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This is different from what I experienced prior to, and what led to my search, the diagnosis of MC. What is the same is the constant running to the bathroom and typical cramping of the stomach. But NOW my joints have joined in the party. My hands got so bad I could hardly type at work yesterday from the pain. The stomach pain was beyond cramping and had me fighting tears. It was sharp and debilitating! I made an appointment today with my GI doc for July 8th. It was the soonest available appt but I'm already feeling some relief. My hands are sore but not unusable. The sharp pains are getting weaker. It all started Saturday morning and it's Tuesday night. Is this typical for a flare? For those who do not care to hear personal details.......please stop reading now. But I have to share this for it might mean something. My BM's consistency has been all over the place. From golden rod yellow watery to green extremely loose and several black sandy piles that settle in the bottom. Even seen mucous sac's floating around the floaters. All in just a few days. The only thing I've been on is Nexium for three months now for the increased stomach bile I have. I started popping pepto bismol tablets about a week ago to help control my long term loose stools. Could the two together have a bad effect? I hope my doc is going to be helpful. I'm not convinced since to date I've been hesitant to feel confident. He did hold back on even telling me I had MC after the colonoscopy. I have not seen him in three months. But I've learned SO much on here since then that I have much to take to my appointment and discuss with him. That will tell me, hopefully, where he stands in all this. I may have to consider searching for yet again another new doc. We will see. Any input or advice is greatly appreciated. I hope to be better soon so I can support others as well. Thanks.Could it be a flare up?
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Could it be a flare up?
First I want to say I'm sorry I haven't posted much in awhile. I believe life is not about all receiving but giving as well and I have not done much of that recently. I have in-laws from out of town and I think I'm going through what's referred to on this forum as a 'flare up'. What 'crappy' timing!! This is different from what I experienced prior to, and what led to my search, the diagnosis of MC. What is the same is the constant running to the bathroom and typical cramping of the stomach. But NOW my joints have joined in the party. My hands got so bad I could hardly type at work yesterday from the pain. The stomach pain was beyond cramping and had me fighting tears. It was sharp and debilitating! I made an appointment today with my GI doc for July 8th. It was the soonest available appt but I'm already feeling some relief. My hands are sore but not unusable. The sharp pains are getting weaker. It all started Saturday morning and it's Tuesday night. Is this typical for a flare? For those who do not care to hear personal details.......please stop reading now. But I have to share this for it might mean something. My BM's consistency has been all over the place. From golden rod yellow watery to green extremely loose and several black sandy piles that settle in the bottom. Even seen mucous sac's floating around the floaters. All in just a few days. The only thing I've been on is Nexium for three months now for the increased stomach bile I have. I started popping pepto bismol tablets about a week ago to help control my long term loose stools. Could the two together have a bad effect? I hope my doc is going to be helpful. I'm not convinced since to date I've been hesitant to feel confident. He did hold back on even telling me I had MC after the colonoscopy. I have not seen him in three months. But I've learned SO much on here since then that I have much to take to my appointment and discuss with him. That will tell me, hopefully, where he stands in all this. I may have to consider searching for yet again another new doc. We will see. Any input or advice is greatly appreciated. I hope to be better soon so I can support others as well. Thanks.
This is different from what I experienced prior to, and what led to my search, the diagnosis of MC. What is the same is the constant running to the bathroom and typical cramping of the stomach. But NOW my joints have joined in the party. My hands got so bad I could hardly type at work yesterday from the pain. The stomach pain was beyond cramping and had me fighting tears. It was sharp and debilitating! I made an appointment today with my GI doc for July 8th. It was the soonest available appt but I'm already feeling some relief. My hands are sore but not unusable. The sharp pains are getting weaker. It all started Saturday morning and it's Tuesday night. Is this typical for a flare? For those who do not care to hear personal details.......please stop reading now. But I have to share this for it might mean something. My BM's consistency has been all over the place. From golden rod yellow watery to green extremely loose and several black sandy piles that settle in the bottom. Even seen mucous sac's floating around the floaters. All in just a few days. The only thing I've been on is Nexium for three months now for the increased stomach bile I have. I started popping pepto bismol tablets about a week ago to help control my long term loose stools. Could the two together have a bad effect? I hope my doc is going to be helpful. I'm not convinced since to date I've been hesitant to feel confident. He did hold back on even telling me I had MC after the colonoscopy. I have not seen him in three months. But I've learned SO much on here since then that I have much to take to my appointment and discuss with him. That will tell me, hopefully, where he stands in all this. I may have to consider searching for yet again another new doc. We will see. Any input or advice is greatly appreciated. I hope to be better soon so I can support others as well. Thanks.-Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass, it’s about learning to dance in the rain-
Kim
Kim
Hi Kim,
Sorry, I tried to respond earlier, but the power went off, and this computer doesn't have a battery backup, so I had to wait for the power to be restored, and then start over.
Yes, it sounds as though you might be having a full-blown, all-out flare. The joint pains are often signs of the progression of the disease, and the involvement of the leaky gut syndrome. When the intestines are severely inflamed, they produce copious amounts of mucus, in order to try to help protect the surface of the mucosa from toxins in the fecal stream within the lumen.
However, I suspect the Nexium. Nexium is generally recommended for use from 4 to 8 weeks. Longer term use increases the risk of developing colitis. It can cause microscopic colitis, and it can cause a worse form, pseudomembranous colitis, otherwise known as C. diff. It is certainly possible that you may have developed a C. diff infection, as a result of taking the Nexium.
The proton pump inhibitors work by preventing the stomach from making normal amounts of acid. One of the primary functions of gastric acid is to kill baceria that might be introduced with food, and weak stomach acidity allows a pathway for bacteria to enter the intestines, and cause an infection.
Stopping the use of the Nexium might help, but if you have already developed a significant C. diff infection, you will probably need a potent antibiotic to get rid of the infection. Many doctors prescribe Flagyl for this purpose, but the problem is that many strains of C. diff bacteria are resistant to Flagyl, so when a doctor prescribes Flagyl first, it simply delays the treatment, and prolongs the suffering, by 2 weeks. These days Vancomycin is usually the best choice, (of course, it's much more expensive than Flagyl). Another possibility is Rifaximin, (it's even more expensive, I believe), but those are about the only two antibiotics that are still effective for treating C. diff, these days.
You need to call your doctor for a stool culture test, to confirm that you actually have a C. diff infection, because there's no point in going through the treatment if you don't have it. Be aware that C. diff culture tests are notorious for false negatives, so if the first culture shows a negative result, repeat the test at least once, (sometimes it is confirmed on the third try).
If you are passing blood, it would probably be a safe bet to pass up the culture test, and begin the Vancomycin treatment immediately, because severe cases of C. diff, often result in blood in the stool.
Pepto-Bismol is a pretty safe medication. Nexium is not, (not for someone who has MC).
There is a good chance that your symptoms are only caused by MC, but the possibility of C. diff should be ruled out, since your symptoms seem worse than ever. The more severe cramping, and the increased mucus output, all point to C. diff. There is even a good chance that you may have caught the C. diff from one of your visiting relatives. Like MRSA, many people are carriers, without being symptomatic. (If I had to make a guess, I would guess that you have C. diff). Whichever it is, there is a very good chance that the Nexium caused the flare, IMO.
IOW, if you are currently experiencing an MC flare, then stopping the Nexium may well resolve your MC symptoms. If you have developed a C. diff infection, though, you will probably need to use Vancomycin, to knock it out, and you should call your PCP to arrange for a C. diff test, ASAP.
Remember, though, I'm not a doctor.
Good luck with getting this under control,
Tex
Sorry, I tried to respond earlier, but the power went off, and this computer doesn't have a battery backup, so I had to wait for the power to be restored, and then start over.
Yes, it sounds as though you might be having a full-blown, all-out flare. The joint pains are often signs of the progression of the disease, and the involvement of the leaky gut syndrome. When the intestines are severely inflamed, they produce copious amounts of mucus, in order to try to help protect the surface of the mucosa from toxins in the fecal stream within the lumen.
However, I suspect the Nexium. Nexium is generally recommended for use from 4 to 8 weeks. Longer term use increases the risk of developing colitis. It can cause microscopic colitis, and it can cause a worse form, pseudomembranous colitis, otherwise known as C. diff. It is certainly possible that you may have developed a C. diff infection, as a result of taking the Nexium.
The proton pump inhibitors work by preventing the stomach from making normal amounts of acid. One of the primary functions of gastric acid is to kill baceria that might be introduced with food, and weak stomach acidity allows a pathway for bacteria to enter the intestines, and cause an infection.
Stopping the use of the Nexium might help, but if you have already developed a significant C. diff infection, you will probably need a potent antibiotic to get rid of the infection. Many doctors prescribe Flagyl for this purpose, but the problem is that many strains of C. diff bacteria are resistant to Flagyl, so when a doctor prescribes Flagyl first, it simply delays the treatment, and prolongs the suffering, by 2 weeks. These days Vancomycin is usually the best choice, (of course, it's much more expensive than Flagyl). Another possibility is Rifaximin, (it's even more expensive, I believe), but those are about the only two antibiotics that are still effective for treating C. diff, these days.
You need to call your doctor for a stool culture test, to confirm that you actually have a C. diff infection, because there's no point in going through the treatment if you don't have it. Be aware that C. diff culture tests are notorious for false negatives, so if the first culture shows a negative result, repeat the test at least once, (sometimes it is confirmed on the third try).
If you are passing blood, it would probably be a safe bet to pass up the culture test, and begin the Vancomycin treatment immediately, because severe cases of C. diff, often result in blood in the stool.
Pepto-Bismol is a pretty safe medication. Nexium is not, (not for someone who has MC).
There is a good chance that your symptoms are only caused by MC, but the possibility of C. diff should be ruled out, since your symptoms seem worse than ever. The more severe cramping, and the increased mucus output, all point to C. diff. There is even a good chance that you may have caught the C. diff from one of your visiting relatives. Like MRSA, many people are carriers, without being symptomatic. (If I had to make a guess, I would guess that you have C. diff). Whichever it is, there is a very good chance that the Nexium caused the flare, IMO.
IOW, if you are currently experiencing an MC flare, then stopping the Nexium may well resolve your MC symptoms. If you have developed a C. diff infection, though, you will probably need to use Vancomycin, to knock it out, and you should call your PCP to arrange for a C. diff test, ASAP.
Remember, though, I'm not a doctor.
Good luck with getting this under control,
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.
Thanks you guys. I do have a GI appt for July 8th. Thinking maybe I'll go to PCM first and get the stool test ordered before my GI appt. so as to not prolong treatment if needed. You all are so helpful and I really appreciate it!
-Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass, it’s about learning to dance in the rain-
Kim
Kim