I need some advice feel very alone and very scared and nobody seems to believe me.

Hi my name is Mandy. about 9 years ago i had the shock of my life when i noticed i had blood in my poo. I woke up in the middle of the night with terrible terrible stomach pains. I thought i had a bad case of food poisoning as this is what it felt like, sat on the loo could not go thought i had constipation.

After getting up and down to go to the loo i finally went, normal stools soon turned into Diarrhea, and i noticed there was traces of blood in my stool, went back to try and sleep and i was woken by stomach cramps, as i sat down on the loo, I thought it was watery diarrhea then got the shock of my life when it was just blood mixed in with mucous.

I made an appointment with the doctor and told her my symptoms, she did not seem to be bothered, Examined my rectum, and told me she could see piles.... she got me to have bloods and stool sample done, both came back showing they were normal.... so i just carried on as it only went on for one day then it subsided, and i thought that was the end of it i was wrong, about a year later it came back.... Exactly the same occurrence as before came exactly the same way.

I went back to the doctor she sent me to see a consultant. He did a test, but i cant remember what it was called, I know i feel really stupid.... he blew air up me and examined me with something, now i thought this was a sigmiodoscopy, I had no enema just the procedure i explained, he said that he saw a few internal piles with this procedure.

Now over the years, this has come back on and off sometimes i will be free of the symptoms for years at a time, I think i have this problem now round about 6 maybe 7 times, coming exactly the same way, The last attack was in june, I noticed i had an icecream on this day, and i do not usually eat these as i have been on a diet for a few years and cut sugar and fat out my diet, but i did notice that when i had a pizza this also brought on bad stomach cramps, but the last time i had the ice cream that night was the night the stomach cramps and bleeding came on.

I have been booked in for flexi sigmoidoscopy next friday, but a friend of mine has told me if i have it done it may perforate the bowel, I suffer bad anxiety, worry and stress and now i cant sleep, I cant tell my husband as i may worry him, I have 5 children too.

I really do not know what these symptoms are, I have been trawling the internet, but nothing fits what i have just having the problem for one day, then the cramps go and then so does the blood... I cant go on like this i just need some advice... I may add that when i get this only blood comes out and i could do this maybe 20 times a day or more... Last time i think that it was the worst episode yet, as it looked like there was more blood than usual and a bit darker.

Bright red when i wipe, and darkish red when i catch it in toilet tissue. Has anybody any advice for me please????

The chances of damaging your colon during a procedure is very, very small. Perhaps you can ask your doctor for a pill to relax your anxiety before the exam. Tell him/her how anxious you are.

It is important for you to have this procedure because you have blood appearing. Yes the D and bloating can be from lactose/milk products but that shouldn't cause bleeding. You could have hemorrhoids or inflammation and the flex sig will determine which. Have you had a blood test to see if you have an infection? That's important to know.

You should share your worries with your husband, you need support, unless his reaction will make you feel worse.

Get a copy of your report and come back to ask questions. Printed is best because it's hard to understand everything a doctor says and we muddle things or misunderstand. Printed word=accuracy.

The chances of a bowel perforation are extremely small. Your "friend" did a great disservice to you by bringing that up. Oh, by the way, you could get hit by a truck today. Does that mean you will? Chances are more than likely that you will not. You are taking more of a chance by not getting the testing you need so you can get whatever treatment you need. As others have suggested, cut out dairy completely for a few days and see what happens.

I agree it could just be the lactose. And you betcha it can cause that kind of cramping etc. Then the going a lot is aggravating the hemmies which can bleed ALOT.

Mandy,

Have it checked out. Blood and mucus can be a symptom of UC. I know the feeling of having the period back there. It feels pressured and strained.

Please have the flex sig done. As others already said, your Doc will most likely not perforate your colon. I had two rectoscopies done and three full colonoscopies. All of them went well.

I hope it's just lactose intolerance and a hemmie but you're best off having it checked.

You had 5 children what can happen to you?

Hugs

Another thing i am also worried about is the enema they have given me to take before i have my sigmiodoscopy is a micro enema... On it it said DO NOT USE IF YOU HAVE IBD... now if this is what they're checking me for also, will this not make me bleed or cause a problem... I might have this so should i take it?????

Call the doctor's office and enquire about another enema to use...or call the pharmacy.

q

I wonder why the nurse would give me something like this. If she knows i have been bleeding then she must have known that i could have this if i was having a sidmoidoscopy

Southerngirl. Thank you for replying, but i have phoned today and cancelled the sigmoidoscopy. I spent the majority of the day being really sick and worrying, I have not been able to spend anytime with my children since booking the appointment, because that has been the only thing on my mind.... I have just been sitting on the sofa staring into space.

I know people will probably say, that i deserve what i get and they're probably right, but the worrying about it all is now giving me a stomachache, and its making me feel worse, I probably would have gone to the appointment and run away, and somebody else could have had my appointment, so i wanted to do the decent thing and let someone else have it.

I have an appointment with my doctor next Wednesday, and i am going to tell her how i am feeling and see if there is any other test that they can offer me, I know the chances are not good, but at the moment i am really not in the right frame of mind for this test. X

The only thing that will accurately diagnose whether or not you have UC is a scope of some sort, whether it be a sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy. If you have a colonoscopy, you'll be sedated, so maybe you should explain your anxiety to your doctor and see if he'll schedule that instead. A colonoscopy will require a bowel prep, and while it's not fun, it's no worse than having a GI bug that causes diarrhea.

Are you being treated for your anxiety?

When i went to the doctor last time. They told me i had already had one rigid sigmoidoscopy, I can remember having some sort of procedure done, but could not remember the name of it and that is when they told me that all they saw was internal piles and nothing else. This was in 2006.

My mother was sedated once for a tooth extraction, and she said she would never have it done again, she said it made her very sick.

I have an appointment to see my doctor Wednesday, Hopefully to speak to her and tell her how i am feeling about all of this. I have been fine for the last two years and the bleeding and cramps came back and that was it.... anxiety, stress, and worry.... In between i do not have diarrhea, or cramps at all hardly... then it just comes on and bang.

I really cant see myself having this test, I wish i could but i cant........I love my family, but i just cant stop worrying about this.

You really should get some type of scope done. I was fully sedated for my colonoscopy when I first got diagnosed in August and then fully sedated for an endoscopy to see how the healing was progressing. I am always scared too when being sedated, but the reward for finding out the necessary information from it greatly outweighs the very tiny risk of any issues. I really hope you will change your mind for you and your family. Good luck.