Tag: flexi

Scope Day

I had my flexi this morning. Everything looks normal, no ulcers or signs of inflammation. I’m continuing on the modulen for now but I’m hoping to talk to my dietitian soon and start back on solid foods. I’m still having small amounts of soft foods every now and then as I’m not having any symptoms but I don’t want to overdo it so it’s mostly just yogurt or mashed potato.

Flexi appointment soon

I’ve got my follow-up flexisigmoidoscopy booked for about two weeks time. Seeing as the biopsies they took when I was in hospital showed nothing, I’m doubting new biopsies will show much either. However, this scope should show if the inflammation has gone/reduced from my small bowel.

I’m still taking the modulen daily – and will be at least until I have my scope – but this weekend I decided to have a break; I’m only having half my usual amount (200g), with yogurts and soup making up the remaining calories (sort of). I’ve found I can handle small amounts of soft food (mashed potato, banana, ect) as well as some solid foods (I’ve had a few prawn crackers and some mozzarella sticks with no side effects). I hope this means I’m getting better and that I can start to introduce solids more regularly soon.

In other news, as some of you may know, I have pet rats. Unfortunately, one of my older girls had to be put to sleep last night as she was really poorly. Her sister is pretty upset with us so we’re giving her some space but keeping an eye one her at the same time.

Sunday morning

I think I slept a little better last – in that I didn’t wake up to the lady next to me trying to get out of bed and go home at three in the morning.

I’m still experiencing some discomfort from my flexi yesterday morning so the nurse recommended I go for a wonder to try and shift some of the gas still trapped in my gut. It’s a shame because it’s wet and cold out today where as yesterday (when I was too tired to leave the ward) was nice and sunny.

Speaking of the flexi, I spoke to the out-of-hours doctor last night and results are back saying nothing abnormal (for me) so the usual inflammation is present but nothing dangerous. They have to wait until tomorrow though to get any decisions made on my treatment so it’ll probably be a quiet day today.

My aunt might come to visit later, and my parents will too, which’ll be nice because I don’t get to see her often. Other than that, today will likely be filled with me playing mahjong on my tablet. It keeps me somewhat mentally active and gives me a great distraction from everything.

Warning! Slightly graphic post ahead!

Flexi all done (at last). The prep was just a standard enema but it was so painful! I had to have a nurse assist me. Then I was in a lot of pain for about an hour where I wanted to go to the bathroom but there wasn’t anything to pass so I just had to wait for the sensation to go. The flexi itself was also quite painful but the sedative took the edge off, at least. The nurse even offered me his hand to squeeze.

I’m feeling pretty bloated from the gas they pumped into me so I’m still hurting but nowhere near as badly as I was before.
The plan now is to rest before lunch, eat as much lunch as I can (only ordered a small omlette and jelly for after), then to rest for the afternoon before my parents come to visit me.

Sorry if anyone found this a bit of an overshare but I feel sometimes you can’t always hide the “gross” side of having IBD.

I hope you are all having a relaxed and spoon-filled day.

Saturday morning update

Flexi day today. They haven’t said when exactly but it should be over by one this afternoon. Shame I won’t know what’s what until Monday though; the ward doctors are few and far between on weekends. I suppose if there is anything they think I need to be told/needs doing and can’t wait until Monday, they’ll tell me.

Still waiting to see a doctor but one of the IBD nurses has just been round and they’ve got a flexi booked for me for tomorrow. She said she’ll come round on Monday afternoon to go over the results and then, I guess, we’ll go from there.

The steroids aren’t doing a whole lot so I may be in here a while longer if they can’t find a solution soon.

Flexi over but…

They didn’t find any reason for my flare symptoms during my flexi, only that my inflammatory markers were up. They did an x-ray on my stomach which came back clear, so they have increased my mercaptopurine from 25mg to 50mg daily. I’m also starting a month trial of colesevelam hydrochloride tomorrow (which, apparently, is something to do with salt malabsorption?). They have decided not to change my infusion (yet) so I’ll be staying on the infliximab for the time being. Oh, and I’ll be taking cholecalciferol for the foreseeable future to get my vitamin D levels back up.

Although I’ll be rattling with all the tablets I’ll be taking, I will be home for Christmas and, with a bit of luck, be feeling a little better from the extra meds to be able to eat dinner without an immediate dash to the bathroom afterwards.