New to this

Hi , thank you so much for joining us here. I can only imagine how difficult it is to see your daughter go through this and I really applaud you for finding a community to get help. If you'd like, you can even suggest that your daughter join our community, in case she has any questions she'd like to ask.


Typically, colonoscopies are considered a gold standard for diagnosing UC and Crohn's. Therefore, I think you and her doctor have embarked on the right step. The biopsies should give some more information about anything else that might be going. For your reference, I have UC, but my biopsies always come back "normal," so I believe it's more about checking for anything else. A lot of times doctors can tell through the colonoscopy whether or not there is inflammation and what pattern it is, which helps determine the diagnosis. My guess (as a non-medical professional!) is that if the doctor suspects colitis, that means the doctor has seem inflammation from the rectum up.


In terms of the pain, I would stay away from NSAIDs (aspirin, ibuprofen, etc) which can exacerbate IBD issues. Typically, Tylenol (acetaminophen) is safer. You should reach out to either the GP or the GI to make sure this is recommended before giving it to her. I would do the same with the Buscopan, and any other drug you want to give her. As I'm sure you're aware, drug interactions or exacerbating symptoms can be something to look out for, so it's always good to check in with the doctor before adding anything to your daughter's regimen. I would also recommend making use of a heating pad and maybe hot baths/showers. It may be useful to stick to a lighter diet at this time too, like white bread, rice, boiled chicken. It might lessen the cramping if her stomach is getting more tolerable foods.


I know this is a lot! I hope some of it helps. Please do keep us updated and ask us any questions you may have. We are here to help! <3 -Eshani (IBD Team Member)

I'm sorry your daughter is going through this but know there is hope and it is possible to live a productive like with IBD.


I am not a doctor so I am just speaking from experience as I was diagnosed with Crohn's back in 2011. Biopsies certainly detect cancer but so much more. It can show inflammation and the type of inflammation so that's why they are so important to take during a colonoscopy. Anytime I have a colonoscopy, biopsies are taken and should be taken.


As far as pain meds, I don't really have an answer for you as far as what to do with those meds moving forward. However, here is was has helped me tremendously with pain: prednisone, cbd oil, and copaiba essential oil made in a roller with coconut oil and applied on the abdomen, and being diligent with diet (no wheat, no corn, no diary, no rice.) As a side note, those are my personal trigger foods which cause me pain. Everyone is different.


Please don't hesitate to message me if you have more questions.


Hugs, Elizabeth (team member)

Thankyou for your reply that's really helpful. I've been wondering about cbd oil for her as I use it myself so I'll definitely have a talk with her to see if she'll give it a try. Were going to start cutting out certain foods to see if we can find a particular trigger so hopefully we'll be able to control her diet better from now own.
Our GP has prescribed her codeine, have you had experience or successful relief with codeine? I thought it could cause more tummy problems