Flaring

Are you waiting to complete j-pouch surgery? What do you have now? A loop ileo? An end ileo? It's possible the bleeding is perfectly normal. Did you see valli's post about rectum bleeding post jpouch step 1? It's a few posts down on page 1.

hi CharlotteR

I had my surgery for a temp ileostomy over a year ago in July 2017. For a couple months now I've had bleeding from the rectum. It seems like every nurse/doctor I tell always says it's normal to have a little bit of mucus and blood (couple teaspoons), don't forget that the rectum is still diseased. I know from reading your post that I've had the same experience as you for a while now (lots of fresh blood, once or twice a day).

My advice is don't let it be a problem for too long. I hated the suppositories and enemas so much and they didn't work very well, I just ignored it.. which is the worst thing you can do. I lost so much blood I needed a transfusion roughly 1 month ago. My hemoglobin was around 70, normal count is around 140-180.

Once you get so used to it.. you also get used to feeling tired, not having so much energy, dry lips, pale skin, etc ..

I just got prescribed a cortifoam enema and I'll say it's a lot more comfortable than my previous medications. Once the suppositories don't work as well, you may be switched to a different type of medicine. Let your doctor know as much of the gruesome details that are necessary. Transparency is key! I am also taking iron and vitamin C supplements. They work well together and can help the healing process.

I recently saw a surgeon and talks of surgery were discussed. Keeping that little bit of rectum is unhealthy and can lead to colon cancer. I'm leaning more towards keeping my stoma permanent, that's a choice that you will ultimately make. More people lean towards j pouch surgery. There is a great community here that can answer all your questions.

Take care!