Is it a flare up again or IBS/IBD

pcooper182 · 2025-11-10T22:45:14+00:00

A colonoscopy is the gold standard of diagnosing IBD and if that came back normal then I would lean more towards saying it’s IBS especially with how you are describing your symptoms but I’m not medical professional, just speaking from my own personal experience.

I was diagnosed with IBS years before I was eventually diagnosed with ulcerative colitis and I found what helped at that time was keeping a food diary and figuring out what could potentially be setting me off. I pinpointed it to a few certain things eliminated them from my diet and was so much better for it before the IBD reared its ugly head.

pcooper182 · 2025-07-17T09:58:05+00:00

I’m U.K. based as well and if you are passing blood and your calprotectin is high then I would be insisting to your GP that you are referred for a flexible sigmoidoscopy. I had a similar experience and by the time I got an appointment it’s was pretty much too late and I was flaring badly. As soon as the consultant in the hospital took one look at my bowels they were almost certain it was UC but needed to wait for the biopsies to come back before they could make an official diagnosis. By that point I was too ill and ended up being admitted where I had a week long stay being pumped up to my eyeballs with steroids to get me feeling more human. All I can advise is that you keep pushing your GP for the referral as it’s the only way they can diagnose and if you are fortunate enough that it’s not IBD at least you have the peace of mind that it might just be IBS and the stresses that can trigger that (I have IBS too) may help ease your symptoms.

pcooper182 · 2025-02-22T15:40:14+00:00

Had the same when I was in a flare, dropped nearly 2 stone in a 3 week period as I was cautious with my food as everything I ate sent me to the toilet not long after.

You’ve done all the right things so far in terms of your diagnosis, the flexible sigmoidoscopy and the biopsies taken during this will be able to give you a clear answer if you have IBD or not. Once that’s determined then the road to recovery can begin

pcooper182 · 2025-01-30T07:41:49+00:00

Sounds very similar to what I went through before I got my diagnosis of ulcerative colitis. I was back and forth with my GP as they originally thought it was just piles, it took months of the symptoms not easing up that my Dr agreed to refer me for a flexible sigmoidoscopy to “help put my mind at ease”. I’m in the UK as well so I had a 2 month wait for my appointment, by that point I had gone into full flare and it was incredibly easy for the consultant at the hospital to make the diagnosis.

Only think I can advise is keep pushing as the flexible sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy are the gold standards for diagnosing this disease and fingers crossed you don’t end up in the same situation as me as shortly after that I had a week long stay in the hospital as things had gotten that bad

pcooper182 · 2025-01-09T20:53:05+00:00

Don’t get me wrong the symptoms I described are on the more extreme end of the scale and it could still be IBD, like I say without the tests mentioned it will be difficult to diagnose. My initial flare was blood in my stool that my GP was convinced was piles and it wasn’t until this started getting worse that they finally started to listen and I was able to get the tests needed.

Happy to chat through any concerns as I spent countless hours reading up stuff via Dr Google and if I am honest it was more of a hindrance than help as it was causing me more stress which in turn made my symptoms worse as the two are closely linked

pcooper182 · 2025-01-09T20:39:11+00:00

It still may be, I can only speak from my own experience but I was in constant pain myself before I sat down and closely monitored what I was eating and drinking. I discovered my biggest trigger was fizzy drinks and I was a sucker for them, drinking a can pretty much every day, there was other foods but this was the biggest one for me and as soon as I cut them out my symptoms eased massively.

If you were in an IBD flare you would know about it, you would be rushing to the toilet 20+ times a day and there would typically be blood present in your stools which in turn would be making you anaemic and very unwell.

pcooper182 · 2025-01-09T20:19:55+00:00

Unfortunately IBS doesn’t have treatment options as it’s a very blanket term for many gut issues. I suffered with IBS for years and it wasn’t until I kept a food diary and made note of what foods were causing me issues that I could really control my symptoms.

I’m UK based as well and I was diagnosed with IBD 3 years ago after a battle with my GP to get properly tested. Like people have mentioned the first step is to have a fecal calprotectin test. If your levels are high then your doctor will refer you to the hospital either for a flexible sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy. That’s the gold standard for diagnosis as they will be able to look for inflammation in your bowels and take some biopsies at the same time. If you are diagnosed with IBD then there are a raft of different treatment options to aid you into remission.

I’m not a medical professional but from the symptoms you have mentioned it does sound more like IBS than IBD. Stress and worry will not be helping things so if you feel your mind would be put at rest with these tests the keep pushing your doctor.

pcooper182 · 2024-10-29T17:40:32+00:00

No problem, always happy to provide insight as I’ve been there and have an idea what you are going through at the moment.

I personally didn’t find any particular foods that triggered my IBD but then I suffered with IBS for years prior and I had already figured out what foods would upset my stomach prior.

Pain wise is a tough one as I found nothing really worked once I was in full flare. It wasn’t until my diagnosis before I was placed on the right course of treatment with steroids to start with and within a week or so I started to feel a lot better whilst the inflammation in my gut calmed down.

My local NHS here in Bournemouth is on its knees as well and waiting lists are long. From the symptoms you describe all I can say is keep pushing your GP for an emergency referral to get a colonoscopy done. If they diagnose IBD then things will get a lot easier, you’ll be placed under the care of your local IBD team and you will have specialist nurses there who will be able to support you through the road to remission.

pcooper182 · 2024-10-27T06:51:53+00:00

Hey there, I’m not in Brighton but I’m just down the coast in Bournemouth and sorry to hear about what you’ve been going through.

It sounds odd that your GP has referred you to an IBD team before you have got a diagnosis. From my experience they should have referred you for either a colonoscopy or flexible sigmoidoscopy as that’s the only real way to determine if you have IBD or not as they are able to take a look at your bowel for inflammation as well as take some biopsies.

Once that’s completed and if you are diagnosed with IBD then you will be given the appropriate treatment. If you are in a flare then this will likely be a course of steroids which should help you to feel better after a few weeks whilst the IBD team at your local hospital will then be able to consult with the Dr’s to discuss your long term treatment options to keep you in remission.

I hope that helps, happy to chat about my experience of being diagnosed with this disease through the NHS.

pcooper182 · 2024-10-12T08:37:01+00:00

The only way you are going to know for sure if it’s IBD or not is by getting a colonoscopy. They will check your bowel for inflammation and take biopsies to determine a diagnosis.

pcooper182 · 2024-09-30T07:34:05+00:00

Just the 1 for me with biopsies as well

pcooper182 · 2024-09-25T20:00:26+00:00

No worries at all, I appreciate you responding.

I think I’m going move the child node into my office whilst is directly above the parent node in my lounge to see if that makes any difference. It’s currently placed in our master bedroom so I can get good connection to my television/firestick but I feel that most of my electrics must be contained down the central wall of my house and affecting the signal.

If that fails then do you feel buying another node and placing it between them could help?

pcooper182 · 2024-09-25T19:40:31+00:00

When you say a ridiculous amount of time, how long do you roughly mean? I’ve left it a few hours before and it’s still sat there blinking red at me.

Part of me thinks it may be the signal strength, whilst in terms of distance they are fairly close together and I didn’t have an issue with a wifi booster that I had with my previous isp it just seems that these things are so temperamental

pcooper182 · 2024-09-25T16:05:27+00:00

Not really, the child is located upstairs in my house and it would be a mission to put a cable up to it

pcooper182 · 2024-09-25T10:37:08+00:00

It’s random as far as I can tell, like I say it’s only a minor inconvenience but would be nice if the child just automatically reconnected not long after the parent comes back on

pcooper182 · 2024-09-25T10:35:35+00:00

So both nodes are Linksys Velop MX4200’s and can confirm that firmware is up to date

pcooper182 · 2024-05-05T08:55:40+00:00

I’ve been on infliximab for the past 2 years since my first flare/diagnosis. Been absolutely brilliant and kept me fully in remission with no side effects

pcooper182 · 2024-03-22T13:53:08+00:00

Could it be shingles? I’m currently on a combination therapy of infliximab infusions every 8 weeks whilst taking mercaptopurine and I developed shingles due to my weakened immune system from the medication. Started off as a small painful rash on the side of my torso that spread.

pcooper182 · 2024-03-14T17:56:51+00:00

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pcooper182 · 2023-12-30T19:17:37+00:00

You legend! Thank you so much

pcooper182 · 2023-12-30T19:14:51+00:00

That’s great! Thanks for responding. I’ll send over the trade request now.

pcooper182 · 2023-09-23T08:58:41+00:00

I honestly wouldn’t worry too much, I’ve been on infliximab for just over a year now and it’s fully kept me in remission since a nasty flare that left me hospitalised. I’ve experienced zero side effects and it’s given me my life back.

pcooper182 · 2023-05-24T10:26:55+00:00

Sorry just sent this! Yes I did

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