My daughter came to me tonight after dinner and told me she's been worried about her stomach. I knew she was having intestinal problems lately but I thought she ate something bad or had a stomach bug. She was house sitting last weekend and spent two days vomiting and was having diarrhea and had belly pain. Tonight she sat me down to talk to me about it, she said it's been happening a lot longer but didn't want to worry me. When I asked her if she ever saw mucous or blood in her stool she said she frequently saw mucous and has seen blood only 3 or 4 times. She said the blood was on the outside of the stool mixed in with the mucous. That really sounds like my years of UC and I'm a little freaked out. She said she has had cramping that sometimes she has trouble holding and getting to a bathroom in time, and even when she gets to a bathroom it feels like she has to keep going even when nothing comes out but small amounts of diarrhea and mucous. Should she go see of GI even though she's only seen a small amount of blood?
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Kereen,
I think you already know the answer to your question, and that would be "yes", your daughter should be checked out. Having blood and mucus in the stool is not normal and needs to be evaluated. When you say that she told you that her symptoms have been occurring for a lot longer, how long is she talking about? Given your history of UC, seeing a doctor would be prudent so she can discover what's causing her symptoms, whether it be a virus, bacterial infection, or some autoimmune condition.
I think you already know the answer to your question, and that would be "yes", your daughter should be checked out. Having blood and mucus in the stool is not normal and needs to be evaluated. When you say that she told you that her symptoms have been occurring for a lot longer, how long is she talking about? Given your history of UC, seeing a doctor would be prudent so she can discover what's causing her symptoms, whether it be a virus, bacterial infection, or some autoimmune condition.
She had a really nasty mono infection this spring and said her intestinal problems started in the beginning of summer. She's also been complaining of a lot of joint pain (not completely unusual because she's hypermobile). Worried about putting her through a colonoscopy for only a couple of bleeding episodes, does it really hurt to wait and see? Makes me sad 
Kereen,
First I would like to say I am very sorry about your daughter's recent health issues. I can relate to you as I have two children and both my dad and I had ulcerative colitis (he had an ostomy at 47, I had jpouch surgery at 49), so there can be a genetic link.
When I was about 22 and started having the exact same symptoms your daughter is experiencing (minus the vomiting), my dad immediately had me see his GI doctor. I had a sidmoidoscopy right in the office (no colonoscopy).
Very often at the early stages of UC, the disease begins in the rectum and works itself upward. She may not need a colonoscopy if her disease has just started, but since she has indicated this has been going on for awhile, I would not want to stall on getting her seen. Best of luck to both of you in getting to the bottom of her health issue.
First I would like to say I am very sorry about your daughter's recent health issues. I can relate to you as I have two children and both my dad and I had ulcerative colitis (he had an ostomy at 47, I had jpouch surgery at 49), so there can be a genetic link.
When I was about 22 and started having the exact same symptoms your daughter is experiencing (minus the vomiting), my dad immediately had me see his GI doctor. I had a sidmoidoscopy right in the office (no colonoscopy).
Very often at the early stages of UC, the disease begins in the rectum and works itself upward. She may not need a colonoscopy if her disease has just started, but since she has indicated this has been going on for awhile, I would not want to stall on getting her seen. Best of luck to both of you in getting to the bottom of her health issue.
Kereen,
I am so sorry that your daughter is going through this and I am happy that she had the courage to speak to you about it so soon...many kids go years without telling their parents that something is up...if she had the courage to speak to you it means that she realises that something 'not normal' is brewing in their and that she needs more than just an OTC aide to get her past it...take her in, get her checked out...if it is, in fact, nothing...then you will both be relieved...if it is 'something' then it can be deal with...and I have never known of a serious intestinal problem that improved by ignoring it...no matter what, you will both feel better knowing the truth.
Good luck...if you like and trust your G.I., then take her there, if not find one that is gentle and kind to young people and has a good 'bedside manner'..;first contacts make a big difference.
Sharon
I am so sorry that your daughter is going through this and I am happy that she had the courage to speak to you about it so soon...many kids go years without telling their parents that something is up...if she had the courage to speak to you it means that she realises that something 'not normal' is brewing in their and that she needs more than just an OTC aide to get her past it...take her in, get her checked out...if it is, in fact, nothing...then you will both be relieved...if it is 'something' then it can be deal with...and I have never known of a serious intestinal problem that improved by ignoring it...no matter what, you will both feel better knowing the truth.
Good luck...if you like and trust your G.I., then take her there, if not find one that is gentle and kind to young people and has a good 'bedside manner'..;first contacts make a big difference.
Sharon
I'm so sorry your daughter is going through this. However, I think you know that the answer is not just "wait and see." Given the family history and her symptoms, UC seems a likely possibility. Also, since her symptoms seem largely mild at this point, the sooner she can start treatment for it while it's still early, likely the better off she will be. Granted, I had an acute flare, but with my UC, I went downhill FAST. I went from having a few drops of blood to 20+ bloody bowel movements a day, in less than 3 weeks. So don't wait this out. Obviously nobody wants to have this diagnosis, but my opinion is that you're always better to know exactly what you're dealing with so you can act accordingly.
Best of luck to both of you.
Best of luck to both of you.