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Do I have to tell my dr.?

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Ulcerative Colitis
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Posted 4/15/2009 12:15 AM (GMT 0)
I was recently diagnosed with UC, although I've had it for a couple years at least. My current gi put me on prednisolone and dipentum (I've had bad reactions to lots of the other meds). I had slowly been getting a bit better, at least no more bleeding and the D was getting better too, although definitely not normal. He started tapering me off the pred. last week and I was hoping for another reduction tomorrow. I was in the office for blood labs today and they're checking for some marker for inflammation before allowing me to reduce the pred further. Anyway, the last two days my D has been getting worse - Ive definitely been to the bathroom at least 10 times today. This evening I saw some blood in the toilet too. I mentioned the D to my dr., and he thought it may be a bad reaction to the dipentum and was considering taking me off it if the inflammation was down.

Anyway, my question is...do i have to tell my dr. about the bleeding? I'm expecting a call tomorrow with the lab results that will hopefully show inflammation is better. I can't stand the pred anymore - I am having such horrible side effects from it I just feel like it's poisoning my body and i really want to be off it. I guess my question is, have you ever had just a small amount of bleeding - maybe a day or two and then it goes away on its own without having to bring in more or higher doses of meds? I know if I tell my dr. tomorrow that I had bleeding he'll want to keep me on the same dose or even increase it - and I can't take any more!

Anyway, thanks for listening. I'm mostly just fed up with dealing with this disease - and I've only been treating it for a couple months!
Posted 4/15/2009 12:19 AM (GMT 0)
You don't have to tell your doctor anything. However, in order for him to treat you as best as he can, you should. You don't, however, have to increase the pred if you can't live with the side effects. There might be another medication you can try.
Posted 4/15/2009 12:20 AM (GMT 0)
Sounds like you are starting to flare up again. Maybe your doctor needs to add another type of medication like Imuran, (Aziaothorpine). That helped keep the bleeding away. You should consult your doctor about what you are noticing.
Posted 4/15/2009 12:23 AM (GMT 0)
You should tell your doctor about the blood. I know you want to be off the Pred, but you can't ignore the signs that the taper isn't working. Perhaps he can slow down the taper eventually. For me, once I see blood, there is more to come. I hate it, hate it, hate it, but I've been able to get things right in the past. It just takes a little more time.
Posted 4/15/2009 12:36 AM (GMT 0)
Definitely be honest with your GI about what's happening. I can totally sympathize with you about the pred. I was on it a few weeks ago and tapered down fast (under my GI's supervision of course) b/c I couldn't deal with the side effects. You say that you are new to UC. Have you tried probiotics, fish oil and other natural remedies? They won't make the blood go away but they could help with inflammation and might help you to feel better.
Posted 4/15/2009 1:30 AM (GMT 0)
Remember that staying on a certain dose of pred (that seems to keep most symptoms at bay) does not guarantee that at some point more symptoms won't re-appear...pred is funny that way, a certain dose for a long time can be great at keeping you feeling good but it won't necessarily last either.

You should share any changes with your doc in the hopes that he will be able to treat you better...it's for your own health.

:)
Posted 4/15/2009 1:43 AM (GMT 0)
Thanks for your responses. Seems that consensus is to tell. I know that's what's logical-it's not like I'm harming anyone other than myself by keeping it secret. I guess I'll see what he says tomorrow and meanwhile will send quick healing and stop bleeding thoughts to my colon.
Posted 4/15/2009 3:14 AM (GMT 0)
Sometimes I convince myself I'm doing better enough to taper my prednisone...but that admittedly doesn't work very well. I end up going up in dose again, sometimes even higher, if I haven't let it work long enough.

That said, I don't worry about a little blood. I bleed a little most of the time and my body makes more and I can still feel good.
Posted 4/15/2009 3:15 AM (GMT 0)
Hello-- if you're in Brooklyn, another member posted last yr about having a terrific gastro there. His name was Erber, I think. / Old Hat (nearly 30 yrs with left-sided UC ... [etc.].)
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