Colonoscopy done - colitis in sigmoid colon

Hello all,

I just had my colonoscopy done and the doc said I have colitis is my sigmoid colon. He took a biopsy but the results aren't ready yet so technically I haven't been diagnosed. Thing is, during the prep for the colonoscopy, I was unable to have a BM even after I drank all the laxatives. It was only after I sat on the toilet and pushed really hard that it finally all came out. It was as if I was blocked up. Since the colonoscopy, I have been unable to have a BM without pushing really hard. It's like I'm blocked up inside and don't have the urge to go. It's weird because when I do go, I'm not constipated. My stool has been very narrow/soft and I've been having 1 BM every 2 days. Not nearly enough for the food I've been eating. I feel bloated, and there is this pressure I feel in my rectum. No pain though, just minor discomfort. I still have an appetite, but am scared to eat because it doesn't come out. I've just been eating fruit, Ensure and prune juice for the past day.

I'm thinking the inflamed part of my sigmoid colon is obstructing my stool to pass through. Has anyone had a similar experience like this? Most of the posts I've been reading cite diarrhea, not what I'm experiencing. I'm freaking out that if this goes on, I'll be blocked up completely and will have to go to the ER. I don't get to see the doctor until next week.

Also, have any of you suspected that your colitis is the effect of something else going on in your body...like something worse? Like could this be happening because I have a tumor in my spine or pancreas? I'm having some serious anxiety lately and am thinking about requesting a CT scan from my doc.

Constipation is actually quite common in UC as the non-inflammed part of the bowel can become sluggish and then the inflammed part is narrow. Also, inflammation around the rectum confused the nerve signals as to if we need to go. Some people with UC use stool softeners.

Why do you think you've become so anxious? Why spine or pancreas in particular?

London Lurker said...
Constipation is actually quite common in UC as the non-inflammed part of the bowel can become sluggish and then the inflammed part is narrow. Also, inflammation around the rectum confused the nerve signals as to if we need to go. Some people with UC use stool softeners.

Why do you think you've become so anxious? Why spine or pancreas in particular?

Well, I've been having lower back pain for the past 2 years, which is about the same time I noticed my bowel movements changing. I started getting nausea last month, which is what made me finally go to the doctor's. I initially was convinced I had colon cancer, but the colonoscopy confirmed there no tumor. My dad died from pancreatic cancer 3 years ago and my grandfather has colon cancer right now. I guess I'm a hypochondriac when it comes to cancer. The back pain is probably because I'm 6'4 and have been sleeping on a cheap mattress for the past couple years.

I'm no doctor, but if you had some sort of blockage, wouldn't your doctor have seen it while performing the colonoscopy?