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Proctitis -- mild without ulcers?

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Ulcerative Colitis
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Posted 7/9/2015 7:38 PM (GMT 0)
Hello! I am very new here. I just signed in today. I had a colonoscopy done yesterday which showed very mild inflammation in a small spot in the lower colon. I went for the procedure b/c I was experiencing a small amount of blood when I went to the bathroom, it seemed that it was from a fissure or hemorrhoids. This was going on for about 6 months and would get better from time to time but not totally go away.

My Dr says there were no ulcers anywhere and the rest of the colon looked good. He has to wait for biopsy results but thinks it may be a form of IBD, which can be dangerous if left untreated. He said I will need to be on these Canasa suppositories possible indefinitely. I am 37 and don't really have any other major symptoms other than the occasional runs if I am stressed or eat too much "crap". My fiancé and I bought a place last Fall so b/w the move and eating crap, etc my stomach was upset on and off for a month or so but go better quickly and then I began seeing the bits of blood. I do have some GERD which is usually controlled with medication and diet/life style etc.

So, I am just wondering if there are side effects from these suppositories, I've read that it can be possible to have some nasty ones but am hoping the likelihood is reduced versus oral meds b/c its topical?

Does all of this sound plausible? How likely is it that this will become worse down the line, if it is just slight inflammation and no ulcers? Does that still qualify as IBD?

Thank you! (I will also be looking for a new Dr. b/c he has not been very helpful in explaining any of this or compassionate in any way).
Posted 7/9/2015 7:56 PM (GMT 0)
Sounds exactly like how my UC began but i was in my 20s. I had a teeny tiny spot of inflammation in my rectum. It was biopsied and came back as procitits. After that I used Canasa and I was symptom free for quite some time. Canasa is great if it works for you, no side effects that I am aware of. They are really easy to use and can improve symptoms. I would give it a try but be patient because you really need the biopsy results. If it's "colitis", that's not IBD, that would likely be some kind of pathogen that could be treated with antibiotics. If it's UC or UP, these are IBD and they are chronic. They told me the chances of it getting wrose was 10% or some ridiculously low number. I am sure that is the case for many but mine did progress to a very bad place. Please don't let these stories scare you. The stats are much more accurate, people on messageboards tend to be people who have trouble controlling their UC.

Please check out our resources and ask any questions you have!!
Posted 7/9/2015 8:14 PM (GMT 0)
Thank you for answering!! I will check out the resources. Can it be UC or UP with no ulcers? Will the biopsy show if there's an ulcer that he did not pick up on in the scope?
Posted 7/9/2015 8:17 PM (GMT 0)
My UC started off as anal fissures and were passively diagnosed as such by my MD for several years. In hindsight this was the beginning if IBD. It wasn't until I started losing the ability to eat certain foods, was having painful urgent diarrhea 10 times day, and eventually a full on flare that the UC got diagnosed with colonoscopy and biopsy.

The medications however didn't work for me, but you should still try them, especially the rectal ones.

The thing I notice about fissures and rectal inflammation is that you have to be super diligent. Always apply the medicine before and after a bowel movement to reduce tearing. It takes a long time but if the fissures and inflammation heal you can hold off bigger problems down the road.

My fissures healed when my UC inflammation went away. Hoping it stays that way, knock on wood!
Posted 7/9/2015 10:38 PM (GMT 0)
Yes! I hope it stays that way too… I am knocking on wood now! I will try the canasa things. Doesn't seem too bad. And then once the results are in I will talk to a new Dr about a plan, to see what to do… I don't have any of the symptoms that I see people describing here, so I don't know if I should expect it to progress, or if it will stay this way. I also wonder how the inflammation causes bleeding if there are no ulcers there? Is it just raw and irritated so it bleeds a little bit?
Posted 7/10/2015 12:22 AM (GMT 0)

newness said...
Can it be UC or UP with no ulcers? Will the biopsy show if there's an ulcer that he did not pick up on in the scope?

Yes, it can be UC or UP without visible ulcers. Diagnosis is based on a visual inspection via colonoscopy, biopsies, and negative results of stool tests for pathogens (such as cdiff). A biopsy identifies several things, how deep is the inflammation in the tissue (UC is shallow inflammation, Crohn's is deep). Is the vascular pattern (blood vessels) irregular which signifies chronic inflammation. Is it frailable (fragile).
Posted 7/10/2015 12:28 AM (GMT 0)

newness said...
I don't have any of the symptoms that I see people describing here, so I don't know if I should expect it to progress, or if it will stay this way. I also wonder how the inflammation causes bleeding if there are no ulcers there? Is it just raw and irritated so it bleeds a little bit?

90 percent odds your UP or UC will not spread, based on the initial extent of your disease at time of diagnosis. To keep it that way, take your medications daily whether you're feeling good or bad, as medication noncompliance can cause it to spread.

Yes, raw and inflamed tissue can bleed, it's just more slowly than you'd see from an ulcer. Stool often can be abrasive, more so with high fiber diets. Run that against raw, inflamed tissue and blood seeps out.
Posted 7/10/2015 12:35 AM (GMT 0)
Thank you ipoop! This is very very helpful information… Makes sense re the high fiber diet and things pushing against it. I had much improvement when I thought it was hemorrhoids and had things moving more smoothly. Is it possible for this to heal eventually, as the esophagus does with acid reflux? It almost seems similar to me to that… I take meds for that but somehow it does not seem such a big deal to me, I guess b/c I am so used to them…. thanks again.
Posted 7/10/2015 12:49 AM (GMT 0)

newness said...
Is it possible for this to heal eventually, as the esophagus does with acid reflux?

If you have UP or UC then you're talking about a chronic, life-long autoimmune disorder. So, your immune system is attacking your rectum, causing inflammation and bleeding. Your immune systems attack is continuous, so healing cannot occur. Canasa suppositories are anti-inflammatory medications, which treat a symptom of UP or UC, which is inflammation.
Posted 7/10/2015 12:53 AM (GMT 0)
Yes, thank you. Ok. I guess I have to wait for the biopsy results to know for sure…I don't know if waiting the two weeks until they come is a good idea or to start now, asap… I am guessing sooner is better.
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