Hi. I'm sorry you are going through this. I hadn't heard of it before but read through the link, and got the impression that it wasn't a typical IBD. Then after reading, saw the section about tests that should be done, which also verified that it is a distinctly different diagnoses than IBD. After reading the below info, it concerns me that your GI doctors have not been able to discern what tests to runl. At least the CT or MRI scan to begin. What brought them to the conclusion of this diagnoses? It seems it can be very dangerous and very important to establish the cause, in order to create your treatment plan. I don't even feel right about prednisone in this case. I certainly don't know, but if it is brought on by restricted blood vessels...well, I just don't know. I see you are in Canada, so I really don't know much about your ability to get 2nd opinions, and timely care. But please stay on top of them and get the answers you need.

"Ischemic colitis can often be confused with other disorders because their symptoms overlap, especially inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Based on your signs and symptoms, your doctor may recommend these imaging tests:

Ultrasound and abdominal CT scans, to provide images of your colon that can be helpful in ruling out other disorders, such as IBD.
Stool analysis, to rule out infection as a cause of your symptoms.
CT or MRI angiography, to provide detailed images of blood flow in your small intestine and to look for blocked arteries. This test is usually used only if ischemia is suspected in your small bowel as well as in your colon.
Colonoscopy. This test, which provides detailed images of your colon, can be helpful in diagnosing ischemic colitis. Colonoscopy can also be used to check for cancer, and to see how well a treatment worked."

I had a abdominal x-ray while I was in the hospital that showed bowel obstruction. The ct with gastrografin showed thickening of the bowel wall. Biopsies taken during my sigmoidoscopy showed ischemic colitis. They put me on prednisone for inflammation.

I was in the ER January 22nd with severe abdominal pain and was kept overnight. An abdominal x-ray showed lots of gas. I was put on iv fluids and drank gastrografin again. An abdominal ct scan showed inflammation in my lower left colon which is where I've been having the pain. I was on clear fluid diet. Blood tests showed a mildly elevated white blood cell count and mildly elevated inflammation markers. They sent me home with dilaudid and said to try BRAT diet and liquids. I did that for a while but whatever I eat causes me pain.

Wednesday I prepped for my colonoscopy and had a really hard time with pain and cramping from the prep. It took 5 hours for the prep to start working. I had my colonoscopy Thursday. I won't find out the results until I have a follow up hopefully sometime next week. No biopsies were taken. All day Thursday I had cramping pain. Friday morning I had severe pain and diarrhea. Since then I have pain every day.

There are a limited number of doctors here. I don't need a second opinion because the biopsy confirmed ischemic colitis. My surgeon is a general and thoracic surgeon. He's not a gastroenterologist so he has to consult with them to find out what other tests to run in order to figure out the cause of my ischemic colitis. I had stool anaylsis while in the hospital which showed no infection. I haven't had an angiogram nor an abdominal ultrasound.

DarknessE - I am sorry that you have had so much pain. I have Ulcerative Colitis since 2010. I do not know about the ischemic colitis, so I cannot give you much help there. I just wanted to let you know that you are not alone in dealing with pain and trying to figure out what is the right thing to do.

Many people with UC start out with a steroid treatment in the beginning. However, that is not a long term treatment for any of the IBDs. It is just something to try to reduce some of the inflammation in the beginning and try to decrease some of your pain while the Drs try to figure out what to do next. It sort of buys them a little time - or that is what they hope for. It does not always do what they hope (which is to provide relief).

After they do the colonoscopy and any other tests they decide need to be done for your particular colitis they will then tell you what they think is the best course of action. That may be to try certain sulfa drugs or maybe some biologic drugs. I don't know if those are used for the Ischemic Colitis or not. I just know that those medications are used for the Ulcerative Colitis and am telling you my experience.

If they decide that medication is not going to work or that part of your colon has died because the blood supply was cut off then surgery will have to be done. If a section of your colon is dead it HAS to come out or it will cause infection, get worse, and do all kinds of nasty stuff. Is Ischemic Colitis the loss of blood supply to part of the colon? If so then surgery is probably required along with trying to figure out how to prevent it from happening again in the future.

A resection of the colon does not have to be a huge 'deal'. It depends on how much of your colon is removed as to what kind of issues you may have after surgery. There is one member on this board who has had multiple colon resections. You might post a question specifically about that to see if you can get him to comment about the surgery.

Not sure if I helped you or not. I hope I answered some questions or at least helped you feel less alone in all this. That is sometimes the hardest part. Feeling like you are alone dealing with it all.

Rachel

Thank you Rachel. Yes ischemic colitis is when the blood supply to a part of the colon has been cut off or reduced. I had a colonoscopy on January 28th. The prep was truly horrendous taking 5 hours to start to work and giving me horrible pain and cramping. I had cramping and pain the entire day following the colonoscopy and the next morning had severe diarrhea. I've been having pain, cramping, bloating, etc..ever since. I'm still waiting for my follow up appointment to discuss the results of the colonoscopy.


On November 20th, 2016 I had colon resection surgery for stage 2a colon cancer. Half of my sigmoid and half of my rectum was removed. I had a really long recovery. I hope to avoid surgery but that doesn't seem to be an option. Currently my cancer is in remission.