Ulcerative Colitis & normal colonoscopy

10/08, I was hospitalized n/v, high fever, & diarrhea.  CT showed almost Megacolon.  All tests showed negative with exception of blood in stool.  Loss 12 lbs.  Released on Flagyl & Levequin.  After discharge 4 days later, severe abdominal pain LLQ, nausea, loss of appetite, mucus & blood in stool, diarrhea.  Colonoscopy 11/08 showed mild UC with biopsies showing focal active colitis with mucin depletion.  I was diagnosed w/ mild UC & put on Asacol.  I got a little better over time but not completely.  Many foods bothered me but I cut them from my diet, especially caffiene.  1 1/2 months ago I had to take prednisone for sinus infection.  I started feeling better.  Nothing was bothering me and I cheated on foods and they weren't causing symptoms.  It was like I was in remission.  One day I had a lot of blood so 1 month ago we re-did my colonoscopy.  It was normal.  My doctor said I was misdiagnosed because I couldn't have a normal colonsocopy so he took the Asacol away.  I read in an Oxford medical clinical trial journal on UC/Crohns that you could have a normal colonoscopy if you were in remission.  Is this true?  I need to know if this is true and I am just in remission and need to change GI doctors or if he is right and I cannot have UC.  Please help me because I am feed up with GI problems and need help.

[Ratnakar Kini, MD]

Hi,
If you are on medications and if you are responding to treatment then the colonoscopy can be normal.
Not only just asacol, even the prednisolone you took would have resulted in this improvement.