I originally went to doctor with tiredness. Blood was taken and stool sample. Bloods came back ok but stool samples abnormal. I have read articles on pouchitis but my symptoms don't seem to match. I have more wind than normal and I tend to get up during the night more but apart from that everything else is normal. Doctor is arranging colonoscopy but I'm not sure if I should be having a pouchoscopy. My doctor isn't really up on my condition so I am a bit concerned. Is there such a thing as 'mild' pouchitis
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Since you don't have a colon, you can't have a colonoscopy. If your doctor actually doesn't understand that then he must not be allowed to insert a scope in you. Sometimes people call pouchoscopy "sigmoidoscopy," since the instrument used is a sigmoidoscope. As long as the guy doing the procedure understands what the surgeon constructed, it's okay, but if he doesn't, stay away.
Pouchitis can certainly be mild, but it can't be diagnosed by a stool sample unless it's caused by C diff.
Thank you for replying Scott. I think there was blood in the samples which made me think it was pouchitis. I don't think my doctor had heard of it before when I suggested to her it might be that. I will definitely make sure that the person doing the scope knows that I have a pouch.
Audrey
Audrey
Blood is more suggestive of cuffitis than pouchitis. If your pouchoscopy is being done by someone who's never heard of pouchitis then it may not be very helpful.
Are you sure you are being set up for a colonoscopy? They never use that long scope (or shouldn't be), but sometimes they call it colonoscopy because of the room tupe and sedation they are ordering. Mine is always ordered as a flexible sigmoidoscopy, but my GI uses a pediatric endoscope and no sedation.
I get lots of gas and night time trips with cuffitis flares. But there is also urgency and frequency, same as pouchitis. Only difference is the presence of blood in the stool. But you can get bleeding with pouchitis too.
Jan 