Hi Everyone, my name is Steve, I am new to these chat boards, I have had a pouch since 2006 and everything has worked ok, however a few weeks ago I thought I had the flu but found out I have CMV. Around the same time I starting having Pouchitis symptoms (for the first time), I lost a bunch of weight and finally got in to have a scope done and it was confimred that I had Pouchitis. I am waiting to get the biopsies back to see if there is actual CMV detected in the pouch. In the meantime the doctor prescribed me Cipro and Flagyl and after 4 days they seem to be working.

Long winded.. but my question is: Has anyone experienced this CMV and it causing pouchitis? If so, can you please share with me any thoughts? I have read a lot online and the CMV scares me, and since the antibiotics seem to be working I am wondering is it just a concidence that the Pouchitis happened at the sametime as the CMV or is there a link (since one is viral and one is bacterial), and when the CMV goes away should the Pouchitis go away, or do I potentially have more Pouchitis to look forward to in the future.

Thank you very much for any thoughts/help.
Steve

Hmmm...Kudos to your doc for finding and diagnosing CMV. However, not sure why he is treating with antibiotics when this is a viral infection needing an antiviral to effectively treat. I would presume that you have both ordinary pouchitis and CMV. And yes, it is documented to occur in pouchitis (and with UC). Luckily, I have not personally been afflicted with this, but I know there are some members here who have. Not sure if they still frequent the board though.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9468256

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17373744

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21350712

Jan

Hi Steve!

I was diagnosed with CMV Colitis in 2003. I had a 19 year history of CUC and began spiking crazy high temps every night and getting very very sick. At that time CMV the disease was not seen in people other than those who had transplants and people with active HIV. After I had my total colectomy the pathology came back with my colon "teaming" with CMV. It was very serious. Along with the emergency colectomy I had gancyclovir for 8 weeks along with IV antibiotics. Multiple systems were affected but eventually I rebounded. You will need some kind of antiviral like valcyte at first. Infectious disease worked in tandem with GI.

A lot has been explored since that time and I know that I have been tested for CMV in the pouch since then.

Thank you both for the replies. Katenet - that is crazy, I heard the same thing that it is only in HIV or transplant patients but somehow I got it too. My biopsies came back negative for CMV in the pouch, but I still wonder if the CMV virus being in my body caused the regular pouchitis to occur. My GP said that if CMV isn't actually in the pouch that I don't need gancyclovir and that the CMV will just go away on it's own... but the whole thinkg makes me nervous. I guess I just have to finish my antibiotics and see what happens.

Thank you very much for the replies.
Steve