So...it turns out I don't have UC after all

I'm confused, but relieved. I got 'scoped today, and my new doctor said he found NO colitis at all. He found a fungus from the darned Prednisone, acid reflux and hemorrhoids, which I already knew about, and tons of polyps. He thinks my stupid leakage is from the hemorrhoids, so he's putting me on two weeks of hydrocortisone suppositories for that. He said I should start to feel better in a few days. I'm getting 10 days of an oral antifungal and aciphex for the reflux.

I asked him why I've felt all inflamed inside, and I think he said it was from the reflux. (DH was there so he'll remember better than I did.) DH thinks that the Pred made all my symptoms worse, since Pred is apparently contraindicated for reflux. Oh, and I get to taper down to 10mg of Pred for the next 6 days and then I'm done with it!

Anyway, I won't really be happy until the stupid leakage stops, but I've been given the go-ahead to eat whatever the hell I want again! Of course today I'm all sore from the scope prep, but I'm really looking forward to eating pizza and stuff again. But I am planning to eat healthier from now on, just because. :)

The other thing that's outstanding is the biopsy results from the polyps. I'll see my doc again in two weeks and find out if they are pre-cancerous. Yay. Honestly, I tend to grow polyps everywhere - in my uterus, under my skin - so I'm going to try not to worry about that.

The doc does want me to follow up with my gyn because I have a history of endometriosis, and there was some tissue removed from the outside of my colon a few years back. He thinks that might be causing some complications.

I'll keep you guys posted because I won't really believe I'm going to get better until I do. :) Now I ought to go eat some yogurt and get the old system up and running again...

Did you actually get a UC diagnosis in the past? If they saw ulcerations in a previous colonoscopy, then you probably still have UC but could just be in remission from the prednisone. If your original symptoms have not gotten better or changed at all and this is your first scope, then it's more likely that there was no UC involved and your issues are due to other causes. Either way, congrats for not showing any signs of inflammation. I hope for your sake that it truly is not ulcerative colitis.

Hey, that's great news! I guess your name needs to be "NotoUC" or something! haha!

I really wondered if you had UC, based on what your previous doctor was telling you, with that whole "acute UC" and not wanting to start you on Asacol. It sort of sounds like there *might* have been some inflammation present when you had that first scope, but who knows why. A GI bug will cause inflammation, after all.

That's great news!!

<sigh> don't we all Somedude?

Great!

Good point about bugs causing inflammation, fruitgirl!

The doctor seemed pretty positive that I had neither colitis nor Crohn's. He sent me home with a bunch of color pictures of an ulcer-free tract, but like I said, tons of polyps. He had said that the two-stage prep makes it easier to spot polyps, and I guess he was right. My first doc said nothing at all about polyps, argh.

At least this time I seem to be bouncing back from the scoping a lot faster than I did the last one. I've eaten solids today and everything.

OK, "colitis" doesn't mean UC.

No "ulcerations" doesn't mean one doesn't have UC. UC doesn't always have ulcers...so you mention ulcer-free colon...but absolutely no inflammation?

You did have "colitis" if it showed inflammation by the other GI's scope....but you don't have it visibly at this point?

How did the doc see a fungal infection...white spots all over?

If you have tons of polyps, it's probable they're caused from inflammation. But there are some who have pseudo polyp disease in their colon but not UC.

I wonder if when you had endo removed from the outside of your colon if you might have some adhesions as well?  A c-scope wouldn't show it.

I hope you finally get the hemmies under control...

Looking forward to see the results of your biopsies...I hope he took a LOT. 

Before you had your c-scope the first time..did the GI do stool testing?

q

Ahhh, it's like a dream come true, yeh?

Congrats :)

Andrina: You're not kidding. This whole experience has made me a lot more compassionate towards other people.

MaxMilian: My history certainly made IBD sound likely: IBS symptoms, an autoimmune thyroid disease, inflammation issues... that's why the UC diagnosis made sense to me.

Michelejc, hateuc, garylouisville, Conquer UC, Andrina, thanks for the well wishes! I hope it turns out to be true.

Somedude. sherbear46...I'm sorry. I wish you didn't have it either...

Far as I know, techincally the term "polyp" is used in relation to CD and "ulcers" for UC...I hope you don't have either disease too...I just don't want false hope based on docs that are seemingly clueless to what's actually going on. It would be very difficult emotionally/mentally to find be DX with something, have the DX dismissed as being "nothing--in comparisson to an IBD---then to be re-DX again with an IBD again...that would be tough to deal with for me.

Anyone can have polyps, and some UCers can have pseudopolyps caused by the inflammation.

There is apparently a polyp disease where one's colon produces them like crazy.


Please make a huge list, get copies of the results, and if he didn't take biopsies ask him why not. Seems a waste of the prep, especially if you were alredy proven to have inflammation in the colon.

q

So you can't get diagnosed unless you're in the middle of a flare? I thought the biopsies could reveal evidence.