Hey all.

I got diagnosed with Low-Grade Colitis about 2 and a half years ago after having a sigmoidoscopy and an ultra sound. I had biopsy's taken to test for Crohn's or UC but these came back as inconclusive.
The hospital wanted to retest me again, but at the time i was suffering with anxiety/OCD and after going through all the tests just to have them come back as inconclusive made me feel even more low and disheartened so i refused.
Anyway, i'd been pretty much ok in the last 2 and a half years, I'd get some of the symptoms(mucus, gas, bloating) regularly, but very rarely suffered from diarrhoea or stomach pains and cramps.
However the last week I've had diarrhoea on three different occasions, stomach cramps/pain and i've lost 3 kg.
I saw my GP yesterday who confirmed it was a flare up, and also told me that it was suspected Crohn's Disease (which i've never been told before) but he then told me he couldn't give me any medication for it as only specialists could prescribe medication? Does anyone know if this is true or not, as all IBD site's i've looked at tell you to see your GP as soon as you flare up to get treatment?
He's referred me back to a specialist, but i have no idea what to do in the meanwhile. Last time i got referred it took 8 months to actually see anyone.
Anyone have any advice or suggestions?

thanks
dee

Hey Dee,

I'm not 100% sure but i think your gp can prescribe treatment, but you need to have been diagnosed with crohns by a specialist before hand.  I think thats the way it works.

Hope you get looked about soon anyway and find some relief.

Thanks for the reply, that would actually fit in with what my GP said, but I just wanted to get a second opinion as i always seem to get told conflicting things by GPs lately so never know what to believe any more.

Yes I had the same thing.  The GP sent me for the colonoscopy which confirmed colitis, I saw the colitis specialist at the hospital who gave me some information but no medication.

I live in Leeds and had the colonoscopy in Bradford (shorter waiting time) and they said if I wanted to be treated in Leeds they would write to the colitis clinic there and I had to tell my GP.  This all got done and I got an appointment for 2 months away just to get some form of initial treatment.  The GP could not prescribe.  Fortunately I got an appointment slightly quicker but even though I was in pain and discomfort there was apparently nothing to do but wait.

The colitis clinic prescribed me a course of prednisolone.  The hospital gave me the quantity for the 1st month then I needed to get the rest of the course through my GP.  After this the colitis clinic prescribed me Asacol for long term treatment.  They did blood tests, but my GP also want me to have blood tests as they are prescribing even though the colitis clinic told them to.  

The colitis clinic told me if I was having problems to go to them, not the GP, for advice and treatment.

I had a flexible sigmoidoscopy last week and they said I'm in flare again (as I suspected) so I went to the colitis clinic to get treatment - a course of pred again and azathioprine instead of the Asacol.  Again, the clinic will tell the GP to give me the other half of the pred course and the aza, and they will be able to further prescribe me the aza when I need it.