I'm probably either flaring mildly or have a GI infection...

Giardia and parasites are negative. So it's a flare.

Thanks, clo. Too funny about your barn cats. Lol. Pumpkin sometimes the same...carries live rodents into the house and then drops them. I just say thanks, Pumpkin... ha. She's trying to help provide for us. Interesting about the Germ x and yeast infections. I read your most recent rooster and tarantula tale and laughed.

Sara14 said...
I have missed a lot of medicine doses and got bad sleep for months so that could also be why. Or just luck of the draw. I'm getting scoped in September and worried that will make me flare or make it get worse if I already am flaring.

Did you miss xeljanz doses? If so, that could be why you are flaring, but not badly flaring. With luck you can back in remission again.

Now I'm even more confused. My colo-rectal surgeon said what she could see of my rectum was not inflamed. She said she can only see an inch or 2 of it (I forget exactly, but it was about an inch), but normally that would be inflamed if I were flaring. Then she mentioned possibly Crohn's and that has my head spinning about what the heck is actually going on with my body now. I had 3 BMs this morning that were painful, but nothing since. No blood, formed stools but narrow and mushy. I wrote my GI again to see what he suggests. I have a scope scheduled but not until mid-September.

Even without using rectal meds? I haven't been using enemas. I guess I have heard that before as well about treatment but forgot and the surgeon apparently didn't know that and had me all freaked out. Thank you! Every biopsy I've ever had said UC and I've had UC since 2007.

Ok, thank you very much for that info.! I really appreciate it. That would make sense. I've had some symptoms for 3 or 4 weeks now but they were never real bad.

Thank you, clo. No food diary. I don't have food triggers. It's not an infection, unfortunately...all those came back negative.

Hope you feel better. I guess we were/are both in the what is it stage. Glad you got an answer and hopefully increasing your dose will make everything go back into remission

Just an update: I haven't gotten any worse, which is good. My symptoms are still odd--some days I don't go at all, some days I'll have diarrhea once or twice with another BM that is formed. Another day this week I had 1 BM that was totally normal. Last night I only passed mucous once, but the rest of the day and so far today, I feel fine. I've been on the higher Xeljanz dose since Monday (I think?).

I have a scope scheduled for Sept. 16. I'm having my local colo-rectal surgeon do it at the same time as she does surgery to remove an anal condyloma. Last time I had that surgery, in 2015, I flared afterwards, so I'm scared about that but I should have it done because there is a very small chance of that developing into cancer. I don't currently have a local GI. I've been doctoring with an IBD specialist virtually from University of Chicago for the past year, and he's a 4-hour drive from me. At my appointment with my colo-rectal surgeon, she made a few comments that had me a little confused and wondering if she does many scopes for people with IBD. I told her i had started having some GI symptoms, and she said we "may have to push your scope back if you get worse/are flaring." She sounded concerned about a risk for perforation, but assuming I am flaring, my symptoms are very mild at the moment, and it's pretty normal for GIs to scope us even if we're quite ill, so her comment left me confused. But I don't really have any other options at the time. I should probably try to find another local GI sometime soon, but I've tried out several from my area already whom I did not have good experiences with, so that's why I went with the Chicago GI and he's been great so far. It just sucks as far as scopes and if I were to get really sick, it would be nice to easily be able to see someone local.

Sounds like you need the surgery...and she will probably have no issues with doing the c-scope since you don't seem to be in severe flare. Please use the enemas till then anyway...an expected suggestion.

Hang tough...how is the mouse situation now?

q

Good plan about the kitty litter. I take it the pest guy comes and rebaits the traps? Frustrating when there's a conflict in service. Hope it's not a conti uing issue.
Definitely do the enemas...😁

q

My GI said to stay on the higher Xeljanz for 2 more weeks since I'm not 100% yet. I've improved though and symptoms are very, very mild. I asked him if I should try to do enemas but he just said stick with the Xeljanz. I wonder if he wants to not add 2 things at once to see what is working and also my symptoms are so mild.

Thank you.