Newly Diagnosed and Pregnant - question about Rowasa

A week really isn't that long of a time for the med to completely work so give it some more time. It's good that you are improving though. Sometimes it can take weeks before the symptoms completely disappear. Congrats by the way and welcome to Healingwell! Oh and with Rowasa, you will get a wide variety of color the day after, including white.

Welcome to the forum! Congratulation on your pregnancy! It took about 3 weeks for the bleeding and most symptoms to disappear. Hang in there and keep doing them.
Missey

Hi..welcome!

One week won't heal your lower colon. You should, actually, be on an oral 5ASA med such as asacol to make sure that above the sigmoid is taken care of regarding any inflammation.

Did you have a full colonoscopy or just a sigmoidoscopy for diagnosis?

It's great you're having improvement.

What exactly were the directions from the doc regarding the enemas once you feel better? You should be on them nightly for at least 3 weeks (or more if necessary), then taper to every second night for a few weeks. Eventually twice a week for maintenance is the best.

Where exactly is your UC limited to?

Congratulations.

Hang tough...don't rush the treatment.

q

@quincy -- I only had a sigmoidoscopy because I am pregnant and they didn't want to sedate me for a colonoscopy. I have to get one after the baby.

I do like the theory of treating from both ends! My doc wanted to start me on enemas at first because I am pregnant and wants to see how I do with that. He did mention tapering to every other night or every night.

My diagnosis sheet says "inflammation was found from the rectum to the splenic flexure secondary to left-sided colitis. This was biopsied. The inflammatory changes is chronic in nature and hemorrhagic. The scope was advanced to the splenic flexure and I do believe the mucosa was involved beyond the area reached by the scope. The rectal mucosa was less involved"

I am not sure what he means by "secondary to left-sided colitis".

Thanks for your advice and help!

@missey - thanks again!! I will be patient :)

Hi...you must ask your doctor if your inflammation goes to the splenic flexure...the enemas won't help, and I'd be very concerned your UC could make its way to the cecum.

Please call for a low dosage of Asacol...6 would be a good number to help treat above the sigmoid.

Good you're getting a c-scope after the baby's born.

You could consider probiotics as well.

I'm soooo impressed, however, that the doc did give you rectal meds....there are way too many who don't.

Seems you're doing much better which is a plus.
Keep us posted.
quincy

q

I was wondering about taking the oral meds too because if the area of inflammation is beyond the scope then how can the meds i am on now reach it?

BUT - I have been feeling better - last night I had a normal formed BM - I couldn't believe it! From a little bid of blood one day to totally normal the next is crazy! All of this is crazy. What is funny to me is how excited I got after that BM :)

My appt with my GI doctor is on Sept. 22 and I will ask him what he thinks about taking an oral med too. I do know that he is well respected in the Cleveland area and my ob says that he is a very good doctor. So I will trust that he knows what he is doing - seems to be working so far. I'm not sure if I should try and change things up right now since they seem to be working...

He said UC and I definitely plan on going to the appointment with a list of questions to ask and I do want to see all my test reports too. I have been researching things too and it says UC starts in the rectum, but his report said that was not as bad as further up. I don't know. I wish my appointment was sooner!! 12 more days.

Do you know what is meant by "inflammation was found .... secondary to left sided colitis"?

Thanks so much for answering all these questions. Not only is this my first pregnancy and I don't know what to expect, but I never heard of UC and don't know what to expect with that either! I'm just trying to stay calm and take one day at a time for now. I don't want to have this but I'm sure no one on here does. I was so healthy and ate so good and exercised I just can't believe this happened! I'm hoping that when I am no longer pregnant I will go back to normal, but from what I have read, that does not happen :(

Hi...depends on what your doc considers left-sided. If his definition means only to the sigmoid, and that being hemorrhagic, but above that to the splenic flexure is inflamed, but not as bad..could be one meaning.

secondary to usually means stemming from or over and above or relating to, or not as bad as the initial source...etc.

The rectum is usually the worst inflammation and I'm wondering more CD than UC or microscopic colitis than UC, but the description of what the doc has written seems wonky and difficult to understand. Was this a copy of his original report?

But again, you are pregnant....some women seem to have a lessening of symptoms, maybe that has an effect somehow.

I'm definitely curious as what the result of the biopsies are.

q

quincy - the pathology report is as follows:

FINAL MICROSCOPIC DIAGNOSIS
A. Colon, Left Biopsy:
- CHRONIC ACTIVE COLITIS. See comment.
- No dysplasia or malignancy identified

B. Rectum, Biopsy:
- CHRONIC ACTIVE PROCTITIS. See comment.
- THer ei sno evidence of dysplasia or malignancy.

Comment: The overall findings are most consistent with active ulcerative colitis. Biopsies from the left colon and rectum show moderately active acute colitis with cryptitis, crypt abscesses, and diffuse lymphoplasmacytic infiltrate. Features of chronicity are present in biopsies from the left colon and rectum including crupt architectual distortion and basal plasmacytosis. The chronic features are better developed in the proximal colon. No granulomas are identified. Drug/toxic effect and chronic infection should be excluded clinically. This case was reviewed in intradepartmental consensus conference. "

THe IBD-7 said Crohn's - but doc says the pathology is the gold standard

yeah - my IBD 7 results said crohn's. I actually got in to see my dr on Friday. He said that he goes with pathology more than IBD-7. He said when I am not preg anymore we will go to oral meds too.

ASCA IgA <12.0
ASCA IgG 13.4
Anti-OmpC <3.1
Anti-CBir1 39.3

IBD Specific pANCA
AutoAntiBody 23.5
IFA Perinuclear Not Detected
DNAse Sensitivitiy Not Detected

due in january. i meet with him again in 5 weeks. I will ask him again when i go because it definitely makes sense to me.

Hi bosco, welcome to HW and congrats on your pregnancy! I have been through 2 pregnancies w/UC. You'll be just fine! If the Rx meds don't seem to be working fast or well enough, you can always take a short course of pred., not a popular med, but it works. It's perfectly safe for use during pregnancy. I had to take it with baby#2. It kicked me in to remission and I was great for the rest of the pregnancy (no other Rx meds). I would also recommend taking fish oil for inflammation and probiotics to get your flora balanced. I also took these while pg, but of course check with your OB.