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Blood but doc says fine?

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Ulcerative Colitis
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Posted 1/22/2014 5:33 AM (GMT 0)
I had a follow up with my specialist a week ago. He said he is able to see 25cm in which is plenty since my initial scope diagnosed proctitis in the rectum only. He said every looks good inside, no ulcers or irritation other than my anal canal, which is likely due to my inability (my word not his) to get the enemas in straight without a bit of poking around.
I would LOVE to believe him however I'm still experiencing occasional blood streaking BMs (1-3 solid a day) and every less occasional mucousy movements. I would say once a week with mucous and maybe every other day for blood (altho today for example a little blood at each BM). I've tapered to 3x salofalk enema and 3x cortifoam in the morning since I say him last week. These blood and mucous occurrences have not increased since taper nor decreased.

My question is... If the doc says all is well, is it possible the residual symptoms really are just from a bad angle with the enemas etc? Like I said I would love to believe him and I am trying to think positively, but the blood is making me question it!

(My lactose free attempts have been about 90-95%)
Posted 1/22/2014 12:57 PM (GMT 0)
I would not taper the enemas until you saw no blood or mucous for at least two weeks. Maybe even longer. Maybe the suppositories would be helpful to you. They keep the medicine right there at the rectum.
Posted 1/22/2014 1:01 PM (GMT 0)
I had a similar situation. I was seeing bright red blood and white mucus with most bowel movements that were mostly firm. I has a flex sig that was crystal clear to the start of the transverse colon so I got an "OK" I think, even with the bright red blood, it was coming from higher up.

In 2009 when you had left sided inflammation, how high did it go then?
Posted 1/23/2014 4:06 AM (GMT 0)
Levi- the left sided wasn't me, but the first response after my post!

After posting this last night I had a couple of blood drops in the water this AM. I'm going to commence nightly supps again, i have at least a few weeks supply, to see how that goes.

Should I alternate the enemas and supps? I have both.
Posted 1/23/2014 3:41 PM (GMT 0)
I have exactly identical situation: everything seems to be ok, last sigmo showed Mayo 0 and still there are often drops of bright red blood on tp. My doctor told me that it is due to a very weak mucus and it doesn't mean i have a flare. She advised me that i should just get used to it.
Posted 1/23/2014 3:45 PM (GMT 0)
Oops, sorry! When I was on both I did enemas at night and suppositories in the morning. It would stay in no problem for me, I locked my office door, laid on the floor and fired that bullet in there. Is that an option, both?
Posted 1/23/2014 7:51 PM (GMT 0)
He had me on the cortifoam in the morning rather than salofalk. It could be an option to switch.

That's good to know, Ewa. It wasn't making sense to me
How an irritated anal canal could cause mucous too.
Posted 1/25/2014 7:59 PM (GMT 0)
Do you have a hemorrhoid issue? That would be a reason for sporadic blood on toilet paper. Be sure to lube enema tip well before inserting; otherwise it could be irritating still-fragile mucosa. You shouldn't have to force it; with enough lube it will slip right in. / Old Hat (33 yrs with left-sided UC; presently in remission taking brandname Colazal)
Posted 1/25/2014 9:27 PM (GMT 0)
Old Hat- it's possible. I haven't looked in a while but the reason I initially took so long (few months) to get scoped was because there was a tiny little flap of tissue externally that I assumed was a small hemmy.

The only reason I'm not sure about that being the cause is after a week of tapering (t0 3x each for cortifoam and salofalk) the blood started increasing, few drops in the toilet. I changed to the supps and upped it back to nightly, immediately blood decreased to almost nothing. I'm so confused!!
Posted 1/26/2014 6:35 AM (GMT 0)
"Tiny little flap of tissue" sounds like a skin tag, rather than a hemmie. But, all descriptions considered, you likely need to stay on the rectal med or meds daily until all symptoms go away. Then you can taper gradually. Research studies have shown, though, that it's definitely beneficial for UCers responsive to mesalamine to continue taking some form of it in remission-- so keep that in mind, rather than setting a goal to quit all meds in the absence of flare symptoms. / Old Hat (33 yrs with left-sided UC; presently in remission taking brandname Colazal)
Posted 1/26/2014 2:01 PM (GMT 0)
Yes- I definitely plan to stay on maintenance. I want to do everything I can to minimize my chances of having the proctitis spread. I was surprised when the doctor told me he thought eventually I could taper to only 1x week. Is that usual? I was thinking 3x.
Posted 1/27/2014 6:32 AM (GMT 0)
I'd suggest you start a new thread specifically asking UProctitis forum members in remission what maintenance med(s) they take. It may be possible eventually for you to maintain on just 1 dose of rectal med/week, but those of us with more extensive colon involvement can't assure you of that from our experience. It does sound, though, like you're making progress-- so do try to think positively about a good outcome with steady medication and psych yourself to have patience. Rectal meds need time to work, and UP can be stubborn to treat. / Old Hat (33 yrs with left-sided UC; presently in remission taking brandname Colazal)
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