Confused with potential ulcerative colitis diagnosis

[Jim14]

Hi,

I'm wondering if you can shed some light on this matter. 4 weeks ago I had what felt like an abscess in my rectum. After a few days I went to the toilet and passed out a bit of blood and what looked like an abscess. I went to the doctors the next day and he said that the bleeding looks like it's coming from further up and not near my anus. After that I had a day of passing small amounts of blood and after that bowel movements were normal, no blood just a bit of mucus.

Last Friday I went in for a sigmoidoscopy and the doctor found inflammation in my rectum and sigmoid colon and small patches of ulceration. My bowel movements are normal and have no blood just a bit of mucus. They have been like this for over 3 weeks since the original episode. The doctor has taken biopsys and seems to think it's definitely ulcerative colitis.

After doing a bit of research online about ulcerative colitis, it seems that during flare ups you usually get bloody diarrhea that lasts for weeks on end and multiple trips to the toilet daily.

I don't experience any of the symptoms of ulcerative colitis apart from very minor abdominal discomfort usually followed by a bit of gas. I have no family history of IBD and otherwise lead a normal, healthy life. I'm 27, non smoker male.

Hoping you can help me out.

Regards

[Megadodger]

When it comes to bowel and digestive stuff it's best to either get a second opinion or tons more tests and see where that leads you.

The doctors knew I had some type of IBD but they couldn't tell whether it was crohn's or colitis for me. Unfortunately the surgeries for both of them are different. With crohn's I would have had a permanent ileostomy while with colitis I wouldn't have to have it forever. This was a big deal for me because I was only 19 at the time and wanted to look good rather than be healthy. I know, typical girl.  
Turns out I had colitis, just a bad case of it. I was finally diagnosed simply by taking out the large intestine and seeing if my small intestine still had any of the disease.

The more information you can gather about what they think you have the better. The more information you can collect about yourself and what is going on with you, the better.

Good luck!

[Dr. Kokil Mathur]

Hi!
I am sorry to hear about your medical problems. If there is no family history of IBD, then also it is possible to develop ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s. Otherwise it can also be simple bacterial colitis or infection. This will respond to antibiotic therapy like metronidazole, plenty of fluids, light diet and probiotics. If the symptoms persist or recur then possibility of IBD has to be seriously considered. You can also get a stool culture, stool test for occult or hidden blood and stool test for parasitic infections like round worm or infections like amoebiasis or giardiasis. All these can also cause inflammation of the gut, colon, rectum etc. Please consult your doctor regarding this. Take care!

The medical advice given should not be considered a substitute for medical care provided by a doctor who can examine you. The advice may not be completely correct for you as the doctor cannot examine you and does not know your complete medical history. Hence this reply to your post should only be considered as a guiding line and you must consult your doctor at the earliest for your medical problem.