hey guys

I am curious about pouchitis. after I was released and given cipro and metronidazole i felt okay for the first week and had occasional tail bone pain. Recently, I've taken ibuprofen for the pain and it works great. however, i feel the ibuprofen might have triggered pouchitis. About 40% of the time I have a strong urgency, blood, mucous, and pain. I am still not sure if I have pouchitis but I want to get my family doc to give me antibiotics just to make sure. what doses help with pouchitis? what antibiotics? for how long must i take them?

You need to stop the ibuprofen, its a definate no no for j pouchers, especially with pouchits.

Blowe, lost of questions for you. How long since takedown? Are you still taking the Metronidazole and Cipro? Have you been scoped? And how many times a day are you going? I ask this because self diagnosing is a bad thing. If you are fresh from takedown these are all completely normal. The fact that your Doc gave you Flagyl makes me think the Doc thinks you have pouchitis. As far as the scope it will reveal some definate issues, sounds like maybe cuffitis with the blood involved, pouchitis with the urgency. Cuffitis will cause blood and maybe the tail bone pain, but pouchitis causes the ugrency but both can cause all symptoms. I think your best route is to get scoped and see what that reveals and than go from there. My advice would also to cut the ibuprofen as it can cause pouchitis especially if you are prone to it. Good Luck, Scott Mc

Hey I will try to answer everything clearly.

I was on Metronidazole and Cipro for about a week after I was discharged. I go a lot per day- say about 10-15/day. My second surgery was on May 8th, 2007 so I am relatively fresh from my takedown. My doctor gave me cipro and flagyl because I had a mild fever in the hospital and started me on the meds. My blood tests didn't show an infection as my white blood cells were normal- for a change. I haven't been scoped and haven't booked one yet. I have a feeling the tailbone pain is muscle related but I can't be certain.

Blowe, my thoughts are its too early to assume anything, I was going about the same as you for a year after surgery. The only way to really prove anything is with a scope. Without a diagnostic scope I would think you have cuffitis, I say this because I have cuffitis too and I know the symptoms very well. The frequency could be just the adjustment period, the blood and tailbone pain it usually cuffitis. If you want to try meds without a scope for cuffitis I take cortisone(sp?) sups and it works well for me. Though there are a lot of different drugs, probably the same ones you took if you had colitis to help fight inflammation(not sure why you had jpouch). My suggestion is get the scope and treat as the diagnosis tells. Good Luck Scott Mc

Bleeding is nearly always associated with cuffitis. Treatment is not antibiotics, but mesalamine (Canasa) or hydrocortisone suppositories.

Jan

Hey guys

in the past few days I've had extremely sore legs comparable to running a marathon. I've also had runny stools and little or no appetite. I am suspecting it's pouchitis but I have no fever. does anyone have any ideas? would seeing my family doctor help?

thanks

Ever since our daughter was diagnosed with Crohn's disease, which was about 9 months ago, we began researching how to handle it. She had the worst type of Crohn's, we were told, Crohn's with fistula and her fistula just didn't seem to want to heal. She had 18 inches taken off her intestine and she had lost a great deal of weight. Her gastroenterologist put her on Cipro and Flagyl and she was suggesting Remicaide if her fistula didn't heal soon. We decided instead to get her on juices and a vegan diet and her fistula healed very quickly. Please consider it. It worked marvelously and I would suggest it for anyone. I will give you more details if you are interested... Good luck to you and God bless.

Blowe, I think its time to see the doc. Your famiy doc will do if he/she has any experience with pouches. My suggestion would be to call the surgeon and ask for a script for cipro or flagyl if you don't want to see him. If you have pouchitis you won't necessarily have all of any of the symptoms, there are people that have the full spectrum of symptoms and others that have none. Good Luck Scott MC

Fever is not a typical symptom of pouchitis. It is the frequency, urgency, and fatigue/flu-like symptoms that are more diagnostic.

Jan