hope he responds soon!
 
Hi paulcornwall.. good luck with your results for the biopsy! Although your scope didnt show inflammation - microscopic colitis is only found on biopsy. Plus.. a pill cam might be a good idea too because the scope only checks the colon (or 1st part of small bowel if you had an upper endoscopy?)
Your doc is probably just waiting for biopsy results before he decides on the next step.

Cat - im nervous for you!! I just hope you can finally get some answers!!

Im doing a lot better "stool wise" since we changed how I take the sulfasalazine. And its my monthly (sorry for any men on here) and still no grumbles!! Which is rare for me.. normally the big D arrives with aunt flo lol! So im feeling hopeful.. *touch wood*
 
Some weird stuff just came out but I am otherwise clear. I think I'll probably be ok. I'm super shaky, and my appt isn't for 40 minutes! They have free wifi here though.
 
So my CT scan came back "normal" shock, horror! *sarcastic eye roll*

So of course I had to ask what to do next since Dr's seem to think that patients are mind readers. My dr was off today so I will get a call back from the nurse tomorrow with a referral name, the place will be in Georgetown Dc.

So I'm slightly miffed, not because of yet another negative test result as I didn't expect this one to show anything but because my very first test which was an Endoscopy showed slight irritation on my upper intestine but she just shrugged it off like "whatever" and wrote on my form " Gastroenteritis " like woman are you kidding me?
So now that I have done every test asked by her why is she not thinking that maybe she was too quick to dismiss the irritation and why was it irritated? I mean seriously why am I having to think about this stuff when Drs are paid god knows how much to do this? I should start charging her!

My Gp wanted me on Crohns meds, but of course my Dr as nice as she is.. is a stubborn cow and won't listen to anyone else's opinions and apparently she won't even accept evidential proof -____-
I mean that "slight irritation" may of been the start of all this? Am I maybe over thinking it? maybe but god some proof is better than none.
All I know is just over 6 months a go I was okay then BOOM I'm ill and my life changed within days.

She said she doesn't know what I have but yet wants me to go on a gluten free diet?

I get that Dr's are human and they aren't perfect (neither am I) but what happened to Dr's giving a crap about the patient? now it's all about how much they can milk your insurance, that's how it feels anyway.

So anyways I hope people are having a better day then I am and I hope everyone is as pain free as possible, much love to you all xxxx
 
Hi bluebird, I'm having a bad few days too. It takes so long to get a diagnosis, seems no different than here in the uk. I guess this board is here for you, I'm just using the pain meds and meal drinks until something is found. Very frustrating especially when everyday seems like a week. Cuddles to you.
 
Oh bluebird I am sorry.. I hate it when they find something but shrug it off. Welcome to my world! Lol.
How are feeling otherwise.. much of a hangover? What's your poison? Im a big martini with lemonade fan.. and of course cocktails. Yummy! I seem to be fine on spirits.. but I cant drink beer because I am instantly in pain.. and wine makes for the worst hangovers.
So do you have many plans whilst hubby is away? Xx
 
Paul - Yeah I'm originally from Merseyside but moved to the states nearly 3 years ago and yeah at least I now know I wouldn't of been better back in the UK lol. Hope you get sorted soon too hun, it's so bloody miserable. Thanks for the cuddles btw;)

Bozzy - Thanks luv, yeah I'm doing okay now, blew the cob webs off ha but my poison is rum, im into tequila,vodka, rum, whiskey, wine, champagne ... haha I sound like a lush ha but last night it was Sailor Jerrys rum, 2 shooters, and drinks good lord haha
Can't help it, Sometimes I need a release but I'm naughty because it isn't good for me!

My plans at the moment are lunch tomorrow with some girlfriends, going out at the weekend with a couple I know and then next week I'm having my hair,tan, nails done and having a girls night out for a friend who is leaving to return back to the UK :) just trying to keep busy... me by myself is not good, I'm a crazy chick at the best of times but a crazy chick even more so without the boss here LOL

Any plans for you guys? xx
 
I like rum cocktails the best.. but I really dont like rum and mixers.. my hubby loves rum though. He has two unopened original recipe sailor jerry bottles in the cupboard and some new recipe ones too.
I started using this mint and lime shower gel and I smell like a mojito! Yum!

That sucks that a friend is moving back here.. so make sure you have a good'un!
I know its terrible for the drinking.. but like you - I love a good night out :D
 
Bluebird, I'm pretty much the opposite - I'm a huge introvert, and when I'm all alone, I do great and get a lot done. I tend to clean, bake, sew, study (I'm trying to teach myself Korean!), etc. There is never a dull moment when I get some alone time, and I love it. In fact, my hubby is going to be working a lot more next month, so what's my response? I got some index cards to make myself Korean flash cards for studying, and I'm going to the craft store to buy more sewing patterns! :p Do you do any crafts? Things like crocheting/knitting are easy to learn and you can do it from the couch/bed without exerting yourself. I crochet a ton - I'm kind of an antsy person by nature, I can't just sit around and do nothing. If I'm watching TV, I either have to be doing something on the computer too or crocheting. As a result, I have like 10 crocheted blankets and enough scarves for an army. But it keeps me occupied and happy!

You mentioned drinking as a release - exercise is mine! The harder I work out in the gym, the less stressed out I feel and more relaxed I am afterwards. But of course, this flare is preventing me from working out as often as I was before, and that's causing me frustration and stress... it's a vicious cycle, isn't it! It sounds like the aftermath of your drinks is causing a similar response. If only there were no strings attached to our various forms of stress-relief and release! Instead they have their own sneaky ways of just making us feel bad anyway. What goes up must come down unfortunately.

As for plans, I have a few specific ones, mostly related to crafts. I bought a couple really cute retro dresses last weekend for $1 each - they need some alterations though. One is too big but otherwise is a cute length and a cute design, so it only needs to be taken in and should then be wearable. The other one, it has huge puffy sleeves that are coming off, and the neckline is really high and ugly, so I'm going to tweak that. I'll probably take the length up a couple inches too as it's a bit too long, and I have to take it in as it's too big. That'll be a big project, but hopefully it'll be really cute when I'm finished.

After those are done, well, my hubby works in a costume shop, and sometimes his boss gives away stuff for free or really cheap. She gave me this pirate coat, it fits me really well and it's got some character, and it apparently was used in movies. It's just really cool, although totally impractical for everyday wear because it does look piratey! But, I want to change the buttons on it and add epaulets. I have some really cool vintage metal buttons that have anchors on them, I think those will be perfect. (It currently has ugly plastic buttons on it!) I might have to make epaulets, as the ones I have found to buy are not of good quality, and my pirate coat deserves better than cheap flimsy epaulets. :p That was too long, but those are my plans! Sewing excites me, I can look super cute for cheap/free by making or modifying my own clothes. :)
 
blue, my ct scan came back "normal" and the jerk-off former doctor never even bothered to tell me. What's annoying me about that is that I know there were findings about my spine on there, that no one has officially bothered to mention to me. I have to ask the GP about it.

so onto today's tests.. the nurse had the worst trouble getting an iv in me. despite all the extra liquid I drank I was still dehydrated. The tests were all essentially normal, but two things have never been mentioned to me before: I have mild hemorrhoids (I expected this already). I have a hiatus hernia(!! shouldn't the other GI have noticed this in all the tests he did of me??). They took a bunch of biopsies. tomorrow is the pill cam!

The other thing I have found out is that I'm diagnosed with sjogren's syndrome. That's another one I suspected but no one actually told me. thanks doctors.
 
Carrie, I believe lsgs has Sjogren's as well - hopefully she sees this and can help with that. I don't know much of anything about Sjogren's.

I have a hiatal hernia as well. Do you have GERD? I have severe GERD, which is in part being exacerbated by my hiatal hernia. However, frustratingly, my GI said that my hernia is "small and sliding", so it can't possibly be causing my GERD to be so severe all by itself. In other words, my GERD is still partially a mystery. Did they say anything about the size of your hernia, and if it's fixed or sliding? I was told that for my hernia, the only fix is surgery, and the surgery can produce some scary potential symptoms itself - such as inability to belch & inability to vomit. That sounds rather horrifying, and my GI has said I'm not really a good surgical candidate now anyway as my hernia is small, so no surgery for me at least for awhile. I believe the surgery is called Nissen Fundoplication if you wish to google it.

As for the hemorrhoids, I've had them too plenty of times - are yours external or internal? I've only ever had external ones (they don't bleed but they hurt - apparently the internal ones tend not to hurt but do tend to bleed). If yours are external, I'd suggest you consider giving psyllium husks a try. That's the only thing that ever cleared mine up. It is soluble fiber, but it's fiber nonetheless, so it may not agree with you - but it is worth a try. I went from having 4 to 10+ bowel movements a day before psyllium, and after psyllium it went down to more like 2-4 per day. All that going and going never allowed my hemmies to heal, but when I finally stopped going so much thanks to psyllium, the hemmies finally disappeared. I take a tablespoon per day mixed into a glass of water. I seem to recall there was some cramping the first few weeks I took it, but the cramping stopped pretty quickly. Don't overdo it though (start with a small amount and gradually increase it if needed), or you will cramp and bloat a LOT, as I learned the hard way when I took 2 tablespoons at once!

Good luck with the pill cam and with the biopsies too! Hopefully something useful comes out of all these tests!
 
They didn't say anything at all, I was just reading the papers they gave me and it showed the hernia. I'll have to ask the GI doctor about it next time I see him. My hemorrhoids are internal.

thanks for the good lucks! I'm already happy that _something_ is showing up.
but right now I'm exhausted so it's nap time. zzzzzzz
 
It was a nice nap... I can feel my dehydration settling in now though! I'm kind of confused about what to do with my medications tonight ;) You see, I can't remember what conversations I had about them that were real and which were dreams. I can't take them on a liquid diet so I haven't taken them in a few days. (my stomach just can't do it without food. some of the pills are too harsh) it was probably a dream where I was basically told I can't take some random pills but I can take the rest.. idk. lol.

I'm also surprised that it said my colon was well prepared after how hard it was for me to drink the solution.
 
Cat, orange should be okay, I used orange Powerade zero for my Prep and he said it looked like the prep was great.

My dad was born in California but has lived in Dallas much of his adult life. He's always beena Cowboys fan, so I have been since I was four years old! My husband is too, but he was born and raised in WI so who knows what his excuse is! :D we like a good game too, we'll turn to a different game if there is one that is exciting.
 
It turns out that it wasn't a dream! I have a list of my meds with the off limit ones circled. Then add the ones off limit because of the testing coming up, and I took one pill!

My throat is definitely sore.
 
Carrie and Cat-- I also have a hiatal hernia and internal hemorrhoids. I don't have GERD though.

Cat-- Some GIs say orange is okay; some say it's not. For my latest colonoscopy, the prep instructions said orange was fine.
 
Thanks guys! I got my prep instructions in the mail today, and it says "no red, blue, or purple." So it sounds to me like orange is okay. Yay, mango jello! And peach! That's a relief because I seriously hate lemon jello. :p
 
Hi Carrie360 just noticed your post. Has no one spoken to you about having sjogren's? It can have some pretty serious implications depending on what antibodies you test positive to (I got all the nasty ones!) so I'd really recommend getting under the care of a rheumatologist quickly. I mean we're talking about risks of cancer and ability to carry a baby to term etc. so something you definitely need to be discussing with your doctor.

Do you have dry eyes and mouth yet? If so I have about a million tips for you to make life easier with it.

Watch out for other complications too. Many doctors don't take sjogren's seriously or don't realise the implications it can have because it's rare of they've been taught it's just dry eyes and dry mouth. For example just recently I've been put on pancreatic enzymes because I have a 'dry' pancreas and it's helped my digestion a lot. Much less nausea, bloating, diarrhoea etc. Might be something to look into! Took me what, 5 years to get to that point!

My biggest news is I fired my GI :) finally! Didn't even have the decency to sign the letter he sent! This guy single handedly destroyed my trust in doctors. Hoping my new GI doesn't screw me over like he did.
 
Isgs, most of my specialists have blown me off. My rhuematologist didn't even tell me, the new GI doctor did when he saw it on my chart. I got rid of my old GI a week or so ago. I'm about to find a new rheumatologist. Maybe later today after I am done here at the GI for the barium pill. My endocrinologist blew me off too so I stopped seeing him. I have a hematologist I'm seeing in a week or so. I was dx'd based on the schrimer test, because even though I wasn't told I know exactly when I had to have been diagnosed. I couldn't see because my eyes got so dry. I was on antibiotic drops and steroid drops and restsasis. I stopped the restasis though because I already have way too many pricey meds to take.

And if someone told me I had this maybe I wouldn't have gone off my damn plaquenil.
 
wow! I can't believe how big the patency pill was. (the barium pill) Apparently its the same size as the camera pill... geez. Now I see why some people need to have it placed via endoscopy.


eating eggs!
 
Carrie, yeah, I only had the pill cam itself and not the patency capsule, but I recall thinking it was kind of huge. My throat was dry and I was nauseous because I was dehydrated from the prep, and I had a moment of, "I can't do this!" But then I thought, "Hey, I HAVE to do this, so just do it!" And somehow I got it down on the first swallow. I'm not sure if it was just dumb luck or if it actually was the power of positive thinking.

Do you remember SunshineSmile? I remember her saying she was able to swallow the pill cam, but then threw it up. Cleaned it off, swallowed it again, puked it up again. That apparently happened a few times before they decided to sedate her and insert it with an endoscope. That sounds so miserable, the poor thing.

Speaking of miserable, I am. My GERD decided to go haywire last night in the gym. Even though I had an empty stomach with only water and Tums in it, somehow I started vurping up chunks of my lunch from hours earlier, it was hideous! I'm still nauseous today and things are definitely not right in the tummy & guts. I feel very blah. One of those days where I should have stayed in bed!
 
Yeah, I didn't think I would be able to swallow it. It was definitely the power of positive thinking. I was thinking of Sunshine when I swallowed that crazy pill!

I'm sorry you're feeling yucky today :( undigested food upchuck always sucks :( and at the gym!
 
Yeah, it did suck. I didn't actually puke in the gym, thank goodness. It refluxed up my throat and it was vomity, but it sort of stayed in the back of my mouth and there wasn't a lot of it. This is gross, but I was able to swallow it back down again with some water. It was just massive reflux that brought some chunky friends along. :p I was at the end of my workout anyway - I was just finishing up stretching and I had already done all the weights, so I went to the changing room and took some Zantac that I had in my purse, then went home and took some Prilosec and Zofran, and sat with my heating pad for the rest of the evening. That at least got things to be tolerable, and no more chunks got vurped up.

So yeah. I've gotten close to puking in the gym on numerous ocassions, but I'm one of those really stubborn people who refuses to puke unless there is literally no other option. I also refuse to quit working out, even though it's not always easy in this flare. I'm quite stubborn in a lot of ways. :p But so far this flare still seems pretty mild - I do wonder if exercise is helping to keep me from flaring worse.

How are you doing today, Carrie? Is it the patency capsule today and the actual pill cam tomorrow? I hope everything goes fine with the patency capsule so that you can do the pill cam. What's the plan after the pill cam - just wait for the results and go from there?
 
I'm ok. I slept for like 5 hours after I got home! I'm sore, but I think it's residual from the endoscopy. It's been long enough by now that the capsule should be somewhere in my small intestines?

My GP doctor's nurse called today about my STD paperwork. I have to call back tomorrow and find out what's up. I'd really like to go into work, I really need to be functional to do it. I'm not sure how we're going to get to that point. Maybe he'll medicate the heck out of me.

I'm ridiculously nauseous, but that's unsurprising. I haven't been able to take the zofran or lomotil for days now.
 
No Zofran for days! You poor thing, I'd be nauseous too. I can usually get by without lomotil these days, but the d hasn't been hideous in this flare. I'm having d maybe twice a day, and not even every day either - in my previous flares, I'd have d like 20+ times a day sometimes. I think my record was about 35 times in 24 hours - I got delirious and lost count somewhere around 30, so 35 is my best guess. If I was still having d like that, I'd be living on lomotil too.

Yeah, 5 hours in, the capsule should be well on its way. If you're prone to d then it'll probably take less than the full 8 hours to make its way completely through. I was told mine "definitely" made it all the way through in the 8 hours that the battery lasted. A radiology tech I know once told me, when she was in school, her professor told her that sometimes the final images on pill cam are of people looking down into the toilet after the capsule has been expelled. :p I am not sure, but since they said mine "definitely" made it all the way through, I'm thinking I was one of those toilet faces. Eek!
 
Hey guys and dolls ;)
Hope you are all well, as well as we can be!!
I STILL haven't seen my GI so still no treatment so if possible symptoms are getting worse and more new ones every couple of days which is just fantastic!! I'm really embarassed to say this but incontinace is a big issue at the min and I've lost all confidence. I don't want to leave the house I don't want to meet people or chat I just want to be on my toilet. Pathetic right??! I don't no how ican go back to work or uni like this. Anyone any tips as I don't want to ring up my granny for advice if you know what I mean. Aka any products that help!??? Potassium level is lower in spite of going on potassium slow release tablets. My doctor was very concerned and has wrote an angry letter to my GI to speed things up as I've Lost more weight my BMI is embarrassingly low and according to a nice passer by I look like a cancer victim- I love when you over hear people talking about you just really helps :,(
I also have hugely swollen feet and can't fit in to any of my shoes does anyone else have this problem? My doctor said it could be lack or nourishment!?
On a positive note it was my birthday and I tried to have a good day as I didn't celebrate it last year as I wasn't really in the mood. However this just dissented back into another depressing mile stone and I kept thinking I thought I would be better by this time last year so yes it was a hard day. Crohns has stollen a lot from me I wish I didn't have this disease and I wish I could be normal and happy.
Rant over

By the way are we supposed to list the meds we are on after out posts?
 
haha Cat, not to be gross or anything, but if I see that pill camera in the toilet I might clean it off and put it in a box! just to mess with people. talk about a horse pill! I'll have to wave at it and throw a thumbs up before i take it from the bowl. They told me that the battery will last 12-14 hours then I just mail everything (minus the pill) back to them. at least I don't have to go back downtown and pay for parking to hand it in.

I'm hoping this patency one passes. I don't want another xray if I can help it.

Gabi, you can list or not list, anything you want :) I don't think I have a signature at all right now. Are you taking anything to help with the incontinence? afaik, all you can really do is try to treat the incontinence with meds to slow things down and depends :( That's how I ended up on medical leave for over a month now. I have to have a similar conversation with my doctor tomorrow. also, happy birthday! *hugs*
 
I use a sitz bath and a calamine based diaper cream. whenever possible I try to swipe some of the cream on right before I explode, then I clean and put some on again after. it's made a huge difference. I still get little cuts from the burning, but it's not as bad if I try to keep everything covered.
 
you don't have to retrieve the pill. I'm hoping to grab mine for two reasons. 1. its a freakin' pill camera! 2. it's actually pretty large. my dad is a plumber so I'm very sensitive to what should and should not go down a toilet drain. it's as big around as a tampon! it's just huge. I can see it getting stuck in pipe sludge. I need to get my toilet pipes snaked as it is.. good thing my dad is coming to visit sometime in the next few? months.
 
oh! I haven't passed the patency capsule yet, but wow my stools were actually brown for a short period of time there. it was amazing. I haven't seen that since June! never fear though, they're starting to go back to bad stool! I'm on my liquid diet for one more hour then I wait until my appointments this afternoon for the xray and the pill. I might take a picture of it before I swallow it.. I must remember to do this. hahaha. maybe I can have Kelly take a video. the nurse will think I'm insane.
 
Paul, no - you do NOT need to return the capsule, so no need to dig through your poo looking for it! Some people do like to keep it as a memento (I did dig through my poo a bit looking for mine, but never found it) and some like to look for it just to be sure that it's passed and won't cause a blockage. They make you wear a belt-contraption thing when the pill cam is moving through you, and the belt has a little computer recording device on it (sorry I don't know the technical terms for this stuff!), and that's what records all the data. The pill cam transmits the data to the belt, and you return the belt to the hospital at the end of the 8 hours or whenever the battery runs out. The hospital takes the data from the belt and downloads it to a computer, then a doctor looks at all the images. That was probably over simplistic as I am not very technically-minded, but that's my understanding of how it all works. Long story short, though, you do not need to retrieve or return the capsule. :)

Gabi - in addition to what Carrie said about creams (Calmoseptine and Tucks are my personal favorite booty creams), I'd also suggest you get some moist flushable wipes. They're easier on the bum and won't rub you raw like regular TP will (you should pat the area dry with regular TP after wiping with the moist wipes though). As for the incontinence, pads or an adult diaper will at least allow you to leave the house. I would let your doc know right away though, as it sounds like this is a new symptom. My GI always wants me to report new symptoms right away, and that's just generally a good idea - your doctors can't help if they don't know what's going on. With the feet, I've heard of fluid retention happening like that with malnourishment. Hopefully when you get on meds and feel better, you'll be able to absorb more nutrients and that should go away. Hang in there hun! Call your GI every day until they get you in - and if things get worse, consider going to A&E - maybe your GP can let them know what's going on and have them give you some IV steroids or something like that. Good luck and keep us posted!

Carrie, did the patency capsule ever pass? Did you get the green light to do the real pill cam? And wow, 12-14 hour battery life?? I wonder if there have been massive improvements in the pill cam battery since I had mine done about 3 years ago (in Sept 2010 I believe). They said my battery would last about 8 hours or so, and if I recall correctly, it lasted 8 hours almost on the dot. I did have to drive back to the hospital to return my belt thingy, but there's free parking at the hospital if you're a patient or a visitor (some people have to pay for parking but I'm not sure who as I don't think the staff has to pay either!) and the hospital isn't terribly far from me, so it wasn't a big deal.

Speaking of the hospital, I don't have to go there for my colonoscopy which is an interesting turn of events. There's a fancy brand-new "Digestive Health Center" in my city where my GI now works out of, and apparently they do all the colonoscopies there now. So I get to go to a brand-new facility for my scope, that's kind of nice. I hope they have nicer hospital gowns than the hospital does! :p Carrie, I know you sew - have you ever made your own hospital gown? I've been looking for a pattern to try to make one, but I haven't found an acceptable pattern yet (I think I could modify a pattern if I found one that's close enough, but I can only find regular bathrobe type patterns). I'd love to have my own hospital gown for things like scopes, I'd make it warm (maybe fleece) and with lots of pockets, and plastic snaps so I could wear it in an MRI machine too if need be. Maybe I'd make matching slippers and pajama pants too? That would be so cozy! :D
 
Whoops, Carrie, we both posted at the same time! :p What color are your "bad" stools? Are they like orange-ish? I always seem to have orange stools when I'm flaring, I think it's a sign of inflammation. I had green stools for a few days this week and I didn't eat anything green, so that was a new one on me! I'm still trying to figure that one out. I literally only ate vaguely orange-colored foods on the day the green stools started, too. I had spaghetti and I had orange juice and some potato chips - nothing green there! Very odd.
 
OMG Cat, a homemade hospital gown! I'd probably still want to wear the regular one depending on what was being done, but maybe a snuggie pattern would work? You could add an additional panel of fabric off of one or both sides with a tie to make the modesty back.

the gown I had yesterday was all snaps so it would be super easy to make. I'm just trying to remember the shape...
 
my bad stools are yellow to orange-ish, yes. and generally fluffy. there has been a ridiculous amount of mucus lately too. Once I've passed the bulk of actual stool, the tail end of each movement and sometime when I go to pee, I get a huge mucus output. nasty!

The only time I get green stool is if I've been drinking grape juice or grape koolaid.

edit: I'm having so much cramping right now! It's ridiculous. I'm always sort of curious about what it is that's cramping. right now it feels like possibly my entire colon as well as something below my belly button. plus I have sharp pains going off everywhere.
 
Oh! I did have a grape popsicle on Sunday. I wonder if that would have caused green stools for like 3 days? I know what you mean about "fluffy" stools, I've had those a lot lately too. I surprisingly haven't had a lot of mucus lately though. From time to time I'll pass only mucus, like a big glob of it and no poo, but that doesn't happen too often. Usually if there's mucus in my stool, there's just a little bit of it.

Yeah, I'm SO about comfort when it comes to stuff like this. I'm already planning my comfort things for when I'm doing prep in 2 weeks' time - I have my electric blanket ready to go (I get the chills when I prep) and scented candles for the bathroom, and I'm loading my ipod with a nice music playlist that will be on a continuous loop playing in the bathroom, I'm checking local grocery stores to make sure I get the best flavors of jello and Gatorade, etc. If I can be as comfortable as possible then I feel like I'll be okay. And I'm one of those people who has to plan everything out with lots of detail, so it makes me feel better too to plan stuff like this. So if I had my own hospital gown, rather than having to rely on the potentially crappy ones that they have at the clinic, that would be so much better both comfort-wise and planning-wise. I'd use brown fleece I think, or maybe black, to cover up any stains that might occur. I could wing it without a pattern, but I've never made anything like this before, so I'd prefer a pattern.
 
Hi peeps!
Are the cramps easing up now Carrie? When do you get your pill cam results?

I am on headache central today lol.. ugh. But like I said before - since I changed how I take my sulfasalazine - my stools have been so much better! My stool colours vary greatly when my bowels are upset.. from bright orange.. yellow... green.. burgundy red.. yucky! I swear I s*** out rainbows hahahahaha!

Cat - when prepping for your scope.. make sure you have a flannel - because when I feel sick or poorly whilst having big D - I soak a flannel in cold water and stroke it on my face to stop feeling sick.. and I stroke it across my lower back and stomach if I start having pain. I find it helps me to soothe it and keeps me calm through all the rubbishness that ensues lol xx
 
a single grape popsicle should only cause one green stool. when I say I was drinking grape koolaid I mean I had 3-6 glasses. :eek:
the prep I used was hard to drink this time, but overall my prep experience wasn't bad. I think it's because I haven't been able to eat much. I did GAIN like 6 pounds when I began the prep. I've lost 4 of those as of this morning which brings me back down to 15? pounds lost. I think I was up to 18 pounds lost before the prep. I'm losing count. I'm trying to keep at least some handle on the loss, because it seems like that's one of the few things that makes a doctor take notice. I had to put so much lemonade koolaid mix into that prep that I'm sure I took in a terribly huge amount of calories. One thing I learned this prep is that lemon italian ice is my favorite clear liquid! next up is lipton iced tea. it stinks that I can't just buy lemon italian ice though. the boxes are all mixed if they include lemon :/

bozzy, the cramps aren't easing up yet, but I just stopped the liquid diet about 15 minutes ago. Maybe they'll calm down over the next couple hours. I'm not sure when I get the pillcam results. My next appointment with the GI isn't until september 9, but we have something called mychart online. As soon as he has the results he will share them with me on there. Some doctors are cagey about results, but he told me right away that he'd put everything into mychart so I could see it.

just got my period! I'm sure that's making the cramps even worse. my digestive system always goes insane when I get period cramps.

I bought a bunch of flannel fabric this past winter when it was on sale. I should make some cutesy sick clothes with it. Especially now that it's getting cold here!
 
That is so good about being able to see the results for yourself! We have to apply for info and pay the admin costs if you want it. But the lady at the hospital is so good at getting it done for you..
Ugh.. sorry about the period involvement.. it always makes my bowels go haywire aswell. X
 
Oh, I just looked on the calendar, and I'm due to get my period on the day of my colonoscopy! Thanks you guys for mentioning it - I'm just going to leave my nuvaring in an extra day to push back my period a bit so that I don't have to deal with it during my scope.

Carrie, speaking of patterns, I see that McCall's patterns are on sale for 70 cents apiece at Joann fabrics this week. They limit you to 10 per customer and there weren't any hospital gown ones. I did get a couple hoodie patterns and one for sweatpants, so I could make myself some sick girl clothes too. It's getting cold here too! The high today is like 73 but I don't think it'll even get that warm. And it was in the 40s last night! Some of the leaves are starting to turn too - fall is coming so quickly! I've been crocheting scarves, I made myself a new cowl scarf (kind of like a hoodie). I'm thinking I must sew something with fleece this weekend - maybe a hoodie or some new pajama pants.

Hah, my stools were green for 2 or 3 days, just got back to normal like last night. I'll just blame the popsicle because I don't know what else would have caused that.

Ooh, italian ice sounds good. I think I need to get something like that for my upcoming prep adventure. At the very least I need popsicles that aren't purple.

Bozzy, when you say a flannel, do you just mean a piece of cloth? At first I was picturing a flannel shirt. :p That is a good idea, take a washcloth and soak it in cool water. I'm going to take some Zofran too if I get nauseous - last time I did prep, they said Zofran was okay to take. And during times like bad flares or prep, I tend to leave plastic shopping bags all around the house - that way if I need to puke, there should be a bag near me wherever I am in the house. If I'm on the toilet, I can puke into the tub (my bathroom is small so I only have to lean forward a bit from the toilet to hit the tub) - but I hate cleaning the tub after puking in it, so bags are more ideal. The things we have to think of! :p The only problem with the bags is, my cat loves to play with plastic bags, and she'll sometimes move them or crawl inside them, and then obviously I can't find them or use them when I need them! This is why I need a robe with pockets, ha ha, to keep stuff like plastic bags in the pockets.
 
Hahaha.. yeah flannel is like a small square of fabric that is same as a towel.. im guessing that is a washcloth for you?

My bathroom is same as yours.. lean forward from the loo and I can hit the bath.. lean to my right and I can hit the sink.. ideal for getting fresh cold water on my flannel.
 
I think we're going to Joann Fabrics today. Kelly needs fabric for a wedding costume I need to make for her. I signed up for whatever the online pattern club is because I needed to get certain patterns for her costume. Of course I will want to buy patterns if they're onsale! eek. I have a nice hoodie pattern upstairs. What I really need is some kind of snuggie with built in foot/leg holes. my feet get cold a lot when I don't feel well. Since my whole body hurts all the time I am constantly crossing and un-crossing my legs, straightening them out to the sides, etc. sure I could wear socks, but sometimes I just want to encase my foot and leg in a little blanket. or both, while having them pointing in opposite directions.

our little trash bucket in the bathroom has a removable plastic bin so if I'm getting sick I dump the trash out of the bin into the bucket. I try to do most of my vomiting in the kitchen sink nowadays. It seems a little easier to handle if I can hold myself somewhat upright. I have a small bathroom though. I could lean over and do it into the tub, but I'd probably paint the bathroom with other stuff if I had to get off the toilet and lean forward to the sink! yikes.
 
Well I'm stuck visiting the mother in laws and need to get home I feel I'm getting worse. Only had fish and noodles, time to get home and get my pjs on, take some pain meds and hope I don't go down hill... Scared again!
 
Paul, you should ring your doctor and let them know about the blood. You haven't had a colonoscopy yet have you?
 
Paul, is the blood bright red or darker/black? If bright red, it's very possible it's coming from something like a hemorrhoid or a fissure, which are not too worrisome. You mentioned biopsies - when was your scope? It's possible that you're bleeding a little bit from the biopsy sites. If it happens again, call your doctor and let them know what's going on.

Carrie, so you basically need a "Forever Lazy"? (Google it - it's ridiculous!) I'm not sure if it's by the same people that invented the snuggie, but it's basically what you described. And I'm not sure if they're all like that, but I saw one for sale at a garage sale once, and it had a butt-flap like old-school long underwear would have, so you don't have to remove it to use the bathroom. :p (I did not purchase it at that garage sale - perhaps I should have!)

Bozzy, yeah, a washcloth is just basically a small towel used to wash your face. I have to turn to the left to hit the bathroom sink, so it sounds like our bathrooms are similar but reversed! My bathroom is super tiny, it's so small that the linen closet is outside the bathroom in the hallway, because whoever built the house apparently couldn't fit it in the bathroom itself!
 
Thats common in england for bathrooms not being big.. we dont have a cupboard either.. we use the airing cupboard on the landing (where the hot water tank is.. we have shelves above it.. where we can put our towels) I have a standard built 3 bedroom detached house that was built in the late 80's.. so the 3rd bedroom is tiny.. again very common. Older houses have much better room sizes.

Paul.. I agee with Carrie - probably best to call the endoscopy unit to be on the safe side :hug:
 
Bozzy, we have a 3-bedroom house too, it was built in 1956 I think? Our 3rd bedroom is tiny as well - although none of the bedrooms are particularly big. Do you only have one bathroom? We just have the one bathroom, but we have a full unfinished basement, so at some point hopefully soon, we're going to add another bathroom in the basement. Once we have the basement bathroom set up, then we can remodel our main bathroom. Our house was last remodeled by the previous owners in 1977, and apparently they really loved pink - my bathroom has a pink toilet, pink sink, pink tub, and pink countertop. Brown tiles on the walls, and on the top part of the walls where there is no tile, it's painted yellow. So, pink, brown, and yellow - it always makes me think of pee, poo, and pepto! :p

Small bathrooms apparently aren't necessarily common here though. My parents' house was built in the early 1960s I think, so right around the same time that my house was built, and they have a pretty big bathroom. And friends of mine who have bought older houses seem to have bathrooms that are bigger than mine, too. Our house was super cheap, ugly but has good bones, so I can't complain too much. For what we paid, we got a great deal. I wasn't sick at the time we bought our house - if I had been, I would have paid a LOT more attention to the bathroom, ha ha.

Carrie, that looks really cozy and fuzzy, although the name is ridiculous. :) I bet you could make one, or if you bought one then surely you could do a stitch through the middle of the foot pocket to make 2 individual foot pockets. It doesn't really look like it has sleeves either, more like arm holes? Now that I'm seeing the concept, I totally think you could make one.
 
Back home, no more blood after going to the toilet again, had my endoscopy on the 1st August and still no result from the biopsy( good old NHS), I have problems with anxiety as well so when I become ill I get extra anxious. Got doctors appointment on Friday so will mention to her then. The initial endoscopy looked normal despite constant discomfort of multiple severity for the last 2 months, I've taken some morphine and diazepam to take the edge off things.
 
Paul, that's good that the bleeding has stopped. Let us know what your doctor says. For what it's worth, I've never been a bleeder until May of this year, so just a few months. When I went to the doctor, she checked my anus/rectum for fissure (small tear/cut in the anus), and for hemorrhoids. I had neither so she had me do stool samples, all of which tested negative for bacterial infection. So my bleeding is still a mystery! But usually, bright red blood is caused by either hemmies or fissure, so hopefully they can confirm one of those and put your mind at rest at least for that symptom. Good luck on Friday!

Carrie, how'd the x-ray go? Did you pass the patency capsule successfully?
 
Thanks Cat I need some support right now. I've been so ill to this degree I sometimes if I was a dog I would be put down- but I value life to hang in there. Thing is, no one seems in a rush to get the diagnosis I need. My anxiety heightens the poorlier I get as I have a huge phobia of hospitals. I only wish I took private health insurance out when I left school, if that was the case I'm sure I would be treated by now. Trying to relax with my hot water bottle right now.
 
Paul, if it makes you feel any better, we don't have anything like the NHS here in the US, it's all private health insurance, and often it still takes forever to get anywhere! When I finally got a rheumatology referral for my arthritis, my GP's nurse lost the referral and after 3 weeks I called to see what was going on because I hadn't heard anything, and then when they figured out the mistake, they had to re-do the referral which took another week or so. Then it took 4 months to actually see the rheumy! He scheduled an MRI which took another few weeks. And now that my MRI has come back normal, my rheumy has basically hit a dead end with me and he told me to follow up with my GP. Seriously, it took like 6 months just for that?? Ugh! Plus, my insurance doesn't cover everything - it looks like I'll have to pay about $500 out of pocket for the MRI. So yeah, I'm in medical debt and I still don't have answers and have to wait for anything to get done. It's definitely not all it's cracked up to be!

It's amazing how many of us seem to have phobias of things like hospitals and needles! Personally I have a massive aversion to vomiting, it is my #1 most hated thing to do, and I will avoid doing it if at all possible. I'd rather be nauseous all day than just vomit, get it over with and feel better. I don't know if I'd call it irony, but it is sad that stuff like this seems to affect those of us who are so sick and are forced to confront their fears/aversions out of necessity. I don't have a phobia of hospitals per se, and when I do go to the hospital I try to make it fun (I play games on my DS, wear my favorite slippers, eat at the surprisingly delicious cafeteria - they have a make your own sundae bar!). But even so, things like "hospital smell" get to me. There was a blood drive at work a few weeks ago, and suddenly my office smelled like a hospital with all the disinfectant and whatever else they use that smells like hospital chemicals. It seriously upset me to the point that I nearly had to leave work for the day! So I get it, I don't have an aversion to the hospital but I definitely don't like it either and hospital-smells need to stay out of my everyday life!
 
Hospitals are difficult for me because I used to be a emergency medic, my PTSD incorporates events which happened in the hospital and ambulance, the sounds of the machine triggers all sorts of flashbacks. I'm glad we have the NHS but the current government are washing it down the pan. My IBS/IBD made it impossible to carry on as a medic. Sometimes having too much knowledge gets me thinking I could have this or that especially when trained in emergency medicine you always assume the worst of scenarios. At least I can type on my phone, a coule of weeks ago I couldn't even pick it up. Hugs to you all
 
Paul - ill be honest with you.. private health is quicker.. but its the same doctors. Because all consultants need to work NHS too. Ive seen both private and NHS doctors.. and my NHS ones have been the nicest so far..even the private urologist I saw - was lovely but he offered to see me on NHS to save money etc..

(Ps. I also work in private health) it is rubbish having to wait.. but we are all here if you have any worries or need to vent. I suffer anxiety.. and go through phases where it is really tough and needed time off work. The more you visit your hospital.. the easier it gets.. the staff know you and you build trust. I used to faint when having needles.. but now I dont even care lol!
Its horrible.. but it will get easier :)
 
Oh no paul.. that must be hard with what you have seen..
I kinda know how you feel with seeing symptoms and thinking the worst. I spend all day talking to people wih health issues.. and before I know it.. im diagnosing myself! Lol.
 
Thanks bozzy, think we're all on the same level here. There's not many ppl I can say what I say on here. Nice to know I can hide behind a screen sometimes. I've came from the local hero to the local zero, but nobody knows why... because I'm ashamed of mental health or rather the stigma associated with it.
 
I did not pass the capsule. I'm back on a liquid diet til midnight, and I will get more X-ray tomorrow.

One of the tires on my car exploded on the highway on the way home. Sitting in the tire store waiting for a new one now.

Need more clear liquids but I'm done. I don't care I just want to go home and cancel today.
 

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Does anyone know what this means?


2. Duodenum, biopsy (B) - Focal gastric foveolar metaplasia.
 
Carrie, I don't know what that means - and when I googled I couldn't make heads or tails of it either. Definitely something to ask your doc about. I'm sorry to hear about your tire! It's so scary when they blow out on the highway, I'm glad you're okay. And that sucks about the patency capsule not passing. I hope it moves out soon - although if it doesn't, that should indicate a stricture or narrowing or inflammation, right? So it'd still be a little something to go on? And of course it's better to have the patency capsule get stuck than the pill cam itself obviously, as the patency capsule will just dissolve eventually. It does sound like a sucky day though and I'm sorry about that. I hope tomorrow is much better!
 
Cat, that's what I am guessing. That if the capsule doesn't pass I must have some kind of narrowing. Nothing like that was visible on the ct scan though. The biopsy finding is a little scary? mostly because of the words. I know what the words generally mean, you know? From what I've found out this can happen whenever you have too much acid bathing the area, and that can occur for many many reasons. One of the reasons can be medications. It seems like when they say medications they usually mean NSAIDs though, and I haven't been able to take those in many years. Hopefully someone will call me tomorrow.
 
Hi ya'll, I got my GI appointment. Yay! I had to call my GP's office a bunch of times and talk with the referal dept. The original was sent to mary bridge, which is a children's hospital >.< but all human error aside I am hopeful to finally get some answers*crosses fingers*
 
Well got through the night, made a complaint this morning regarding delay in biopsy. Might hear something this afternoon.
If nothing comes back on the biopsy what should I be asking for next? I was thinking a camera capsule or MRI or CT scan, any suggestions?
 
Bozzy, you naughty person you! You can't say something like that and then just leave us hanging! I'm dying of anticipation, tell us tell us tell us now!!

Paul, refresh my memory - what tests have you had so far? Colonoscopy, upper endoscopy? Stool samples, bloodwork (specifically vitamin levels and CRP & ESR)? If you haven't had any of those yet, I'd do those next. If the options after that were MRI, CT, or pill cam - I'd go for pill cam or MRE (MRI-enterography - an MRI that specifically looks at the digestive tract). With pill cam, you may or may not have to do prep (it's up to your doctor/hospital, they may just make you fast/liquid diet, or they may make you drink colonoscopy prep). And there's a slight chance (about 1 in 1000 is what I read) that it'll get stuck. Other than prep and that slight risk, pill cam is a great test to have and pretty easy, and it sees a lot. MRE, you'll have to drink some contrast (which doesn't taste as bad as colonoscopy prep) and it can see a fair amount of detail too, and there's no radiation like there would be with CT-enterography. If you have claustrophobia then MRE is probably not the way to go, although I find that MRIs in general are pretty easy tests to have. So, either one would be good to have. I'd stay away from the CT just because of the radiation - each CT scan you have increases your risk of developing cancer, so when possible, have an MRI instead of a CT.

Pantaloons, that's great you finally got an appointment! I hope the GI is good and takes you seriously! Keep us posted, got my fingers crossed for you that all goes really well.

Carrie, how are things today? Did you ever pass that stubborn patency capsule? I hope today is lots better than yesterday at any rate!

As for me, I'm feeling okay today. But I need to make the bleeding happen for my colonoscopy. I usually bleed after a long (10+ miles) bike ride. I haven't ridden my bike in awhile because of the bleeding - but I need to make sure I can still force an episode before my colonoscopy. So on Saturday, I'm going for a nice long bike ride, and I'm hoping to pass blood afterwards. :p That sounds ridiculous but I need to make it happen. This will be a test run, and then the following week I'll do a slightly longer/more intense ride just before I do prep to get the bleeding going again. If I'm actively bleeding during my scope, then my GI should be able to pinpoint the source and the cause. So, that's what I'm up to lately. I'm so glad I can tell you guys things like this - I can't exactly go on facebook and be like, "Gonna go on a bike ride and then poop blood for 2 days!" :p Ha ha.
 
Yay Bozzy! That's great, when do you start?

Edited to add: I know I was late with the drum roll! Sorry, I just saw your post this minute! :p
 
Haha.. I dont have an exact start date yet. I start college in 1st week of sept and waiting for my criminal checks etc to go through.. then I can start work within the hospital :)
 
So you'll be taking classes while you do the internship? That sounds like a busy time, just make sure to take care of yourself too and rest when you can! It's very exciting too though, I know this is something you want to do and I'm happy something finally came through! :D
 
Hi cat, so far I've had bloods (elevated white cells), stool sample (showed cal protectin of 151) an endoscopy which looked normal (according to the stand in surgeon,I had lil faith in him) and awaiting biopsy results. Ho yeah X-ray and a ultrasound which showed enlarged liver ( was a heavy drinker until 8 months ago. So what next?
 
I hink like you said before.. a pill cam would be a good way to go.. I wouldnt be surprised if your GI orders an MRi scan 1st.. especially if your symptoms became worse after your scope - so he may want to do something less invasive first. Hopefully you get your biopsy results soon!
 
My initial flare at the beginning of June was so bad I was too weak to take the moviprep for the endoscopy, they had to wait until I had some strength in order to give the moviprep and do the endo. I've been steadily getting better then go down hill again, feel so tired and pains moving all round my abdo and even in my back near the kidneys which I find strange. I don't seem to be able to dig myself out of this hole. I have 2 young children on summer holidays and feel bad I can't even play with them. I just hope this isn't the start of things to come.
 
Yeah we do have pill cams here :) (capsule endoscopy) they do it at my hospital. I havent had one though.
Mri scans can see detailed images of structures in the body - so it can see inflammation and damage. Ct scans are often used too but they arent as clear.
 
I did not pass the patency capsule :( no pill cam for me. They said the doctor would call me. I don't know what he'll want to do. today is a total fail day for me. at least I ate a hamburger?
 

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