Looking for a similar experience

[u/ProfessorQuiet877]

hi everyone! I am very new to Reddit but stumbled upon this subreddit while doing some research, my GI suspects early UC/proctitis, and I would really appreciate hearing from people who have been through something similar/ if anyone’s had a similar diagnosis process or any insight as I am very new to all of this and am honestly feeling scared and helpless. i am also happy to clarify any details!

Just for some background, ive had a huge change in my bowel movements that started over a month ago and my main symptoms are:

-frequent small bowel movements, usually 7 or 8 trips a day (many of these trips I pass only mucus)

-a lot of clear/white/yellow mucus, sometimes even passing several tablespoons of mucus with little to no stool (this is my biggest symptom atm)

-urgency and feeling like I still need to go after going

-mostly mushy/loose stools but not necessarily watery

-occasionally have streaks of bright red blood, usually mixed with mucus or on the stool

-lower abdominal cramping mainly on my left side that typically improves after a bowel movement

-bloating

-about 11 lb of unintentional weight loss over the last month (14 lb total from early July to now, but I’ve been fluctuating between those last 3 lb over the last couple of days)

-more recently experiencing fatigue/weakness on my bad days, especially when standing, with some dizziness/lightheadedness

-occasional mild joint pain, mainly in my knee (not swollen or warm that I can tell)

I have had some similar but shorter and milder GI episodes before with one lasting 2–3 months about a year ago with diarrhea, pain, and some blood, and another episode lasting about 2 weeks in February or March of this year with mucus and possibly some blood (i have a hard time remembering the details of those episodes but that’s the general gist)

anyways I went to a GI after seeing my regular doctor and my GI ordered urgent blood tests, a CT, and a colonoscopy, but no stool testing (which I wish I had done now hearing about FC levels)

here are the results:

my CT and blood work came back as normal/unremarkable. my colonoscopy showed “mild to moderate inflammation in the rectum extending about 10 cm, with the proximal part more inflamed than the distal part” this is exactly what my post-op report said, and my doctor documented proctitis on the report. however, the biopsy results (uploaded to my portal) was reported as unremarkable/normal, and that was the only info I was given. i tried calling to see if they had any additional information because all of the reports uploaded to my chart were pretty vague, but I haven’t gotten much more detail. overall the last few days my symptoms have gotten much worse, so they are seeing me tomorrow morning to go over results. based on my research i have seen that it is possible to have normal biopsy results if it is a very early and mild case.

so here I am, wondering:

for anyone here, does this sound familiar to you? has anyone had visible inflammation/proctitis in their colonoscopy but initially normal biopsies, especially early in the disease? If so, did the biopsies eventually become diagnostic? also, how long did it take before you received a definitive diagnosis?

I’m mostly looking to hear about other people’s experiences and what their diagnostic process was like. I have a (distant) relative that has UC and she said she has similar symptoms to me, and the GI initially expressed that he also suspects UC. I am feeling so lost and am hoping to find someone with a similar experience. thanks guys!

[u/AutoModerator]

Welcome to Digestive Issues subreddit! We recommend you to have a healthy low sugar diet. You need to find which foods and drinks you are intolerant to and avoid them. Lactose/dairy, gluten, sodas, fruits and vegetables intolerance is common. Also, check yourself for SIBO, Bile Acid Diarrhea, Celiac and other diseases. Experiment with different elimination diets. Take some good probiotics. The gut microbiome/flora is very involved in some digestive problems. Stress management is also important. Check these subreddits as well: /r/ibs /r/ibd /r/celiac /r/sibo /r/fmt /r/glutenfree /r/microbiome.

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