Hi there

I have had some bowel problems most of my life which GP's had previously put down to irritable bowel syndrome. It was quite characteristic of that- ie stomach upsets, diarrhoea, bloating etc when eating certain foods, so I never really questioned it.

However this year, since I had a baby in November 2010, my symptoms changed. I started having a lot of pain at times for bowel movements, regular ones or upset stomach ones. Occasionally I have had blood in them and have developed haemorrhoids both from a long labour with the baby and from continuously having bowel issues I think.

Anyway I have seemed to have had flare ups ie times when Im really bad for a few days or a week then times when Im fine for a while. When Im really bad, I have terrible stomach cramps, have to go to the toilet up to 4 or so times a day, and cramps whether its diarrhoea or just a normal movement as said above. It can be extremely painful.

I am very careful with my diet but I have found soy milk will trigger the symotoms immediately as well as anything high fat.

When I had my last flare up I went to the doctor about it finally and she said it sounded like it could be ulcerative colitis. As I was also having other things such as night sweats when the flare up occured.

However I had a blood test and it came back ok, and had a poo sample checked and that was also ok. At the time I had the tests though, I was not suffering symptoms so Im wondering if inflammation would have showed?

I am going back to the doctor next week as Im still having symptoms sometimes but I dont want to be fobbed off. Any advice? Does this actually sound like colitis? Thanks

Hi there,

Your story sounds really similar to mine. I was told all my life that I had stomach ulcers, lactose intolerance etc turns out I had ulcerative colitis - which came on with a vengence when I was pregnant with my first child and took a while to get sorted and cleared up.

I would see if your doctor would be happy to refer you to a gastroenteroligst so that you start to get on the mend. Inflammatory cells would show up in a blood test only if there was some inflammation in your body but I wouldn't have thought a blood test is a conclusive way to diagnose ulcerative colitis. I had a colonoscopy and biposies to confirm mine.

Good luck with everything and hope this has been of help

Hiya, Im sorry youve not been well.

I was diagnosed by colonoscopy/biopsies and I have Crohns not UC. I would say you would have to be flaring for the inflammation markers to show up in either your blood tests or in a fecal inflammation test (stool sample).

I would ask to be referred to a gastroenteroligist and go from there - It may take a colonoscopy/flexi-sigmoidoscopy and biopsies to be sure of excatly what may be causing it.

Good Luck, I hope you come right soon

Definitely DON'T be fobbed off hon. Go to another GP for a second opinion and referral if you get no satisfaction.

You will need a colonoscopy and biopsies for a definitve diagnosis. It is worth the very minor inconvenience to have peace of mind as to what exactly is troubling you.

I had similar symptoms to yourself and my GP had no issues referring me to a gastroentorologist for a colonoscopy. My issues were definitely IBS NOT any IBD. For me now this is no longer an issue and was obviously stress and lifestyle related at the time. My DS (now 17) however has Crohn's.

Good Luck with pushing forward for a diagnosis. And push you MUST ! Don't let your GP play know-all-God, for they sometimes do !

What you wrote is exactly how my DH suffers from his UC.... nasty!!

He has FINALLY (after 4 years) found the two major things that trigger his UC and that is sausages and bacon.

I had been at him for years to keep a food diary to work out what he had eaten before things go pear shaped again but he was useless at it and didnt fully believe me that I thought it was food related males!!!!

His always flares up around christmas time - lots of bbq's and cooked breakfasts!!!

Funnily enough since I got pregnant with DD and afterwards I cant stomach sausages and have not bought much bacon and this year hes going into christmas relatively well.

My DS has found fatty meats will be a trigger too. I can't help wondering if the sulphites/preservatives are not part of the problem too. Since we have been buying Freedom Farms bacon and only "top shelf" sausages from a butcher who makes his own "proper" English style sausages without preservative (very short use by date but so what ?) DS has had no,problem.

This said, we don't have either bacon or sausages often, but when we do it is no issue any more.

Thanks heaps for the advice I have seen my GP and she is going to write a referral letter to the hospital gastroenteroligist (sorry don't know how to spell it) so I'm happy about that, so I just have to wait for an appointment and go from there!