Advice please?
Hi all. I'm just looking for some advice if possible. My mum who is in her 50s has had bowel issues on and off for a couple of years (urgency to go and going more with certain foods) however it has gotten a lot worse over the past few months to the point when she needs to go she has to go straight away, along with really bad stomach cramps randomly throughout the day. She also is now suffering with quite bad indigestion. She has been to the doctor's who did a FIT test (negative) and another stool sample that showed an inflamed bowel. The doctor also found her stomach was tender on either side when pressed. The doctor is referring her for an ultrasound of the abdomen and going from there but when asked what he thought it was with markers for inflamed bowel he said it points toward ulcerative colitis. However from everything I've read I'm not sure as my mum has never had blood and it hasn't shown in any stool samples. Could this be ulcerative colitis?
I know nobody can diagnose but I was hoping for some insight from your own diagnosis and symptoms if possible!
Thank you all
Thank you for your question
. Your mom is lucky to have you as her advocate to help find the information she needs.
While blood in stool is a UC symptom, it doesn't occur in every patient. (I have Crohn's where blood in stool is common and after living with it for 14 years, I still haven't had blood in my stool!). But this article can help offer more guidance about UC symptoms that might help you and her navigate this journey:
https://inflammatoryboweldisease.net/infographic/uc-diagnosis-symptoms-flares
--Julie (Team Member)
Hi
. First, let me say that it is great that you are being so proactive in getting information and advocating on behalf of your mom. As you noted, for your protection and, in this case, your mom's, we cannot give medical advice over the internet. I can tell you that in milder flare-ups it is possible to have diarrhea and loose stools without blood. Also, gas and bloating can cause tenderness and pain in the abdomen. I want to share with you this article from our editorial team on symptoms: https://inflammatoryboweldisease.net/symptoms and this one on the diagnostic process: https://inflammatoryboweldisease.net/diagnostic-tests-and-procedures. Hopefully this information can help in conversations with the doctors. Also, hopefully others will chime in with their experiences. Wishing you and your mom the best and please feel free to keep us posted on how things are going and to ask additional questions. Richard (Team Member)
