Please help, I need some answers.

Hi - Do you have blood and/or mucus with your D? Did the Dr. say why he was prescribing antibiotics for you?

I second the question - do you see blood when you go to the bathroom? Is there a lot of mucous? Where is the pain located? Did you get the results of your polyp removal and if so, were they benign? I know the most common symptom of diverticulosis is abdominal pain and left side tenderness. I wish I could help you more :( I can however tell you the typical signs of having an IBD - bloody diarrhea, abdominal pain/cramps, urgency, mucous, frequency, and sometimes low grade fevers.

Hello,
To answer the question about blood- there was a lot, it was bright red and looked like I was bleeding to death. Since starting the anti-spasmodic not so much blood. Always muscousy, low grade fever and pain, he mentioned I was toxic?? I was tested for C-Diff and it came back negative. I am still waiting for his findings on the colonoscopy results as well as the biopsy. The nurse said she would call me back today. I am worried because this thing runs in my familyon my mother's side. My great grandmother died from her stomach rupturing, my grandmother had half of her stomach removed, my great aunt died from colon cancer and UC, and my mother suffers through pain and diverticulitis, no polyps yet though. I know stress probably doesn't help but how can I not??

Melissa

Hi Ryoko - the process of elimination and trying this and that to see what works is frustrating to say the least. In March and April my husband was in kind of the same boat you are describing. On Mother's Day I had had it and brought him to the emergency room.

He was in the hospital for 5 1/2 days and within hours he was out of pain for the first time in 2 months or so. He also needed almost 3 units of blood. CT scan, stool testing etc. and pain management and that is when the imuran was started as the asacol by itself just wasn't cutting it at all. 40 mg of prednisone was started with the imuran also. He was on a very slow taper and is now on 7 1/2 mg of prednisone and it looks like this time he might be able to get off it and stay off it for (I hope) a good while as the imuran seems to be what did the trick. Also the retention enemas (colocourt at first now cortifoam) and canasa suppositories.

I wish he didn't need to take so darn many meds but this is what worked for him relatively quick. In about 1 1/2 months after discharged from the hospital he was out and about and back into socializing. Each week we could analyze the progress bit by bit.

His flare was a really bad one - and yours sounds like it too.....I hope your Dr can start you on a regimine soon that will start to make you feel better. The frequency and urgency are tough - when they start to diminish and are less often it makes a big difference.

Try to hang in there and hang out here for advice, information and support. YOu have to advocate for yourself and discuss options with your doctor. My husband's local Dr here is great but I got a ton of info from here that I would jot down or print off and ask her about and even got her to try some different things. My husband is also under the care of the Mayo Clinic now who had some different approaches even though he was on his way to a remission. I think their help brought about a faster improvement as they are more aggressive. Our local Dr will continue his care following the lead from the Mayo Clinic as we need a local Dr as it is a 5 hr drive round trip to the Mayo Clinic.

I hope when your testing comes back and taking some info from here you can get on a better course to start you feeling better soon.