Pregnant UCer - mucus in stool

Hello,
I've had UC for ten years now. I'm now thirty and pregnant for the first time (yay!). So far it's been going well, but now I am experiencing excess mucus in my stool which has, in the past, SOMEtimes been a sign of a beginning flare.

I saw my GI doc about this two weeks ago to talk about this, and after the checkup he said that everything looked alright - not perfect, but alright - and it didn't look as irritated as a flare usually does. Still, he gave me a round of prednisone just in case a flare was coming.

Since I respond to prednisone pretty well, I was expecting the mucus to go away after the pred round. So I'm concerned that it's still there. Recently I've been having one or two bm's a day that are NOTHING but mucus! It occurred to me that maybe I'm constipated, and the mucus is a sign of constipation? If I am constipated though, I don't FEEL constipated - no pain or bloating. However, I admit that I usually tend towards really loose stools twice a day, and now I'm only passing stools every other day... which would be normal for most of the population, but maybe MY version of constipation is not like other people's?

So, if I am constipated, that's somewhat normal for pregnancy, so maybe my current mucus problem is just a side-effect of being pregnant? I am REALLY afraid of having a flare while pregnant so I am hoping that someone will have a similar experience to mine, and say that it all turned out OK!!

I have found some other info on this in other threads, but it's hard to find a discussion about mucus, UC, AND pregnancy, so I thought I'd start this post.

If anyone can offer any insight or advice I would be indebted to you!!

I've never taken rectal mesalamine. My doc didn't recommend changing my medications and didn't seem worried ... but he doesn't have to live with it so of course I worry! I'm basically just wondering if any other UCers experienced odd changes in BM habits, including perhaps mucus, during their pregnancies, and if it turned out OK or not. I've read that people WITHOUT digestive conditions experience odd changes like this during their pregnancies (constipation, mucus etc), but I'm worried that mine might be more serious since I have UC. So I'm hoping that others with UC have some insight on this...

Post Edited (OneDayAtATime99) : 12/27/2012 7:45:16 PM (GMT-7)

OneDay, what are your current maintenance meds?

Pluot, just Asacol. Also I take enzymes and probiotics. Sherbear46 and Hekela, if this keeps up for another couple days I'll make an appt with my GI to ask for some rectals meds, thank you. I like my doc except he hates it when I try to "self-medicate" and suggest meds on my own ... I'm not one to be pushed around so I'll ask for them anyway, but dealing with docs sure can be a pain sometimes.

I went through spells of constipation, mucus and very minor flares in my first pregnancy. My GI could not have dealt with it more differently than yours! She wanted to avoid pred if at all possible because it passes through the placenta and carries risks (particularly in the first 12 weeks).

She was obsessional about avoiding constipation because she said it can aggravate our delicate colons. So I took Movicol (a pretty strong laxative) when needed. I managed to keep things under control with oral and rectal mesalamine (I find rectal mesalamine really does help, even though I continue to have pan-colitis).

I don't understand why your GI was reluctant to give you rectal mesalamine. If you tolerate Asacol/Lialda/Pentasa then you should be fine with it. Like others, I would urge you to go back and ask for it again.

One other tip - heart burn a big problem for many later on in pregnancy. Remember not to take it around the same time as mesalamine because it will cause early release of the drug. I switched to Lialda once a day (in the morning) so that I could take heartburn medication at night.

I would def. do the rectal mesalamine before pred. Just my opinion, but I hate Dr's who don't like when you research and bring up your ideas....it's your body and you should be able to partner up with them. I had a Dr. like that and I dumped him...he is not the all knowing---okay off of my soapbox. If you like him than, it is up to you. Annyywwaayy, the rectal mesalamine I understand is very safe to use and is usually very effective. I would think way safer than even pred during pregnancy.

I didn't get this fab disease until after baby so I can't comment on that part. I think if you can get the Rx for the Rowasa and than get used to doing it (takes a little practice and a little bit to get over the fact that you are putting med in your butt..lol) I think you will hopefully see good results especially if you are just starting to flare. You may find a med that you like and it can be your new "go to" instead of the pred which comes with it's own set of risks, not to mention loses it's effectiveness over time.

Let us know how it goes...and Congrats on the pregnancy, it is a very exciting time!
B

I just had my first baby on 12/20! I've had UC for nearly 20 years and picked up a little Crohn's in the past 5 years. I have been in remission for a few years now and decided that it was a good time to have a baby. I had a flare free and darn near perfect pregnancy when it came to my UC/Crohn's without a single flare. I even got constipated twice; and that has never happened to me.

Right after baby was born, I couldn't stop going to the bathroom. It was all liquid with little bits in it. I know, TMI! It's been like that for the past 9 days. I can't say for sure if I'm having a flare or it's just all the drama flushing itself from my body...epidural, pitocin, IV's, 4 days in hospital, c-section, blah blah blah. Anyway, I honestly can't tell you what your mucus issue is, but I know it's possible to have an awesome and flare free pregnancy. Is it possible that your mucous problem is related to pregnancy, as in you make so much more mucous when you're pregnant that it gets ingested and comes out that way? I know that I had a stuffy nose for darn near 9 months with tons of back of the throat drainage always dancing its way into my digestive system. I know it's a long shot, but it's a possibility. I took my 4.8g of Lialda daily the whole time as well as Protonix in the 3rd tri for my GERD, and everything was wonderful.

I'm so glad yours is going well. I was a little scared of a flare after pregnancy because I bled significantly during my unwanted and unplanned c-section. My blood counts kept dropping significantly every day after also. The doctors were scared that I was bleeding inside because of my uterus and I was afraid I was having a flare because I become a pale gray anemic when I have a flare and there was no other reason for blood counts dropping like they were. They did a CT on my belly and said everything looked great and on day 5 my blood count finally went up. It's not great, but they were threatening a blood transfusion until that day. Now I get to munch on iron pills twice a day. She told me to get the ferrous fumurate because it won't cause constipation like other iron, I almost laughed and told her it wouldn't be a problem either way.

Wasn't it great to have normal poop every once in a while. My husband and I have no shame and go with the bathroom door open. I know I proclaimed victory many times during pregnancy when I would have "normal people poo" or "almost formed" poo. He laughed at me and told me he was proud. Now with breastfeeding while taking my meds...I was worried about the Lialda and stuff, but I really can't let it get to me. I have to take it and my LC and my OB both seem to think it's fine to BF with the meds. Mommy and Daddy are both bringing autoimmune diseases to the party since Daddy has psoriasis. I just hope that she gets to avoid all this junk---and the LC says meds for autoimmune and digestive problems help your milk production...I can tell you that is an understatement! I could feed 8 babies!

I see you take Asacol. I took that for over a decade and it worked fine for me. When I switched GIs to one closer to home that specializes in women with digestive disorders, she urged me to try Lialda and it has been my saving grace. I've only had prednisone one time while on it, and it was just one of those 7 day packs. A lot of people don't like Lialda, but it works great for me. one of my work friends had recently switched to Lialda as well, and she just announced she's pregnant and due this summer. This place is the only place I'd ever encountered people pregnant with UC.

The difference with Lialda and Asacol for me, hmmm. I guess the main difference is that with Lialda, my poo is always soft no matter what, but the good side to that is only 1 flare in 5 years and that ONE flare wasn't really a real flare and was fixed with 7 quick days of steroids. I didn't even know I was having a flare (symptom free) but I had had a colonoscopy, and my GI said it was perfect except for one tiny tiny little spot that she said would be cleared up with the prednisone. Lialda is supposed to help you get back into remission faster after a flare, but maybe I've just been super lucky to have no flares. Bonus also is that shire gives you a card that cuts your pharmacy copay to $10, and for something that I have to take forever, that's a huge bonus! I don't remember with the Asacol, but I do occasionally find pieces of Lialda in the toilet, usually just the coating, so I presume it's got really really late release. I had used the Rowasa enemas with the Asacol and I absolutely hated hated hated them. I'm just glad to be down to one medication.

How far along are you? Boy or girl?