Severe rectal bleeding, diahorrea and weight loss

[Achilleos]

My sister-in-law was admitted to hospital this week with severe stomach pain, recatl bleeding and diahorrea 8-9 times per day. She suffers dizzy spells and feels sick, she has gone from a size 14 to a size 10 in 2 months.  Whilst in hospital, she had a camera inserted in to her rectum (without sedation) and tissue damples were taken from sores - the doctor said that he had never seen anything like it - what looked like 'thumb prints' inside of her. He had not seen an infection that bad. The day after the camera (yesterday) she was discharged, and informed that the results would take about a week to come through and then she would have to wait for an out-patient appointment to see a consultant to discuss the results. She is severely depressed, convinced she has cancer and is rapidly losing weight. She has lost her job through ill health and is in pain with severe diahorrea continuing. What's happening to her? Can you advise?

[Wilson]

Dolor, check your email.

[dolor]

dolor wants to know how are you?

[Wilson]

I agree with Katey that what you described sounds like ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease. Your sister-in-law is close to a diagnosis, so she'll hopefully be getting treatment and feeling better soon.

[katey]

Your poor sister in law!!!  I'm not a doctor, but from what you describe, it sounds like maybe severe ulcerative colitis, not cancer.  Just the fact that she has many sores, and i'm going to guess the blood is red.  Red blood means that the blood is coming from something very low, in her rectum or just above it.  I don't believe a cancer in the rectum where the bright red blood is coming from would cause diarreah, it would be more likely to cause constipation from the tumor causing an obstruction.  Colon cancer usually shows alternating diarreah with constipation.  Especially with how she's going to the washroom so often, it really sounds like some sort of infection or inflammation, such as ulcerative colitis.  She does have MANY of the symptoms of colitis, the rapid weight loss, the bloody diarreah, going to the washroom so much, the stomach pains.  When there is blood in the stool from a cancer (tumor), its from the stool passing over the tumor and irritating it.  Diarreah wouldn't cause this irritation.  The bloody diarreah is probably from inflammation in the colon.  Please tell your sister NOT to think about colon cancer until she's sure its worth worrying about.  I spent my WHOLE summer worrying about colon cancer, and i had many of the same symptoms as your sister in law had.  It turned out to be ulcerated internal hemmorhoids, a polyp, and stress!!  Has your doctor told her anything about what he thinks it may be?  I think usually they would tell her if they believed she was going to be diagnosed with cancer. Even if she had cancer, it doesn't have to be a death sentence.  We give the disease too much credit! I promise i'll say a prayer for her, please tell her not to worry!!  Tell her that very soon this will all just be a bad memory.  Good luck to you!!
katie

[MARY ANN]

DID THE EXPLAIN WHY THE DID NOT SEDATE HER FOR THE SCOPE THAT IN IT'S SELF SOUNDS CRAZY UNLESS THERE WAS A MEDICAL REASON AS FAR AS HER NOT BEING STABLE ENOUGH TO PUT HER  UNDER. THINK ABOUT IT THEY TOOK TISUE SAMPLES AND RAN A SCOPE WITH OUT SEDATION .MY HEART GOES OUT TO HER BECAUSE I HAVE BEEN THROUGH SCOPES AND BYOPSIES(TISUE SAMPLES)AND THERE WOULD BE NO WAY I WOULD LET THEM DO IT WHILE I WAS AWAKE.AND IF HER BEING MEDICALY UNSTABLE WAS THE CASE IT  WOULD SEEM TO ME THEY WOULD HAVE KEPT HER IN THE HOSPITAL .THE SUFFERING OF THE DIZZY SPELLS INDICATES POSSIBLE SHOCK DUE TO LOSS OF BLOOD, THIS IS A FACT IF YOU LOSE LARGE AMOUNTS OF BLOOD.I AM NOT SURE TO THE AMOUNT OF BLOOD SHE HAS LOSS,BUT BEING WEAK UPSET STOMACH LIGHT HEADED OR FAINTING IS SYMPTOMS OF IT .AND AGAIN IF THE INFECTION IS SO MASSIVE WHY DID THEY NOT KEEP HER IN THE HOSPITAL AND PUT HER ON HEAVY ANTIBIOTIC .I KNOW FOR A FACT WITH DIVERTICULITIS PATIENTS THAT HAVE SEVERE INFECTIONS THEY PUT THEM IN THE HOSPITAL FOR A FEW DAYS UNTIL THE INFECTION IS BROUGHT UNDER CONTROL,AND I WOULD ASK YOUR DOCTOR WHY A APPOINTMENT CAN NOT BE MADE NOW FOR THE FOLLOWING WEEK ON THE CONSULT SENSE THEY KNOW IT WILL BE A WEEK BEFOR THE RESULTS RETURN.WAS THIS A GASTRO/DIGESTIVE SPECIALEST THAT DID THE SCOPE OR SURGEON .IF IT WAS HE SHOULD HAVE SOME IDEA AS TO WHAT THE PROBLEM WAS EVEN WITH OUT THE BYOPSY OR SCOPE RESULTS .I KNOW BECAUSE I HAVE HAD MANY SCOPES AND NOT TO MENTION COLON SURGERY AND SEVERAL OTHER SURGERIES .IT JUST GOES STRAIGHT TO MY HEART HOW MUCH PAIN SHE MUST HAVE BEEN IN IF THEY DID NOT SEDATE HER .PLEASE REPLY .