UC Symptons - clean stool sample

Starting about a month ago I started experiencing regular diarhea, blood on toilet paper, occasional blood on stool, increased urgency, frequent mucous only stools and general stomach discomfort. All consistent with UC from what little I know.

I returned a stool sample to my doctor which came back "100% clean" according to the nurse.

Can stool samples diagnose UC? My symptoms have continued. Imodium and avoiding dairy seems to help. Any ideas? I think it's time to see a GI doctor.

You should ask your doctor for his interpretation of your stool sample because the nurse was not specific enough to make sense. Perhaps he was looking for an infection or blood in stool (called "occult" when not visible). To my knowledge only a colonoscopy can diagnose UC although it can be suspected before a c-scope.

It may be he suspects IBS except for your blood on toilet paper making UC a suspect, although that could be a fluke or a hemmie.

MRM661014,

Welcome to the forum.

Sorry about your symptoms.NSSG is right, only a colonoscopy can determine if you have UC and to what extent.

The GI usually informs you of what he's observed, and may take some biopsies, and will take  photos to show you.

The biopsies usually take a week or more to get back. But at the end of the colonoscopy, your doc should be able to tell you what your diagnosis is and what method of treatment he/she has in mind.

Good luck with the colonoscopy. Let us know how it goes.

My doctor was very upbeat when he gave me my diagnosis after my colonoscopy, too, and I realized later it's because he was happy that he hadn't found cancer. So it's all a matter of perspective, I guess.

They tell me that you aren't expected to remember anything after you come out of anesthesia, and I really do only have vague recollections of awakening after full on surgeries, but I certainly remember my conversation with my doctor after my colonoscopy. But your doctor probably expects you to have questions -- so you can call and ask for a call back or schedule a follow up to ask all the questions you have for him.

Everyone's UC is different. Always remember that the majority of people on this board are here because we're experiencing difficulties. The people who have an easy time of it don't come by the UC message boards.

I myself whine a lot about it but I'm fully aware that I have an easier time than many people do. I'm just coming out of a flare that started in mid-October, but I look back and realize that I probably could have taken slightly different steps at the end of November and potentially gone into remission six weeks ago or more. And before this flare, I had been in remission for about 10 months. So it's not necessarily constant. All you really can do is wait and see and be alert for what helps you and what hurts.

Definitely stick around, though. I've learned a LOT here, and I use several supplements that I learned about here. The most important lesson I've learned here, I think, is that treatment of UC is participatory -- this isn't about following your doctor's orders and not doing your own investigation into what diet works for you, what supplements work or don't work, etc. By the way, Lialda got my first flare into remission, but I didn't realize I was supposed to take it on a maintenance basis, so I probably brought on my next flare by not taking it. Don't make my mistake!

I'm sorry you've had to join our ranks but I'm happy you've found this site. The people here are great.