Colon Ulcer

How can you eliminate the idea that there is no ulcer in the colon?
Please help, I’m having sharp pain in my descending colon and it's sharp as razors, but no blood in stools, the pain is always centralized in my left section from the stomach area down to the left colon area,,,

Hi

There is no means of finding out by yourself you will need to visit your GP, the chances are she will refer you to a hospital, for a colonscopy.

This will not only check for ulcers but also cancers

Hope this helps

xx

2009-08-04 09:21:18 by suri80

This is a common endoscopic finding: A benign gastric ulcer in the lower part of the stomach (antrum or prepyloric region) probably caused at ...

How can you eliminate the possibility that there is no ulcer in the colon?
Please help, I’m having sharp pain in my descending colon and it's sharp as razors, but no blood in stools, the pain is always centralized in my left section from the stomach area down to the left colon area,,,

Do you mean how do you find out if there is or isn't? It's done by colonoscopy.

2009-08-04 18:57:42 by suri80

Price: $17.95

I'm living in a small dorm with an exchange student from Africa who has UC, a colon ulcer. He throws up, can't eat much and uses the toilet a lot (where blood comes out too). Is UC contagious? Please use details.

Ulcerative colitis is not contagious but I can see why you'd be worried. This disease is common in white people and very rare in black but maybe I'm assuming wrong. And it can last years to decades so your dorm mate needs to see a doctor for some meds. There is no known cause so there is no way to prevent it. This is an inflammation of the large intestine. Get him to eat plain yogurt which has the good bacteria.

This usually runs in families, is not contagious, even within families, so contact with another person cannot spread the disease.

2008-09-22 06:19:45 by qubertjohn

Price: $8.99 $4.99

Aids functions of the liver and pancreas.
Provides relief for gastric ulcers.
Used as a colon cleanser.

i have ibs i'm 19. ive been having even more irregularity then usual. my stool wouldnt come out even when soft. so i gently squeezed my finger into my anus to help the stool come out. and about 1 inch in theres like a solid piece of skin(mass of flesh) blocking. is this a ulcer?

There are two sphincter muscles in the anus. Are you sure that you got passed both?

Also, an ulcer is an eroding of the lining not a growth.

2008-10-23 02:22:51 by B S

My mum has just been told that she is suffering with this condition after years of flare ups which she had put down to stomach bugs and the like.She was admited to hospital last week after 5 weeks of being very ill and in terrible pain.I've read up on Diverticulitis and understand the treatment but does anyone know what an ulcer in the colon is called and what treatment she is looking at?
The hospital haven't told her much other than antibiotics and another week in hospital.Whats the longterm treatment?My mums 56 if that helps?

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Ulcerative colitis
Published by BUPA's Health Information Team
February 2004

Ulcerative colitis is an inflammatory bowel diseases. It can cause frequent bouts of diarrhoea that may contain blood and mucus. It can also cause abdominal pain.

Ulcerative colitis tends to have flare-ups and then settle down again for variable amounts of time, although it is possible to have a single attack of the condition.

What is it?
Ulcerative colitis affects the rectum and variable amounts of the rest of the colon (the large bowel or intestine). The other main inflammatory bowel disease, Crohn's disease, can affect any part of the digestive tract from the mouth to the anus. In around 10% of cases, it is not possible for doctors to distinguish between ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease. For more information, please see the separate BUPA factsheet titled Crohn's disease.

Approximately 1 in 100 people are affected by ulcerative colitis. The disease affects men and women equally and can develop at any age, but most commonly affects adults aged 20-40. It is not an infectious illness.

What causes ulcerative colitis?
The cause of ulcerative colitis is not fully understood. Inflammatory bowel disease tends to run in families and 10 to 20% of people with either ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease are likely to have at least one other person in their family affected. Researchers are also looking at the links between environmental factors such as nutrition and exposure to various infections.


The digestive system

Symptoms
The main symptom of ulcerative colitis is frequent, watery diarrhoea, which may be accompanied by cramping abdominal pain and the passage of blood and/or mucus. When the disease affects only the rectum - the final portion of the bowel, it is known as proctitis. When ulcerative colitis affects more of the colon than the rectum alone, symptoms are more severe. The symptoms vary according to the degree of inflammation in the bowel and whether or not the lining of the bowel has become ulcerated. In addition to the symptoms already mentioned, there may also be:

pain on opening the bowels
urgent and frequent need to open the bowels
the sensation of incomplete emptying of the bowels
diarrhoea, even during the night
nausea
loss of appetite
weight loss
extreme tiredness
A number of other problems may be associated with ulcerative colitis. These are more likely when the disease is active and include skin rashes, mouth ulcers, joint pains and anaemia.

Ulcerative colitis is defined as mild, moderate or severe, according to the frequency of diarrhoea, the presence of blood and how generally unwell the person is.

Complications
During a severe attack, around 1 in 20 people develop an inflamed and enlarged colon (megacolon), causing abdominal pain and tenderness. This requires urgent medical treatment to avoid the bowel perforating (a hole forming in the bowel wall). Half of people with megacolon improve with drug treatment but the other half need surgery.

Ulcerative colitis can cause changes in the liver (called sclerosing cholangitis), which may be picked up on blood tests to test the liver function.

Having ulcerative colitis increases the risk of developing bowel cancer, particularly for people who have had frequently recurring symptoms for more than 10 years. For this reason, people with ulcerative colitis are encouraged to do all they can to keep the condition under control. They are also offered bowel screening at regular intervals, to look for pre-cancerous changes.

Diagnosing ulcerative colitis
The pattern of symptoms, and a physical examination will indicate to your doctor whether ulcerative colitis is a possible diagnosis. A stool sample will usually be sent to the laboratory to rule out an infection, the most common cause of diarrhoea. When ulcerative colitis is suspected, blood tests are also done to help assess the severity of the illness.

Your GP may be able to perform a limited examination of the rectum or lower bowel. However, for a more thorough examination, your GP may need to refer you to hospital.

There, a gastroenterologist, a doctor specialising in the digestive system, will assess the amount of bowel inflammation and take biopsies (samples of the lining of the bowel) for laboratory testing.

To do this, gastroenterologists use endoscopes - flexible telescopic instruments with a light and lens at the tip, which send pictures of the lining of the bowel to a video monitor. The usual procedure for suspected ulcerative colitis is called a flexible sigmoidoscopy, which can be done even during a severe attack.

A colonoscopy uses a similar, but longer, instrument. The whole of the large bowel can be viewed, but it is not usually performed during a severe attack as it can increase the risk of complications.

The biopsy results can show whether ulcerative colitis is present. The results may also help doctors to distinguish ulcerative colitis from Crohn's disease.

Treatment
The aim of treatment is to control flare-ups as quickly as possible and reduce the chances of further flare-ups or complications.

Medicines
Medicines are used to get a flare-up (also known as a relapse) of ulcerative colitis under control. The doctor may also prescribe drugs to treat diarrhoea and pain.

Once the diagnosis is known, the main treatments are steroids and a group of drugs containing 5-aminosalicylic acid (known as the 5-ASAs). Examples include sulfasalazine and mesalazine. Steroids and the 5-ASA drugs may be given as tablets, enemas or suppositories. Taking drugs as enemas or suppositories makes sense when treating ulcerative colitis, especially when the very last portion of the bowel and rectum are affected.

Preventing flare-ups
Steroids act quickly to dampen down inflammation, but doctors try not to prescribe them for long-term control because of the risk of side effects. The 5-ASAs are more suitable for preventing inflammation and reducing the risk of relapse. For people with more severe ulcerative colitis, who would otherwise end up needing repeated courses of steroids, other immunosuppressant drugs (that dampen down the immune system), such as azathioprine, may be used.

Surgery
Most people who have ulcerative colitis never need to have surgical treatment. However, for approximately one third of people it may be necessary if:

medicines are not controlling the symptoms adequately
repeated attacks lead to poor health and poor quality of life
there has been a sudden complication, such as perforation
pre-cancerous bowel changes, diagnosed by colonoscopy
The most common operation is a proctocolectomy. The colon is removed and the end of the small intestine is joined to the anus. A pouch is made from the small intestine to act as a replacement rectum. The operation may be done in two stages so that, for a time, the end of the intestine is brought out through the wall of the abdomen and drains the contents of the bowel into a bag. This is known as an ileostomy. The bowel is joined up again in a second operation once the surgery to create the pouch has healed.

Unfortunately, the pouch may itself be affected by inflammation and a permanent ileostomy may be required. Even though living with an ileostomy is an inconvenience, much expert help and support is available. Quality of life can be much improved as removal of the colon cures the symptoms of ulcerative colitis.

Living with ulcerative colitis
Having ulcerative colitis can be physically and emotionally stressful. Having frequent bouts of diarrhoea can easily interfere with work and normal social activities. Support, explanation and reassurance is available from GPs, specialist nurses, patient groups and the hospital specialists involved.

For most people with ulcerative colitis, remission from disease can be maintained for very long periods of time allowing a normal family and working life.

Further information
National Association for Colitis and Crohn's Disease
0845 130 2233
http://www.nacc.org.uk

Digestive Disorders Foundation
020 7486 0341
http://www.digestivedisorders.org.uk

2007-10-09 06:43:33 by snikleback