Blood should I go to the ER?

I wouldn't go to the ER for just one episode of blood.

in your case only if you have a detached limb gushing uncontrollable amounts of blood also -

Today is Day 6 of bleeding....still going.

Man I really should not have taken that naproxen.

I agree with soynomore......

My last flare I was bleeding for almost a year.

soynomore said...
don't know if this will reassure you or not, but i've had blood for months - you kinda get used to it after a while, almost like a bad friend - it's there, you wish it wasn't but what if it suddenly was just GONE ?!! that sorta thing worries me -

blood is a concern, but it's usually not as bad as we think - i try to measure my progress by how i'm feeling overall, not letting specific symptoms sway my opinion -

You need some rowasa enemas, i figured I'd mention that before quincy does.

Michelejc said...
I agree with soynomore......

My last flare I was bleeding for almost a year.

soynomore said...
don't know if this will reassure you or not, but i've had blood for months - you kinda get used to it after a while, almost like a bad friend - it's there, you wish it wasn't but what if it suddenly was just GONE ?!! that sorta thing worries me -

blood is a concern, but it's usually not as bad as we think - i try to measure my progress by how i'm feeling overall, not letting specific symptoms sway my opinion -

just keep an on it and keep us posted -

But I'm guessing yours were from your normal Colitis right? Whereas mine is medication induced, this is not normal for me at all. I've never had anywhere close to this much blood before.

iPoop said...

soynomore said...
don't know if this will reassure you or not, but i've had blood for months - you kinda get used to it after a while, almost like a bad friend - it's there, you wish it wasn't but what if it suddenly was just GONE ?!! that sorta thing worries me -

blood is a concern, but it's usually not as bad as we think - i try to measure my progress by how i'm feeling overall, not letting specific symptoms sway my opinion -

You need some rowasa enemas, i figured I'd mention that before quincy does.

quincy said...
Lol....absolytely get on retention enemas. Start with mesalamine.

Blood should actually be the first symptom to disappear as healing, so I disagree with John. Keep in mind that flares start in increments and heal the same regarding degree of inflammation.

It takes time to learn one's own symptoms and what they mean and how to treat them.

q

I have been using the Rowasa enemas and they haven't seemed to help at all since this started.

And again it seems different since this was Naproxen induced and not just part of my normal flare. I had no significant blood prior.

I'm just worried all of this turnover and damage is going to lead to something even worse happening to my colon.

Not worth going. I am on pradaxa a blood thinner and went in with 12 plus bloody bathroom trips a day. Got sent home with iron pills for anemia and a huge bill. Get in with your gi and avoid the er. That is my advice at least.

ya, i'm all agreed that what DB and Ewa are saying is correct - it sounds like you are dealing with a flare symptom, possibly exacerbated by the naproxen - flares can present in the same way every time or be completely different -

quincy said...
Lol....absolytely get on retention enemas. Start with mesalamine.

Blood should actually be the first symptom to disappear as healing, so I disagree with John. Keep in mind that flares start in increments and heal the same regarding degree of inflammation.

It takes time to learn one's own symptoms and what they mean and how to treat them.

q

oh, uh no, my blood bank is running on full right now - no loss from the rearward containment tank - meant to say "in the past" .....

butt tanks foy de consoin !

and i disagree - blood is ALWAYS the last NOTICABLE symptom the leaves the premises for many folks -

Yeah, unfortunately, going to the ER is only good for severe pain, dehydration or anemia, and everything else they defer to your gastroenterologist-specialist.

An Asacol HD pill is delayed-released based on PH to only release its medication once it reaches the large intestine. The coating is thinnest on one edge of Asacol HD, so it's supposed to split down one side, it'll look like a small cut down the side of that pill when examined closely, so essentially, you'd see empty pill husks in your stool. That's normal and means the medication is dispersing as intended. However, if you are seeing whole pills without those slits than the medication isn't being delivered as intended and that is a problem. The occasional one-off pill is fine, but that should not be happening consistently.

Different delayed-release coatings by different manufacturers respond to different PH levels. So, seeing whole pills is a very good reason to try another brand. Typically the pill needs to be at a certain PH for a certain length of time in order to begin dissolving the outer casing. Should your transit time be too fast, or your body's PH slightly off then it isn't going to work as intended.

Lialda tablets disintegrate, and all you should see in your stool is orange flecks or pieces. The occasional one-off pill is fine, but that should not be happening consistently.

The raised liver enzymes is a concern, as anti-inflammatory mesalamine has blood and liver abnormalities as a rare side effect. If it is an adverse reaction to the mesalamine then you might have to discontinue it outright, and use an alternative ulcerative colitis medication with a different active ingredient. I would bring this point up strongly to your gastroenterologist as you don't want to damage your liver if the numbers are significantly out of range. Slightly high but in range is cause for caution and monitoring, but you gotta keep an eye on it.

soynomore said...

quincy said...


and i disagree - blood is ALWAYS the last NOTICABLE symptom the leaves the premises for many folks -

So, basically you are ignoring my point regarding inflammation? Im not playing semantics, I'm stating a fact so prople wont get hung up on that once blood isnt there its not a flare. What we notice is subjective however.

q

iPoop said...
"Has anyone heard of Lialda typically working better or worse for patients compared to Asacol HD?"

Ancedotedly here, some have said one variety of mesalamine works better than another. I've never seen a scientific study comparing the various brands head-to-head and rating effectiveness. As i said before, the chemical formulation of the delayed release coating varies brand to brand, so it makes sense that some medications might release sooner versus later and have different dispersal rates, and that might benefit some patients over others (depending on how far their uc goes). Slight differences not earth shattering. As there's a maximum effectiveness in anti-inflammatory mesalamine. It either works for you or doesn't. Sometimes our uc progresses beyond its maximum effectiveness.

I recall getting no benefit from regular Asacol and then Asacol HD had a very helpful effect initially. So there was that difference, unsure about Lialda though.

I guess I'll try it, though my recent liver enzymes do make me wonder if I should just try 6-MP (not sure if that would be any better or worse on the liver though).