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Has anyone out there has stool tests taken to rule out infection, and find the positive test for Calprotectin?
I have been feeling like my colitis is back. Ha! no colon. So,,Crohns, or IBS is what they are looking for.
I am scheduled for my first scope into my pouch. But that is Nov.
Just wondering if anyone else has struggled with these same symptoms and what they found out.

I am always checking in to see how everyone is doing, but I don't ever ask questions.
Now its time to start asking questions, so maybe I won't freak out.

So glad this group is here.
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I had a remarkable 20+ years of hardly a blip on the horizon with my pouch.

Developed some newer things as of the past few years.

Seems to be things that fall under an "IBD" type heading, but GI won't call it "Crohn's" yet. But I've written here before, he's said that he's seeing "old pouches" come back with "new symptoms" of the IBD type.

A + Calprotectin does indicate bowel inflammation. Someone with irritable bowel disease (and I'd assume irritable pouch disease) would not show a + Calprotectin. Only an inflammatory disorder of the bowel will.

My GI didn't want to send one on me (why? never really could figure that out for sure). Daughter's GIs at Children's LOVE LOVE LOVE this test (I suppose because it's so non-invasive and with kids, that's always a plus). Her first flare showed a Calprotectin of >2,000. Her last (she's on Humira and MTX) showed something like 55. Yay! She'll have another one this Monday, we visit with them next week for a check up.

I'm sure a scope will help them visualize and see if there's obvious inflammation, and they can also send biopsies. My pouch itself looks "pretty ok" most of the time, but there is low-level inflammation (I think most pouches read as this), and he's suspect of my perianal and cuff area, which seems to be my worst offender these days. I did have a + C-reactive protein, and a mildly elevated Sed Rate, too.
C. difficile infection causes elevated calprotectin levels as well. C. diff has to be ruled out before assuming the inflammation is due to IBD. Furthermore, all the symptoms you described could be due to C. diff. I had it twice with my pouch and everyone thought it was "regular" pouchitis until the stool test came back. Once I had the right antibiotics, I was back to normal!

Good luck.

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