Worry or no? Mucus.

[Mehita]

Yesterday DS started having what he calls "wet farts". He passes what feels like moist gas and runs urgently to the bathroom because he feels something is going to come out. In reality very little to nothing does. After bedtime I heard him run to the bathroom twice.

This morning I checked his BM and it was formed, tho looked dry and cracked (?), and there was a big quarter sized glob of mucus and some stringy mucus. It was mostly clear to a very light white depending where you looked.

He says he feels fine. No stomach aches, no pain, no nausea. The only other thing I've noticed is he looks tan, like he's been out in the sun. He does play tennis outside, so he very well could be tan, but quite honestly, my gut is telling me it's Remicade related. If it is simply a tan from being outside, then I think the Remi is making him super sun sensitive.

No changes to his diet. I push healthy, but he's a teen so lots of junk sneaks in as well.

Thoughts?

 

[DanceMom]

Has he had a cold? My youngest always has mucus BMs and sometimes diarrhea when she has a cold. She truly is a snot factory, lol.

 

[Mehita]

No, no cold. Feels great.

He's a fart factory *LOL*.

 

[Tesscorm]

I've never heard of anything like the tan with remicade?? Have heard about some sensitivity and a connection to skin cancer but not with darker or quicker tanning? S is still pale as ever (had even questioned his paleness :lol but, he may not have been outside as much as your boy.

I would just pay attention to the mucus (and any other crohns-type symptoms) and see if it just goes away... it could have been some junk food that just caused things to unsettle a bit??

 

[crohnsinct]

Mucus gets an eye watching here. Even non IBDers get mucus from time to time but if it keeps up, increases or other symptoms start appearing I would call.

My daughter is also getting very tan from track and the weather has been positively crappy here. I am shocked at how much color she has gotten given the weather and the fact that they are outside at 3 p.m., well after the strong rays. The up side...lots of vitamin D exposure. Remicade could make you burn more easily but not tan faster. Make sure he gets into the habit of wearing sunscreen (there goes the vit d exposure) because while it isn't a problem now in a few weeks it could be..and when you get him in the habit let me know how you did it!

How many weeks away is his next infusion? I wouldn't be to surprised if you end up tightening up that schedule. I don't know a lot of kids on the full 8 weeks. But if symptoms appear do not panic...it isn't necessarily a full on flare...it could simply be the Remicade running out to soon and you have to adjust the dosage or interval. Many go through that for months figuring out the perfect combo.

 

[Tesscorm]

It's been easier to keep S on track with sunscreen by using those spray on (not the pumps that you still have to rub in) sunscreens. I imagine it ends up costing more because half the sunscreen is sprayed away but... if it means he'll do it... But, just one warning... I tried using the spray sunscreen a few years ago and developed a rash the exact shape of the spray (ie rash almost looked like a " V "s at the angle of spray). I've never tried to use them again nor any other brands... and I've never heard of it happening to anyone else so, just a heads up.

 

[Mehita]

He's at week 4 in the Remi cycle. Last infusion was April 4th and he had completely normal labs then (CBC, Hep panel and CRP).

I need to stop Googling. We'll just keep watching. He is aware now too, so hopefully he'll keep me updated. How much is too much mucus?

I should mention re: the tan, DS is half Mexican, so even before Remicade he has always tanned up fairly quickly in the summer, even slathered with lotion. Our weather has been pretty crappy with very little sun the last few weeks so I can only assume it was the one sunny day when he had a match that brought this on. Looking at him you'd think summer was half over already. It doesn't look bad or anything, just a little odd since most Minnesotans are still pale as ghosts right now.

 

[crohnsinct]

Italian here and bad mommy that I am never really had to push the sunscreen because she never burned. She is often mistaken for a person of color. But stupid Remicade and Mtx and psoriasis changed that!

It is so cold here that O runs with a long sleeve shirt and long pants so it is just her face that is getting tan...just switched to short sleeve shirt and she looks positively hilarious! Brown face on this pale body!

 

[Tesscorm]

Uggh, I'm the same... daughter is olive-skinned so I tend to forget to encourage the sunscreen with her as much as I do with S! She started working outside on Monday and, even though it's been rainy, cold and cloudy almost all week, she's already getting a tan on her face as well. I'm also olive-skinned and it takes nothing for me to tan in a day as soon as the sun comes out.

 

[Clash]

Mucus draws attention here but just a heightened awareness. C is one that will start with mucus when things are going awry but his bms will be softer looking too. The bms literally start going down the Bristol scale one number at a time. Hopefully, it is just a fluke!

C was good about the sunscreen most of the time but there was a learning curve. He is so pale right now, we have had some sunny days but he's been indoors so much.

 

[Jmrogers4]

I would just watch as well. Jack is getting what amounts to a tan for us on the back of his neck (baseball) as pretty much everything else is covered up. I'm a little jealous of all you easy tanners. My mother is 1/2 Native American and 1/2 Irish. My older brother got all the Native American with the black hair, eyes and lovely copper skin. I got the red hair, pale skin with freckles that burns in about 5 minutes outside (I wear sunscreen all year around).
Because I burn so easily I've always been quite the fanatic about sunscreen and carry it in my car, purse, etc so am forever handing it to the boys to slather on.

 

[Tesscorm]

I worked with a guy (now retired), who I absolutely and totally adored!!, and he was half Native Indian and half Irish too! And, funny, he was like you - light skinned, light eyes, etc. He had great stories about growing up with the differences in culture in his family! Not sure how it works for you, Jacqui, but he (and his kids) get all kinds of perks being part Native - certain taxes waived, free university, quarterly cheques from the Indian-run casinos, etc.! :thumright:

 

[Jmrogers4]

Yes, growing up I was always known in the family as the pale indian but red is a sacred color in the Choctaw (Chata) Nation and my Indian grandparents were thrilled when I was born with a head full of bright red hair. I was at a Pow-Wow with my grandparents one time when I was about 5 and sunburned as all get out and they were all laughing and calling me the true redskin
No casino money I think we have to live in Oklahoma to get that. There are some educational perks and greatly reduced tuition if you go to college in Oklahoma so we will be looking into that for both boys. The boys also get money from the nation for good grades in school, not a lot but $50 bucks a year.
(Sorry to hijack your thread Mehita).

 

[Maya142]

So we have mucus here too. Not sure what's going on with all of our kids!
I don't want to scare anyone but we were told by researcher (who specializes in AS) that there is an increased risk of non-melanoma skin cancers with Anti-TNFs. So we tend to load up on the sunscreen!

 

[Tesscorm]

Something I've wondered about... an old acquaintance was once diagnosed with skin cancer, she was very fair skinned, freckles, etc. so probably naturally at higher risk. After her successful treatment, she then went to a derma each year to have her body/skin checked as a preventative measure. I've never heard of anyone else doing this but, you know how it goes... once burned, twice shy!

I've never asked S's GI nor GP about this because it does seem to be a bit over the top even to me BUT... then again, the higher risk because of remicade is real and not just me being neurotic!

(Sorry too about the hijack! :blush

 

[Clash]

C gets checked by a derm once a year since he at the time was on remicade and MTX. The rheumatologist said she would continue even if the remicade was dropped since MTX and Sun is a bit of a nono. She expects C to be vigilant with sunscreen and explained the implications to him at the first appt.

Of course, due to this forum, we already were tending to sun exposure and the derm visits. Go crohnsforum!

 

[Jmrogers4]

Hmmm. Good question Tess. I know I'm supposed to go once a year being over 40 fair skinned and all but I don't. Usually just anything odd I would have checked out. Probably one of those things where couldn't hurt and may even help. Although I don't know how Jack would feel about me bringing him to one more doctor especially for an area that is not even on his radar.

 

[Maya142]

M sees a dermatologist yearly since she has two moles that showed up after being on anti-TNFs for a couple years. They were on her scalp so not sure if they were there all along and we just missed them but since her rheumatologist noticed them she has to go. My older daughter, who has also been on Anti-TNFs and mtx for years, was not told to go.
We just take extra care with sunscreen and hats in the summer and I try not to drive myself crazy worrying lol.

 

[Maya142]

I should also say that our dermatologist said not to worry too much. She said the risk is much greater for those with psoriasis who do phototherapy (or light therapy or something, not sure) but the results of studies have been mixed regarding the cancer risk for patients with either IBD or rheumatic diseases.

 

[Mehita]

No worries on hijacking. I'm sure people in Oklahoma sometimes poop mucus too.

Is there such a thing as a pediatric dermatologist? While I think it's a good idea in theory, like Jacqui said, it's another doctor. And are they just going to say stay out of the sun and wear sunscreen? Clash and Maya, what happens at a an appt?

I think this is one of those things that (GI) doctors don't mention because it's not their specialty. KWIM? Frustrating.

 

[Tesscorm]

Yeah, the extra doctor appointment was another issue. Wasn't sure how easily I'd be able to convince S that he needed to see another doctor???

 

[Clash]

At the time C needed to see a derm for acne anyway so two birds one stone. C is not very fair skinned and tans easily, he does have some freckles.

The derm checked him from head to toe and pointed out a couple of moles, she said they weren't threatening but for C to take note if there are ever changes. The second time she went by the guide of the first check and stated no new moles. She did say since C wasn't so fair skinned and didn't seem to burn easily she wasn't as concerned but that he should apply sun screen and always take note of new blotches moles or freckles that seem odd.

Since it is only once a year it isn't so bad. Also, it is one of those things that prompted C to use sunscreen because she made him aware. Better than just Mom saying so, lol!

 

[Tesscorm]

:lol: Guess I have another question for our GI apptmt! :facepalm:

 

[xmdmom]

Is the tan only on the sun exposed areas?

 

[Clash]

I can't remember but I think since C was going because of acne and MLP had posted a paper about remi or mtx or both that we just took it upon ourselves. I scheduled the appts a couple days before school started so kinda like a end of summer ritual...clothes shopping, school supplies, computer check ups, derm and sports physical, that way it has seemed like just something in the pre-start of school routine.

Not sure how it will play out once he is at college but I do have his older sis on a similar routine at the start of fall semester...six month teeth clean, gyno annual, computer check up, etc.

 

[Maya142]

So our dermatologist does the same stuff - checks M head to toe, measures her moles. We really only go because she had two new moles (and one is quite big, on her scalp) and we want to make sure they don't change.

The one thing I liked was the derm told M that she had to wear sunscreen all the time, even in the winter and said NO tanning (I feel like that's less of a worry for Moms with teenage boys).

Like Clash said, it helps when someone other than Mom tells them to put on sunscreen!
That's about it really. Very quick and uneventful.

Mehita - we see an adult derm since M was 16 when we started, but pediatric dermatologists definitely exist.

 

[crohnsinct]

O sees a pediatric derm but mostly because of the psoriasis and her GI's desire to have her seen at his hospital. The derm did one over all body check but that was looking for the psoriasis. Since then we go every 6 months and no body checks. No mention of watch this or that or anything. Not even a sunscreen warning. I did however get a nice little brochure that explains people with psoriasis are at an increased risk of cancer regardless of meds and then the added warnings with anti tnf and also with mtx. So I guess O has a hat trick going on but still no body checks. Luckily (or unlucky) she is a swimmer so I get to see a lot of her body often but so does the sun

Also half Native American here (other half Italian...you should see my temper) ...no perks...my mother would have had to register us with the government and my grandmother had a wicked conspiracy theory going on with regard to the government and them watching the natives. My youngest has to do a report on the country her family immigrated from. I told her to tell her teacher she gets a pass on this one because she was here first!

 

[Farmwife]

Wow, Grace sees a derm but never mentioned about sunscreen or did a full body check.:ymad:
I'll be calling on Monday!

 

[my little penguin]

Ds used to see a pediatric deem but switched to an adult one who used to do nothing but peds since the doc had lots of experience with Crohn's patients.
Doc even knew about crohn's meds and EEN.
Need to go back for a skin check - maybe in the summer...

 

[Mehita]

Is the tan only on the sun exposed areas?

Yes, just his nose and cheeks. He does wear shorts and a t-shirt for his uniform, but it's still been so cold and wet here that those parts mostly stay covered. Ever since starting Remi he's just had weird skin things on his face. First it was super dry and flaky. Lotion took care of that. Then it was rosy cheeks for awhile. Now it's this "tanned" look.

 

[my little penguin]

Does it look it this ?
http://www.m.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/ss/slideshow-lupus-overview

There is such a thing as drug induced lupus
With a butterfly rash across nose and cheeks

 

[Mehita]

Does it look it this ?
http://www.m.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/ss/slideshow-lupus-overview

There is such a thing as drug induced lupus
With a butterfly rash across nose and cheeks

No, it doesn't. I had looked that up a long time ago when he first started Remi and even had his GI take a look.

He won't let me take a picture. It's just like a light, sun kissed, tan.

It's been a couple days now and no more mucus. Hopefully just a one off. What can cause mucus like that? Food?

 

[my little penguin]

normal folks can get mucus too- just the gut healing itself- our gi is never concerned - just watchful..

 

[Mehita]

I made DS stand still for 10 seconds (harder than it sounds!), so we could check for rashes and other skin things. I'm convinced it's "just" a tan - face, ears, back of neck - but I'm concerned at how quickly it happened. It's like he's hyper sensitive to the sun now. He agreed to wear a baseball hat while at tennis and we had a long chat about sunscreen, though I can tell that one is going to be tougher. My plan is to show up at the match today and offer sunscreen to all the boys. I know his fair, freckled skin friend will take me up on it for sure and I'm hoping others will too. Going for group behavior modification here! :rof: