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I went to my gastro doctor yesterday because of blood in the toilet and it seems I also have Ischemic Colitis a separate thing from my Lymphotic Colitis. I had a 3 hour burst of maroon-colored blood in my stools and the next day was okay. He said, that he is 70% sure that is what I have. I'm reaching out to anyone who may have this also or know something about it. The descriptor I have copied and pasted below:
Ischemic colitis is a disorder that develops when blood flow to a part of your large intestine (colon) is reduced. This can lead to areas of colon inflammation and, in some cases, permanent colon damage. It can affect any part of your colon, but most affected people develop pain on the left side of the abdomen. Urgent bowel movements and bloody diarrhea also are common to ischemic colitis. Most cases of ischemic colitis are mild and resolve on their own in a couple of days. Still, because the condition can become severe, call your doctor right away if you develop symptoms of ischemic colitis.
My gastro doctor seemed to be bored whenever I talked about diet so I'm not having him added to our list of Colitis savvy doctors.
CoryGut
Age 71
Diagnosed with Lymphocytic Colitis Sept. 2010
On and off Entocort(Currently Off)
Ischemic colitis can occur whenever blood flow to the colon decreases by about 50%. I don't understand what your doctor actually based that diagnosis on. Did you have pain in the upper portion of your lower left quadrant? Fever? Have you ever been a marathon runner? Unless you're a runner, you're a bit young to develop IC, (more than 90% of cases involve people over the age of 60). Did your colonoscopy report mention any evidence of twisting, or intussusception, (telescoping prolapse)? Do you have high blood sugar levels, and/or diabetes?
Certain medications can cause ischemic colitis as a side effect. Are you, (or were you), taking any vasoconstricting drugs, or any of these?
NSAIDs
Estrogen replacement medications, (HRT)
Migraine medications in the triptan or ergot group
Blood pressure medications
Certain antipsychotic drugs
Pseudoephedrine, (a decongestant which is found in many cold and allergy medications)
alosetronm, (Lotronex)
The good news is that most people make a full recovery, and without any recurrence of the problem.
Hopefully, that's the last time that you will have to deal with it.
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
The GI seemed to base it on the fact that the bloody stool attack lasted less than 24 hours and then abated. Also, the fact the blood was maroon-colored. He asked did I have blood clotting in my family history. I was a foster child so I don't know my family medical history. I was just reading that high cholesterol is often a feature of this and I do have that. I don't take any drugs though, just my entocort: as needed. I'm not that young Tex, I'll be 60 this year. No pain, no fever, no warning, no cramps, just a quick, violent attack of diarrhea which filled the toilet with blood 4-5 times! The GI said, no use doing the sigmiodoscopy as the bleeding comes from higher up. He does not want to do another Colonoscopy unless this happens again but he is having me take stool samples back in two weeks. Always something, eh?
CoryGut
Age 71
Diagnosed with Lymphocytic Colitis Sept. 2010
On and off Entocort(Currently Off)
Hmmmmm. If it was darker than fresh blood, that's kind of unusual, especially if no pain was involved, but he could still be right. IC is notorious for serious pain, though.
Whatever the cause, if it happens again, in the near future, and you start feeling light-headed, don't hesitate to call 911, or go to the ER, if you seem to be losing a lot of blood. I can tell you from experience that you don't want to wait too long, if you're losing significant amounts of blood, especially if you've already lost blood recently. It can add up to more than you realize, and it takes a while to generate more blood. Excessive blood loss can make you weak, and it can confuse your thoughts.
That said, chances are, you won't have any more problems, so let's keep our fingers crossed that that was the last of it.
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
Hi Tex,
I will follow your advise should anything like this bleed out happen again. It was a shocking experience. There is not much information on the internet about Ishcmetic Colitis so I am grateful for you to weigh in with your opinion. The weird thing is, today I feel okay like it never happened, after two days of fatigue and headaches. i am having loose stools once or twice a day but no pain, no dizziness. All I can do is hope and pray. I hope Peggy is doing okay.
CoryGut
Age 71
Diagnosed with Lymphocytic Colitis Sept. 2010
On and off Entocort(Currently Off)
Visit the Microscopic Colitis Foundation Website
