It’s looking like UC

9 days out from a colonoscopy to try to confirm ulcerative colitis…

A little background, had symptoms in 2016 and had a colonoscopy done for them to say it was “microcolitis”, could be an isolated thing and to call them back if it happened again.

Flash forward to a few weeks ago and I’m having GI bleeding, diarrhea, urgency and some mild cramping. Calprotectin came back pretty high and fecal globin test was positive, negative for bacterial infection. Doctor said my first colonoscopy more than likely wasn’t microcolitis and was trending towards UC. Doctor put me on Budesonide, which I’ve been on for 9 days now and mesalamine suppositories for 4 days now. A couple days ago I thought I was seeing some improvement but that doesn’t seem to be the case. Is it too soon to know if the medication is going to work and I just need to give it more time? Obviously I need to wait and see what the colonoscopy shows but wanted to hear some other peoples experience with these medications.

Post Edited (Sja13) : 11/21/2022 8:19:23 AM (GMT-8)

Thank you. They do have a patient portal and I have put a message in with an update for them to see Monday morning, so hopefully my GI will have some insight.

Do you have a copy of the pathology results? Is your doctor a GI?

Welcome to the forum.
q

So this is your is from the 2016 scope, correct? I would think you will get the report of the biopsies back any day now, keep checking your patient portal. Also, let us know when you hear back from your dr, I am thinking you were going to contact him.

Take care.

Ok, I misunderstood what you wrote, you said 9 days out from colonoscopy waiting to confirm UC.

When this started in 2016 what medications did the dr put you on? Did you just have the initial problem & none after that?

Sorry for asking so many questions, just curious about what has happened from 2016 until now.

Basically, your GP is remiss in treatment and for not sending you to a GI immediately, because microscopic colitis is never a one-off. Plus...it states favouring UC.

Is there anywhere on your report that states location extent and where the biopsies were taken from?

Looking forward to hearing about this c-scope and the results. I suggest you strongly request to be sent to a GI.

q

Sja13 said...
The budesonide is 3 mg pills and I am taking 3 of them at night. I am dealing with a GI who is the one who ordered the colonoscopy this time around. I have the pathology results from the first colonoscopy in 2016, it states:

Fragments of colonic mucosa with focal moderate increase of eosinophils and plasma cells in lamina propria. No cryptitis, crypt abscesses, ulceration or granulomas are identified.

Chronic colitis with mild activity. The fragments of tissue show mild architectural distortion. Mild and focal cryptitis seen. No dysplasia seen. Findings are consistent with inflammatory bowel disease, favor ulcerative colitis. Clinical correlation is recommended.

Are these two results for the left and right sides of the colon? Is the first part the right side and the second part the left side?

OK, maybe the actual report gives a little more detail about the location each biopsy was taken, whereas the info provided to you in the patient portal is missing that. The two results must be from different areas because they contradict each other (one saying no cryptitis, the other saying cryptitis seen). My guess is the first is more right side colon and the second is more left side colon or sigmoid colon or rectum. That would fit with the patterns often seen in UC.

Keep taking the meds given until your upcoming scope. Hopefully they'll start to help soon. Your upcoming scope should tell you alot more and then you can decide on a proper treatment plan.

I believe the fecal globin just tests to see if there is blood in your stool. I guess I shouldn’t say I’ve never had any symptoms because I’ve definitely had diarrhea, cramping, gas, urgency at some point over the last 6 years but no GI bleeding that would cause me to think it was anything more than my diet or a virus or something. I think he gave me meds because of the similarities from the last time and budesonide was what they gave me then. But it’s been 11 days and I’m not seeing any improvement in terms of bleeding or BMs. They also weren’t able to get me a colonoscopy until March at that office so I am having to go over an hour away to get it done sooner. I’m probably having somewhere around 7-8 BMs a day with 3 of them being in the morning. As far as why they didn’t give me certain medications it could be because I am breastfeeding? I was given the Budesonide first and then when I wasn’t seeing relief he said from the consistency of my BM it sounds like my bleeding is coming from lower down and that a suppository could help. Since then the consistency has changed from just soft to diarrhea and I feel like the bleeding has increased.

Thanks for your advice! I spoke with my GI and he prescribed me 3.6 g of oral mesalamine and wants me to continue taking the budesonide for the time being. He said I can stop the mesalamine suppositories. Colonoscopy is on Wednesday so answers to come.

Good luck! Hope you find some relief soon.

Just got done my colonoscopy, these graham crackers have never tasted so good. Doctor said it looks like our suspicions of UC were correct. So now I wait for the report to be sent to my GI and we discuss a plan on how to proceed. Hard to tell if the mesalamine and budesonide have been working or not. I feel like there has been a slight decrease in the bleeding but diarrhea still remained up until my colonoscopy prep. Will keep you posted when I get the official results.

Sorry for all the posts…pathology results came back…

A. Large Intestine, Right/Ascending Colon, bx:
CHRONIC ACTIVE COLITIS.
NO DYSPLASIA OR GRANULOMAS.

B. Large Intestine, Transverse Colon, bx:
CHRONIC ACTIVE COLITIS.
NO DYSPLASIA OR GRANULOMAS.

C. Large Intestine, Left/Descending Colon, bx:
CHRONIC ACTIVE COLITIS.
NO DYSPLASIA OR GRANULOMAS.

D. Large Intestine, Sigmoid Colon, bx:
CHRONIC ACTIVE COLITIS.
NO DYSPLASIA OR GRANULOMAS.

E. Rectum, bx:
CHRONIC ACTIVE COLITIS.
NO DYSPLASIA OR GRANULOMAS.

F. Rectum, bx:
CHRONIC ACTIVE COLITIS.
NO DYSPLASIA OR GRANULOMAS.