Does this sound like colitis?

Here is a timeline of what has been happening with me:

March 2009 - Large lumpy formed stools with mucus on outside. Bowel movement every other day.

Mid-End April 2009 - Tailbone/rectal pain develops. Multiple small, hard, pellet stools per day with mucus and small amounts of bright red blood on outside. Went to doctor, suspected constipation. Told me to go on Miralax. This made my bowel movements really thin and long. Got really soft and blood/mucus disappeared (unless it mixed into the paste like stools). Tailbone/rectal pain kept coming/going in 5-7 day bouts.

Mid-End May 2009 - Stopped Miralax. Within a week, stools bulked up, got lumpy/hard again and the mucus with blood streaks appeared again. Doctor said go back on Miralax and maybe down the dosage to half.

June 2009 - Back on Miralax. Stools got really soft/thin again. Had to go 2-3 times per day. Mucus and blood disappeared (at least from view) again. Tailbone/rectal pain came and go as well. Doctor also saw an anal fissure during a rectal exam. Later in June, abdominal pain/bloating/gurgling/gas sounds developed. I thought maybe this was the miralax and stopped. Also because I never felt done going on the Miralax.

July 2009 - Stools bulked backup again. Going one time a day, about two hours after waking up. The most regular I've ever been. However, the stool always starts out hard/lumpy, and then is soft at the end of the movement. Same thing every day. Have visible mucus in every bowel movement, and have had small bits and streaks of bright red blood occasionally. I haven't had the blood in the last four days, which is the longest stretch since March (while not on Miralax). Been having occasional abdominal cramps/bloating feeling that lasts a day or two then goes away.

Also an intermittent symptom during this entire time period: After my bowel movement, sometimes I'll feel an itch down there a few hours later. I go to wipe and there will be a clear or brownish mucus, sometimes pinkish tinged (blood?).

Rectal pain, which felt almost like a burning inside disappeared about a week ago, and only occasionally get a twinge in there now. No tailbone pain since June. During all of this, no appetite loss except when I felt bloated. No weight loss.

Went to see GI yesterday and she thinks it might be a mild form of Ulcerative Colitis or Crohn's. My mom has Crohn's and my grandma had rectal cancer when she was in her 60s. She set me up for a colonoscopy on August 17th to check it out. She also said maybe it's two things like IBS and hemorrhoids, or IBS and that fissure. I expressed my worry about it being colon cancer and she said in her 20 years doing scopes, her youngest colon cancer patient was 33 years old. I know it's rare with people my age (28), but it still makes me concerned. I always thought with UC or Crohn's you'd need to have diarrhea, constipation, etc? Can you be regular every day and still be constipated because the stools start out hard and lumpy? I'm really hoping for the best and I'd actually hope its mild UC now, especially since the other option is the dreaded cancer!!

Thanks!

I was on Cipro in March for 2 weeks and the entire month of April.

Hmmm, colonic inertia can't be it either. I'm going everyday now since May. It was every other day at its worst.

When I went this morning the hard/lumpy part was just the first inch or so, then it was soft, so maybe it's getting better? Also I noted a lot less mucus and no blood again. Hoping for the best.

I was on it first for an ear infection, then these symptoms started and doctor suspected prostate infection cause I also had some burning when urinating. So I got 28 more days of Cipro. I do eat bread and pasta frequently. What do you recommend for a probiotic?

Lack of good intestinal bacteria can cause constipation, mucus, and surface blood on stool?

Bingo! I'm thinking from your health history that the cipro has had a lot, if not all, to do with your sudden onset of symptoms. Antibiotics will change the bowel flora, allowing yeast overgrowth, which leads to symptoms such as gas, bloating, constipation, diarrhea, GERD, rashes, mucous, etc. Yeast/fungus will cause inflammation, so that may be where the blood is coming from, or from your constipation. Better to get checked out just the same.

Yeast lives symbiotically with bacteria in your bowels, but left unchecked (when good bacteria is wiped out, often from antibiotics), yeast is allowed to proliferate. Yeast can also cause prostate problems. (What does yeast do to bread?!) Sounds suspicious to me. Perhaps you could try an antifungal diet, to see if your symptoms don't start improving. May take at least 2 weeks to see improvement, so it is not an overnight experiment.

My UC symptoms started out like what you are describing to me, and eventually got worse as the years went by (8 years). I decided to experiment with an antifungal diet, and as a result am now symptom and prescription drug free. For me, my UC symptoms were fungus related. I got my first inkling of fungus and my problems from the author of the website www.knowthecause.com. An antifungal, phase one diet is under the resource tab at the top of the page, along with other info on fungus and health.....Sorry, no pasta or bread :(

Definitely get yourself on a good probiotic. I use Nature's Way Primadolphilus Reuteri. Perhaps others here can suggest some other good choices, as well.

Today I'm really gassy. Like every 5 minutes!!! Can that be from the yeast in overdrive?

Found this tonight and am totally freaked out now. This is from wrongdiagnosis.com.

With a rectal tumor, the first indication is a change in bowel habits, often beginning with an urgent need to defecate on arising (“morning diarrhea”) or obstipation alternating with diarrhea. Other indications include blood or mucus in stool and a sense of incomplete evacuation.

Late in the disease, pain begins as a feeling of rectal fullness that later becomes a dull and sometimes constant ache confined to the rectum or sacral region.

Let's see, for the last month I've had an urgent need to defecate about 30 mins after getting up. I've had blood and mucus on my stool. I've also felt rectal fullness and have a dull ache/burning sensation that's coming from the rectal area. Great! How reliable is that site? It's the only site that gives that description.

cromartie said...
Found this tonight and am totally freaked out now. This is from wrongdiagnosis.com.

With a rectal tumor, the first indication is a change in bowel habits, often beginning with an urgent need to defecate on arising (“morning diarrhea”) or obstipation alternating with diarrhea. Other indications include blood or mucus in stool and a sense of incomplete evacuation.

Late in the disease, pain begins as a feeling of rectal fullness that later becomes a dull and sometimes constant ache confined to the rectum or sacral region.

Let's see, for the last month I've had an urgent need to defecate about 30 mins after getting up. I've had blood and mucus on my stool. I've also felt rectal fullness and have a dull ache/burning sensation that's coming from the rectal area. Great! How reliable is that site? It's the only site that gives that description.

The problem with these symptoms is that they could describe so many illnesses.  Before I was diagnosed I was convinced I had some kind of cancer.  At different times I thought I had celiac disease, I thought I had IBS, I thought I had x, y, then z.  I think this is why it (usually) takes so long to finally get a diagnosis, they have to test for and rule out so many different things. 

So - don't panic.  Don't ignore it, definitely get it checked out, but don't panic.

is cromartie still here?

I just wanted to ask his contact details, we have the same symptoms, maybe he could share what happened, I saw other forums that he had colonoscopy and all came back normal.

I want to know how he fixed his poop, because I am also having hard lumpy stool (pellets) followed by normal stool. sometimes mixed.