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Ulcerative Colitis
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Posted 12/18/2007 9:10 PM (GMT 0)
my daughter just had a cbc done yesterday and the blood count is dropping sed rate is elevated allong with white blood count, more since her last bloods about 2 weeks ago. she is actually having almost no blood and diarreah for about a week, so we thought she was on the way back. but
i'm wondering now if this may mean she has chron's, she has only been worked up with a colonoscopy and hasn't had upper gi, but i'm thinking it's chrons and she isn't seeing blood in toilet because it may be more mixed. obviously she's bleeding from somewhere.

of course new dr. just left for vacation today so we await biopsy from sig on friday , bloods were done at gp doc. any thoughts?
Posted 12/18/2007 9:39 PM (GMT 0)
When she had her colonoscopy, did the doc take any biopsies of her small bowel? With all of my colonoscopies, my GI always gets into the small bowel and takes a few biopsies. You might want to check with her GI on that.

Given that it's only been about a week since she last saw blood, I don't think it is uncommon for her blood count to still be dropping at this point. My personal opinion is that it does not signal Crohn's in and of itself.
Posted 12/18/2007 11:36 PM (GMT 0)
The elevated sed rate and WBC's suggest an infection or inflammation. Could be something as simple as a viral cold, too. Having become anemic, it may take a bit for her bone marrow to kick in and start making up the deficit in red cells. Make sure she's getting plenty of iron and folic acid, either in her diet or a good multivitamin, and good quality protein. Meat is usually the most concentrated source of iron and protein, but if she's vegetarian there are other options available. Spinace is very high in iron, and leafy greens are high in folic acid.

And yes, Crohn's can generally be differentiated on the colon and cecal biopsies. Upper GI isn't usually indicated unless there are symptoms in that area.
Posted 12/19/2007 2:19 AM (GMT 0)
Try not to worry about latest blood test results. It takes a while to get UC flares under control. Also, your daughter may have a temporary increase in bleeding/inflammation caused by Friday's flex-sig. That happens! Did she get her prescriptions filled? Now she needs to rest up from the latest procedures & take the meds. No need to think about Crohn's or upper GI series at least until after the holidays. Most doctors take off at this time of year. In 1 of my early crises an internist I consulted in NYC joked that even if HE HIMSELF got violently sick on the weekend or a holiday, he would have to go to the emergency room for treatment: that's just the way our medical system functions. Best wishes for your daughter to feel major improvement within the next month. She will be taking 5ASA meds, which need time to work. The trade-off is that they do not have the major side effects of steroid drugs or other stronger meds. One has to be patient & give them a month or two, at least, to see real results. I can vouch for that from my own experience! / Old Hat (nearly 30 yrs with left-sided UC; currently on 3 Colazal daily for maintenance of remission)
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