Which is a worse sign, blood or mucous?

I also want to know the answer to this - I have only seen the faintest tinge of blood in the year that I have had UC symptoms, but mucous is copious, even when all other symptoms are practically non-existent.

Before I was diagnosed I used to have copious amounts of mucous. Now rarely get it. Blood is far more serious, especially if it's that really dark colour and weird smell (once you've smelt it you never forget).

Hi Burnaby girl

Get yourself to a Dr or to A&E. Blood is never a good sign, especially if it's every day AND being on warfarin GO TO THE HOSPITAL.

Flareups make everyone predisposed to getting DVTs (I got 3 in left calf, 1 in left thigh, and 1 PE in right lung in November). 1 DVT remaining in left leg as of May 2008. Due to the flareups prior, my meds were changed from Salofalk to Colazide 9 x 750mg daily and prednisone. I weaned off the pred and had to wean off the colazide to the maintenance dose of 4 x 750mg a day which did in Jan 2008.

Unfortunately the 4 a day wasn't strong enough so started flaring again and passed blood after 2 weeks. The Dr at the A&E gave me pred to slow the flare which did help but gave me rip roaring pains straight across the gut and increased my INR to 4.8.

Then I started bleeding a week later. After 9 bleeds in a day, and it getting thicker and spraying/clotting and that awful smell, went to the A&E. WHen you tell them you're bleeding and on warfarin, they take you in under 15 mins. My bleeding went for 36 hours and I lost consciousness at one point and then confined to bed for 5 days. THey only stopped the bleeding after 7 litres of blood and 1 litre of plasma (body only holds about 3.75 litres) and were ready to put me into the high danger unit and prep up a team of surgeons.

When they were able to do a colonoscopy, I was only having what they term a mild flare!!! So, if you're on warfarin and bleeding, please go to A&E. Better to be safe than sorry. 

Ab pain is also the nature of the beast.

:)

Hi Taylor and Burnabygirl
A flare up is going heaps of times to the toilet. Oh lucky us. THe only *Good* thing about having this thing is that people comment on how lovely my skin looks, so clear............ Well, their skin would be clear too if everything they ate went through them. ;)

Prior to being correctly diagnosed, I went to an Iridiologist who said that I had 'silken eyes'. Was wondering if that was a pick up line but it meant that I never get colds or flus or if do, they're over and done with in about 2 days. THis is extremely true. It's because our immune system is too fast and that's why it's gone into overdrive and attacks the bowel as it no longer recognises it as 'self'. He also said that I had a leaky gut and that I don't digest my food properly. That would explain why AFTER I eat that my stomach at times makes very loud gurgling noises.

Burnabygirl, I would get my blood count checked if I was you. When I bleed it's full on and in Feb, they don't know how much blood I had lost prior to the blood transfusion as they couldn't get any out of my veins (they were even checking my toes). That particular weekend, 5pm Sat they took blood and it was 128, 7am, it was 61 and I didn't get transfusion started until 10am and the nurses had had to change the bedsheets twice.

A 17 year old girl in the hospital bed next to me had been going 20 times a day and bleeding each time for a couple of months. THe GIs told her that it wasn't necessarily how many times you go to the toilet but the amount of blood that is coming out. I would suggest you ask for a colonoscopy to be done.

Also, did they give you a list of foods, herbs and liquids to be careful of whilst on warfarin?? You have to keep your VIt K count between 250 and 500 micrograms a day as too much can thin your blood even more and affect your INR levels.

I know medical care is expensive in the USA. Thank God here in Australia we have Medicare and the PBS (Pharmacuetical Benefits Scheme) where the Government provides free hospital care and subsidised prescriptions. I have a team of different specialists and my visits to the hospital is covered under Medicare. Drug wise, I only pay like $30 for a script to be filled rather than the full price which can be over $200. I can only sympathise with you re medical costs. Being sick is bad enough but medical expenses on top..... my vitamin bill is expensive enough.
Take care
B

I've experienced NHS when in England many many moons ago and found it to be good (although misdiagnosed!!). The same with the service here. I know Australia is having a medical crisis re the number of hospital beds and people waiting for elective surgery but I have no complaints what so ever. I've probably gone to practically every public hospital here in Sth East Queensland (mostly unwillingly) and cannot fault the care shown.

If you earn over a certain amount per annum and don't have private health cover, you get hit at tax time but as one friend pointed out, it's cheaper for her to pay it than to take out private cover. The private health companies here just look at the bottom line and their profits and if you take cover out after the age of 30, you get an excess charge on top each year, on top of the increasing charges.

7 pounds (sorry don't have the symbol on the keyboard) works out to be over $20 AUD. THe $30 is standard, whether the Dr writes out a month supply or 4 months supply. Great when they give you a script for 4 months supply and 3 repeats!!! Not trying to start a debate here but it's a pity USA doesn't follow suit. It would be awful to not go to hospital when desparately need to because you can't afford it.

I can't agree more LondonRed! I have great insurance but there are so MANY here that can't afford prescriptions or even to take their children to doctors for much needed vaccinations. We do have many agencies though that take care of the underpriveledged but it's a shame that our country doesn't do more ya know?

As for the original question, by far bleeding is much more serious then mucous. Like Pb said, our colons produce mucous naturally anyway and it can wax and wane even in a healthy person just by the foods that we eat. But bleeding can be much more serious because it can lower the blood count causing anemia. Anemia if left untreated can lead to a whole new slew of health problems.

Hi Sara
I agree, everyone is different. I was told by the GI that my immune system no longer was seeing my bowels as self as somewhere along the line my sleeping T cells were woken. I find that being on the immunosuppressants, I have to be careful not to catch a cold, whereas before being officially diagnosed and not on any meds, I never got sick.

I was in Hong Kong in 2006 for 6 days and the pollution that comes over from Northern China is absolutely disgusting. You can't see the other side of the road for the 'fog' at times. Anyway, I had a metallic taste in my mouth on day 2 and by the 3rd day was starting to get really sick and feverish (you have to be careful re your temp as they have infrared at the hotels and airport and will take you off to the hospital if the infrared picks up your body temp is over a certain limit as they are very paranoid since SARS). Anyway, I purposely stopped my meds for my body to start fighting the illness rather than me and within 24 hours I just had a cough left. WHen got back home I started up the meds as whatever the pollution was doing to me, was completely gone.

Cheers

Hey burnabygirl!
I have to have more blood tests in November specifically for the GI (I think I should get a permanent tap in my veins from all the testing I keep having done) and they are testing my iron storage count as since the blood transfusions, my circulating iron count has been between anaemic and borderline. FIngers crossed my storage count is good as the GI said she will do an iron transfusion if it's not and I've been told that takes a full working day to have done. blah...

I've been to BC, loved it but not that keen on the cold. Where I'm now living is cold enough for me in winter but warmer than your side of the world :)