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Ulcerative Colitis
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Posted 4/28/2008 8:57 AM (GMT 0)
I've been having a lot of mucus and gas for a few weeks now. I have gas urgency i.e. a need to get to toilet to pass gas as opposed to stool. My BM are really good. Have about 1 or 2 per day. At best normal, at worst mushy. However I can also have between 2-4 gas and mucus attacks.

My doctor has run blood tests and everything is normal. CRP and Sed Rate even below normal levels, iron levels are excellent, WBC excellent, platelet levels are fine. There is no evidence from the bloods that I am in or am moving towards a flare. Yet I have these gas and mucus attacks that are similar to being in a flare.

I'm wondering is there anything else going on that the bloods are missing. My doctor has referred me back to my GI for some more guesses!

Thanks,

D

 

Posted 4/28/2008 9:13 AM (GMT 0)
Blimey your symptoms are mirroring mine at the minute, i can't gat my head aroung it either! I keep thinking i'm on the verge of a flare, then nothing happens, only lots of gas and mucus. my bm's not very regular at the minute, in fact i'm struggling to go at all, i spoke to my doctor this morning, sh's given me something to help me go now, i feel like i'm on a merry go round, trips to hospital then docs then hospital again. if your doctors do find anything, please keep in touch as i'm at my wits end with this as i'm off to majorca in less than 2 weeks and worried how i will be there as last years holiday was ruined by a major flare! thanks miriam x
Posted 4/28/2008 12:02 PM (GMT 0)
That are my preflare symptoms. I usually start with the gas, then the mucous, then the urgency, blood, D, etc, etc.
Posted 4/28/2008 1:24 PM (GMT 0)
yes, those are my pre-flare symptoms too. How much Asacol do you take a day? You may need to discuss upping your dosage w/GI if you are not at the max dose or possibly take some rectal meds....

Maybe if this is flare you can stop it now???
Posted 4/28/2008 1:27 PM (GMT 0)
My doc is not convinced that this is driven by the immune system. He said after 3 weeks a flare could not be masked by bloods. There would have to be some evidence. He said "there may be something else going on". Brilliant doc, I've been telloing you that for the last 12 months.
Posted 4/28/2008 2:18 PM (GMT 0)
Start your rectal meds anyway. You're starting to flare...and even if there is "something else going on"...you will probably flare anyway.

Weird...My doc never takes blood tests to "tell" me if I'm in a flare or not....listen to your body.

Did your doc take stool samples or at least take a look-see?

quincy

Posted 4/28/2008 2:42 PM (GMT 0)
I remain on oral and rectacl meds. But with all due respect Qunicy we'll let my doctor or GI decide whether or not I'm beginning to flare. As of now there is no evidence of a flare so I'm not rushing around and getting myself upset that a flare is imminent. Also my body doesn't feel like its moving towards an immune related flare. And even if there is something else going there is nothing to suggest that a flare will also be probable.

Rather I'd prefer that my doc and GI worked out why I have a host of digestive symtoms that they've been ignoring for 12 months and now only dawning on them that there could be some other problem "going on" - GERD, lactose intolerance,IBS or whatever.

I feel frustrated by the one track mind of my health practioneers. Everything is symptom driven so any complaint I made over the last 12 months was labelled UC - related and duly tossed to file.
Posted 4/28/2008 3:36 PM (GMT 0)
sorry to hear that Damo, even my GI who I once thought was not really good, has been very good even at addressing other health issues, such as my gall bladder, when I told him he began to take action immediately by setting me up for a sonogram and treating the issue seriously. Can you find a Doc who will listen to you and not make you wait 12 months to decide that there may be something else wrong?

I suggest checking out the GERD board here, I had something affecting me lately and went there and I think I found the answer at least I found that I am not alone and will bring up at my next appt w/GI.

Also, IMO - I wouldn't discount the gas and mucous not being UC related, when that would happen to me I always felt fine just gassy and would get some mucous, you may have other stuff that is not UC and should be dx'd as something else. I am not saying not to listen to your Doc's, I am just saying don't rule it out completely.

I was undiagnosed by several Dr.'s for 7 years about my kidney disease (my GI was the one who finally had me tested correctly). I am very lucky that my kidney disease is MCD and not FSGS otherwise after having it for that long I would probably have very low kidney function at this point and be close to a transplant and/or dialysis. You know your body best, keep searching for your answers!!!
Posted 4/28/2008 4:19 PM (GMT 0)
Yes I'm just worried that there is something else MAJOR going on. I know that having 1 immune condition increases the chances of having another. I've tried the GERD, IBS boards here over the last 12 months and gotten some good tips and good advice but when I go back to my doctor its stone-wall "UC related".I still feel my doctor has not taken these other symptoms seriously. I'm tired of being told "its UC related" when (at least in this case) theres no signs that the body is exhibiting inflammation. Though I think my doctor finally woke up this morning.

Mind you having your doctor say "Wow that's funny" and scratch his head when hes reading your blood tests wldnt make you mega confident!!!!!!
Posted 4/28/2008 4:52 PM (GMT 0)
yeah, that would shake my confidence!!!! My old primary Dr. told me that my UC was from eating Wow potato chips w/olestra in them, I could not possibly have UC even though my mother did....I am so glad I do not have her any more and in my journey w/my cankles over the past 7 years, I had been told that I was basically an idiot by Dr's., one took one look at my shoes (yeah they were a little to fancy and high heeled that day, most days I wear flat comfy shoes) but was like it's your shoes that are causing it and treated me as though I was a dumb blond wasting his time and really made me second guess myself and feel stupid about seeking treatment and hesitate to keep on searching.

You will find it, just hope it doesn't take too much longer and you are able to start adressing it soon!

One more thought, since you got these symptoms was it before or after taking any medications? If it started after starting certain meds (6 mos to a year) I would take a look at the side effects, not just the major side effects but all of them for instance I got kidney disease from sulfasalazine (it says Nephrotic Syndrome or Kidney Disease as a side effect). Now I did not associate my swollen ankles w/kidney disease or know what the heck Nephrotic Syndrome was, but in retrospect (easy now eh!) if I had researched every side effect listed for Sulfasalzine with edema I would have found it. I had just tried to make the sulfa - edema connection, but it's not listed like that.

Anyhow, I am not sure if that is helpful at all, I just hope I can help someone not go through what I did.

I wish there was a database of side effects where you could just type in your symptom and your meds.
Posted 4/28/2008 5:32 PM (GMT 0)
damo123,

Are you taking probiotics? Just another possibility.

When probiotics are really doing their job, they are sometimes known to create gas.

NBT
Posted 4/28/2008 6:00 PM (GMT 0)
Yes I've started on probiotics recently...but the gas is so bad i figured surely it cldnt be from some simple non diary bacteria. Though I will admit the gas is different from the D - type gas...if such a distinction can me made!!!!!!!!!
Posted 4/28/2008 7:46 PM (GMT 0)
damo - sometimes I feel the same way - like something else serious is wrong. Don't ignore your body - on a side note I decieded to try activa thinking more yogurt can't hurt:) I got really sick! I don't know if it is because it is another strain of cultures that isn't in my normal probiotic or what but I gave it 4 or 5 days and then I reliezed what was making me sick and really gassy.
Posted 4/28/2008 7:56 PM (GMT 0)
The thing is I dnt wanna commit to Pred unless theres inflammation there that needs suppressing.

I feel really good and thats why it doesnt feel like a flare.

Its just that food now seems to be giving me tremendous gas and is not being digested properly.

Its like my digestive system isnt working. I'm wondering did my colon walls just never heal (rather than being actively inflammed). Maybe I should be looking at something like L-Glutamine.

This might sound selfish but at least if my inflammation markers were up id know its UC
Posted 4/28/2008 9:08 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Damo,

I have been experiencing the same symptoms as you only without the 1-2 bowel movements daily (instead, I'm struggling with no BM for 3-4 days followed by one day of whatever mush wants to force itself out). These symptoms are unusual to my case and have certainly boggled me over the last several weeks.

Any way, I just wanted to say that you made a comment regarding L-Glutamine and I thought it was funny because I just returned from the health food store and purchased a bottle for myself thinking the same thing as you did above. I think it's worth a shot.
Posted 4/28/2008 9:59 PM (GMT 0)
Great minds think alike! I'm going to hold out with my symptoms for another 2 weeks until I visit my GI. Perhaps you might tell me how you got on with L-G over those 2 weeks if you get a chance.

Thanks,

D
Posted 4/29/2008 12:21 AM (GMT 0)
I do not have UC. So I do not know if this counts or not, but I had alot of gas and mucus about 11 years ago. I had a Gall Bladder issues. Once they took it out pretty much the gas went away. My doc told me it was just acid reflux, so for 2 years I lived with passing stones about once a month. Have they checked out your gall bladder?
Posted 4/29/2008 1:02 AM (GMT 0)
did the doc at least take a look?

do you have any other pain? Does it correlate to a certain time of the day?

q
Posted 4/29/2008 12:23 PM (GMT 0)
Hi damo- I have the same symptoms as you- lots of gas, passing only mucous, anywhere from 3-6 well-formed, pretty solid bm's a day. I am feeling good! no blood at all, haven't seen any since a few months ago. I think this is the end of a flare, rather than the beginning- reason being, I'm told inflammation of the rectum is the hardest to control. I've also heard that oddly enough, gas is a symptom of rectal inflammation. Over the past few months my UC symtpoms have improved- bleeding has stopped, stools is formed, no diarrhea, sleeping longer at night, etc. I am still bothered by the urgency, & when I go, it's usually just a bit of mucous. So contrary to popular opinion, for me, this is the tail end of a flare. Look at your symptoms over the course of the past few months- have they improved? I had a colonoscopy done about 2 months ago which showed about 10" of inflammation. So I know there is still some UC action going on, but compared to past flares, it's not much & it's quite manageable. Unless your symptoms get worse, look on the bright side- you could be healing & the stubborn gas & mucous are the last to go.

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