I'm sure this has been asked but...can you flare without ever seeing blood?

So I do think I may be flaring but at least it seems to be not too drastic as I have a little more energy today than yesterday.  Just curious, has anybody on here flared without ever seeing blood?  I have had 3 BMs today, all not formed and after they are done my bottom is pretty sore inside, feels like inflamation but goes away after a few minutes.  I also have just an achy feeling in my low gut, but not nearly like it feels if I were seeing blood when I have a BM. Low back pain as well and that is probably the worst pain I have right now of any symptom. No real joint pains that I've noticed. Oh and I'm a little nauseas when I have to have a BM and have some gut noises which are more than usual but have decreased a bit over the past day or two.

I did get my GP to prescribe me 2 weeks of cortisone enemas. I'll take one tonight then take my mesalamine enema during the day tomorrow and just alternate for two weeks. Hoping that helps. I was willing to try anything but go back on Prednisone now that I've been off it after a year of tapering.

So if anybody has had a flare without any blood let me know what helped you get rid of it.  Thanks!

Meds in my sig are current.

Canasa is a suppository right?  I think its the same medicine (5-ASA) that the mesalamine enema is. My work is pretty flexible if I am sick so luckily I can work at home the first half of the day or 2nd half, either way so I can take the 2nd enema more in the middle of the day rather than right in the morning.  I do take Colazal already although that is just to help maintain remission when I have it.  I don't want to take oral steroids again, they just really, really messed up my body. 

I have been flaring constantly for over 3 years and only saw blood in the first few months. If you're not normal, you're not normal - whether you have blood or not. Of course no blood is better than yes blood.

When I have blood, I just feel so totally wiped out. Like I can barely get out of bed. Luckily I don't have that very often, maybe like 3-4 times in 19 years.  I do have these other little 'flare-ups' though that have no blood but just diarrhea and other odd symptoms. I've also had heartburn which just seems really odd to me as it seems like that has nothing to do with my colon.  Plus I take Prilosec. 

So, does anybody think trying the cortisone enemas is a possible fix for these symptoms? Obviously I'll try them, just curious how long I wait after trying to see improvement and if I don't give in and call my GI. I know exactly what he will say too. He will ask how long I've been off Prednisone, I'll say 3 weeks, he will say that it takes about a month for Prednisone to get out of your body. Therefore since its been about a month I must be flaring because I'm off the Prednisone. Then he will suggest some more hardcore drug. 

I'm really not wanting to go down that path.

I thought initially it could be a stomach bug as that has been going around. But I haven't thrown up at all.  I guess its the pressure I am feeling inside my rectum that is making me think its more of a flare up. That and the horrible low back pain.  I waited through the symptoms last week as I had my period and thought that was the culprit. But the symptoms haven't gone away, even though I don't have full on horrible gut cramps and diarrhea now like a few days ago. Just not 'normal' BMs like I did over a week ago. Oh and the pressure down there just started in the past day or two.

I assume it shouldn't hurt to try the cortisone enema?  It has been so long since I've used it, it used to work really well for me but that was 10 years ago. Things have changed since then for sure. I do remember that it was much harder to keep the cortisone enema in when the rectum feels full than it is for me to keep the mesalamine enema in, so not looking forward to that.

I think your flaring and the treatment plan you have set up is a good one. I too would avoid pred at all costs. I don't think I saw blood during my last flare, just mucous and increased bm's.