You have heard of Colitis, or Ulcerative Colitis in proper medical form. You may even have it. But have you ever heard of Proctitis?

Colitis shows its face in many different ways. I have Proctitis (You likely don’t even know this. That’s just fine. I don’t talk about it a lot. The reason? Solutions, not Problems).

But I promised I would share more about it.

What is Proctitis

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According to the Mayo Clinic, Proctitis is,

inflammation of the lining of the rectum.

That’s very grotesque, right?!

It also might not mean much to you.

Proctitis ICD 10

Proctitis ICD 10 is the code they use when diagnosing you with it.

One thing I learned from my traditional GI was this explanation of what Proctitis is and what it does to me.

Since the rectum is the lowest part of our intestines, people who have Proctitis tend to bloat more. He stated that when that part of the intestine is inflamed it closes up.

The muscles spasm, making it look like a tight fist. That tight fist stays tight as long as the flare-up continues and the stomach is not well.

And when the fist is tight, nothing can get by.

In essence, it acts as a plug.

Do you see where I’m going with this?

Proctitis Symptoms

Anyways, due to the muscle spasms, food makes its journey through the intestines but the outcome is less-than-normal.

Here are some Proctitis symptoms you might experience:

• Fever, diarrhea, or constipation
• Abdominal pain and bloating
• Swollen groin and rectal lymph nodes
• Pus, mucus, or blood that comes from your rectum or is in your bowel movement
• Rectal and anal itching, pain, or redness
• Feeling that your rectum is not empty after you have a bowel movement or straining to move your bowels
• Not being able to control your bowel movements

While Proctitis is generally regarded as a less severe form of Colitis, it is still an unpleasant and miserable feeling.

In fact, almost always, Colitis begins as Proctitis. Yes, even though you’ve never likely even heard of it.

The inflammation usually begins in the rectum and lower colon, but it may also involve the entire colon. When ulcerative colitis affects only the rectum, it is called ulcerative proctitis. Ulcerative colitis differs from Crohn’s disease. Both diseases are called inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

Personal Proctitis Journey + Update

Here’s the kicker with Proctitis, and any form of Ulcerative Colitis for that matter: they say food and diet do not matter.

Just Google around and you will see many different medical sources stating there is no direct correlation between food and various forms of Colitis.

I beg to differ, and how do I know this?

I was diagnosed with Proctitis in 2008. Because of the measures I took, it never progressed beyond that. In fact, my ‘scope was clean as of July, 2018.

For all of you out there who think there is no hope, trust me – there is!

I have resources upon resources on this website. To start digging in more for your own journey, START HERE today or grab your copy of A Gutsy Girl’s Bible.

If you liked this post, you might also enjoy:

1. IBS vs IBD {What’s the Difference}
2. The Colonoscopy and Endoscopy
3. 90-Day Gut Healing Journal

Xox,
SKH