15 Months of hell

[beemers3]

Around 15 months ago I was n holiday, Thailand & Hong Kong to be specific when I fell ill. Concerned, although I now find needlessly, about the standard of care I decided to stick it out until we came home. The symptoms while overseas were - Constipation accompanied by a very difficult _solid) bowel movement usually followed by severe diarrhea which worsened to blood in the stool.

Upon arriving back home I had a severe episode that necessitated a trip to the ER - their immediate thought was appendicitis and it was promptly removed laprascopicly (not sure of the spelling) and sent home to recover. Three or four days after I experienced pain so severe that my wife had to call an ambulance and I was back in hospital. A large amount of blood was present so they ordered a Colonoscopy and found what they believed to be ischemic colitis. This was treated with Prednisone? and something else which escapes me at present.

For the next 9 months I was in and out of hospital with varying degrees of pain and usually the same symptoms. I have since had another colonoscopy however there seems to be no conclusion - No sign of colitis, but still the symptoms continue although not to the extent where large amounts of blood are present. I have tried the no dairy thing, removed fats from my diet, eliminated lactose and still this continues, driving me crazier every day. The pain is predominantly lower left however when it gets really inflamed the whole area is affected.

After 15 months of this, 2 colonoscopies and a camera down the throat to see if it was something at that end of the chain it has become a real burden on my homelife and my working life.

Any help greatly appreciated as three specialists seem baffled.

[beemers3]

I had what I believe was a barium? MRI where blood flow was looked at however they could find no disruption to the blood supply. I am guilty sometimes of not drinking sufficient amounts of water but have definitely lifted my intake. As far as medications go they have me on Endep to help with difficulty sleeping and Tramadol for the pain. I tried Temaze for the sleep problem but they are not really effective.

[CalGal]

Ischemic colitis is the result of blood flow to the bowel being interrupted in some way. If that's what is going on it could very well occur transiently and can be difficult to pinpoint. When ischemic colitis is present, the doc should be checking into blood flow to the bowel, so angiogram type studies of the bowel.

If it is ischemic colitis, you need to make sure you don't get dehydrated and check any medications you are taking for the possibility to form blood clots.