Sigmoid inflammation

Hello all. First time poster. Since the middle of May I have had what I believed to be some sort of hip pain around my ileax crest. At the end of June, my stool become mucus and bloody but never straight D. I went to urgent care and got a CT scan that showed inflammation in my sigmoid colon. NP rules out bacteria and put me on low dose of oral Mesalamine. After some quick research I knew this likely wasn’t a high enough dose. Anyways I got worse and went to ER. Same thing. Did nothing for me. Went to a different one and they got me scheduled to see a GI specialist in August (specialist reviewed records and felt I could wait a month despite my protests over the constant hip pain I am in).

My Primary Care recently gave me steroids. I’m on day three and have went less with less blood.

Here’s my question- the pain from my inflammation, will they steroids help it go away? What symptoms subside first? The ulcers then the inflammation? Do I have any hope of this pain going away and being able to lay down and sleep again?

Thank you for the response. I say hip pain but it’s colon pain. My hip appeared to be fine in X-rays and CT scans. I have no official diagnoses yet but the primary doctor is leaning toward to UC. I finished a round do antibiotics as well. I cannot seem to get easy access to my test results. It’s frustrating. The pain from my inflammation is causing me to lose sleep and life. I was just looking for confirmation that the steroids helped anyone else that experienced inflammation pain. I do not plan to stay on them long term. I’m on Lialda right now. Have been for three weeks but wrong dosage. Have since got that straightened out. I’m in a fairly rural area so not many options

Steroids will likely help with the pain if you have IBD but they are a short term solution to a long term problem and these days should not really be a first-line treatment - especially when you don't have a diagnosis. Agree with quincy that you need a colonoscopy ASAP.

Welcome to the HW Forum, but sorry you have these problems. It's frustrating to be put off when seeking appointments with doctors; unfortunately that happens more often since the pandemic changed a lot of in-person practices. August 10th now is not that far off. Try taking your Rx med in the meantime, eat a nutritious diet avoiding heavy spices, fats, seeds, excess salt & sugar, keep yourself well-hydrated with plain water, rest as much as you can, and think positively. If you do have an IBD, the hip pain could be an "extra-systemic manifestation" (medical jargon), and it will likely clear up as your colon inflammation gets successfully diagnosed and treated. People with IBD are prone to arthritic-like joint discomfort when their intestines become inflamed. In the meantime, if you feel joint pain near a skin surface, you could try rubbing in some over-the-counter pain-relieving lotion (a 30% salicylate compound can be helpful) or tiger balm. / Old Hat (40+ yrs with left-sided UC; presently in remission taking Colazal)

You're welcome! When I was diagnosed (via C-scope) I had severe UC from sigmoid colon downward, and that affected my sacrum bigtime. It felt like my torso was encased in cement! Then the steroid treated that pronto, TG. So you should be on the road to healing. In fact, 60 mg steroid daily for 7 days is on the high side of dosing if you don't have a severe case; I started at 40 mg for a near-blockage and then tapered after 8 days. The recommendations for C-scope that other forum members posted above are very wise because that exam is the gold standard for determining what's going on with the intestinal mucosa, such as whether your illness is limited to lower left colon or also involves tissue higher up. The gastroenterologist should also order appropriate lab tests, including the blood test markers for inflammation ESR (sedimentation rate) & CRP (C-reactive protein), plus a comprehensive report on your chemicals to be sure you don't have any vitamin/mineral deficiencies making it harder to fight off inflammation. For the past decade many gastros have also latched on to a fecal calprotectin lab test which they expect to correlate with the patient's level of inflammation, but those results have gotten mixed reviews here on the forum. (Some members say their results don't correlate!) My longtime gastro has always trusted the ESR especially. *** Good luck on your current meds and let us know if you have additional questions/issues. Mainly take good care of yourself RE diet + rest to help the Rx meds work most effectively. / Old Hat (40+ yrs with left-sided UC; in remission taking Colazal)

Post Edited (Old Hat) : 7/22/2022 6:34:02 PM (GMT-7)

When i was diagnosed i had pain like i was carrying a knife in my abdomen. It took a few weeks to slowly get better on max dose of mesalazine. Later in another flare up, I took prednisone and the pain went away the same day. But i hate prednisone because I got osteoporosis from being stuck on it for too long. That's why I'm always grumpy on this forum when i see it being handed out too easily. Your CRP is quite high which shows you have some inflammation but it doesn't show where the inflammation is.

The CT scan won't necessarily show the full extent of the inflammation. I'm sorry you have to wait so long to see a specialist.... I share your frustration

I don't know sorry, other than pushing to bring your appointment with a gastroenterologist forward. If the pain is so bad it could be considered an emergency.
I find certain foods make the pain worse when I'm flaring, in particular fatty/fried/processed foods and high fibre foods like cruciferous vegetables, lentils, so i stick to things which are easy to digest. But it's a personal thing to find what works for you.

It would be St. Louis, Mo. about 2.5 hours away. Our county hospital doesn’t have an affiliation. I truly don’t think it’s the Lialda bc the pain isn’t worse; it’s just bad like since the onset when I truly thought it was a joint or the bone lol.

I’ve only been on full dose for three days i maybe I should stay on it longer for full effect prior three weeks was half a full dose or even less.

Thank you. Yes I do. The appointment is set for August 10th. My last ER doc sent the referral. Suggested I be seen in a week. The GI supposedly looked over my CT scan and blood work and determined waiting a month out would be okay. I was a little chagrined bc he based it off of my records without asking how I felt. The stool symptoms are manageable/improved. It’s the inflammation pain that is interfering with my life, work, and sleep.

Hello. I’m also posting for the first time!!! But I have loooong history. I was diagnosed with uc 6 years ago, but I didn’t have that much blood, still they put me on prednisone and Pentasa( mesalazine) and strict diet. After 5 months I stopped prednisone, it did help. I didn’t have the same pain and stools were normal, even if I went 3-4 times a day,sit didn’t turn into diarrhea. I kept Pentasa for 4 years. The doctor said I can stop last year. But I had diarrhea which got worse so they got me in Budesonide. But still no blood then.So I’ve been taking it for 10 months!!! Stopped 1 month ago and I found myself today with mucus and blood!!!! Every time, 7 times I went to toilet today!!! I’m shocked! I have never had blood every time I go to toilet. I have had blood only 5 times during 5 years!!!! And I was living a relatively normal life. I have sigmoscopy in 2 days. Don’t know what’s next for me anymore.

Hello. I’m also posting for the first time!!! But I loooong history. I was diagnosed with ice 6 years ago, but I didn’t have that much blood, still they put me in prednisone and Pentasa( mesalazine) and strict diet. After 5 months I stopped prednisone, it did help. I didn’t have the same pain and stools were normal, even if I went 3-4 time sit didn’t turn into diarrhea. I kept Pentasa for 4 years. The doctor said I can stop last year. But I had diarrhea which got worse do they got me in Budesonide.So I’ve been taking it for 10 months!!! Stopped 1 month ago and I found myself today with mucus and blood!!!! Every 7 times I went to toilet today!!! I’m shocked! I have never had blood every time I go to toilet. And I was living a relati