Alphabet Poop: A Glossary

Before I had my first colonoscopy, my GI said I probably had IBD, but he wasn't sure if I had CD or UC, and that I was FUBAR either way. I know how hard it is to keep up with all the new terms if you've been newly diagnosed, or if you're a caregiver who now has to learn a whole new language. I've written a list of some common medical terms, and also what abbreviations stand for in the IBD world. (Note: Definitions are taken from Dr. Sunanda V. Kane's book, IBD Self-Management unless marked with an asterisk, in which case, the definition is authored by myself. A descriptive definition will be provided as well.)


Alphabet Poop

Acute inflammation: inflammation present for less than 6 weeks.

"After getting my daughters ears pierced,  I did not clean the wound well and the lobe became acutely inflammed with infection. Ow."

Anus: the end of the colon, which is made up of muscular tissue, that, when healthy, controls the exit of stool and air.

"You're a pain in my anus."

Colitis: inflammation of the colon. Colitis can be caused by infection, drugs, or a lack of blood flow to the colon. Many people use the word "colitis" when refering to ulcerative colitis, which can be confusing because there are many types of colitis, including Crohn's colitis.

"My sister went into ER for severe stomach pain. A CT scan showed colitis- her colon was really inflammed. Poor girl had an infection."

Colon: large intestine. Depending on your body size, your colon is about 3-4 feet in length. The primary job of the colon is to absorb water waste material so the fluid can be used in the rest of the body.

"My colon doesn't do Mexican."

Constipation: fewer than two stools per week. Many patients will complain of constipation when what they really mean is that they have to strain to evacuate or that their stools are very hard.

"I can't eat too many bananas, or I'll get really constipated."

CD*: Crohn's disease.

"My CD is finally in remission!"

Crohn's Disease: chronic inflammation of any part of the GI tract and involves all layers of the bowel wall.

"Crohn's disease used to be called terminal ileitis. Imagine being diagnosed with that and knowing what inflammatory bowel disease is!"

Diarrhea: the medical definition is when there is more than 200 grams of stool output per 24-hour period. That is about seven ounces. Having loose of frequent stools does not mean that you have true diarrhea.

"Last night's party gave me the worst diarrhea."

Enteritis: inflammation of the small intestine.

"My boyfriend has enteritis. It's inflammation of his small intestine. He hasn't been out of bed for days."

Fissure: A break in the tissue around the anal canal.

"A+D ointment really helps with my chapped butt. My doctor calls it a fissure, but I like to call it by what it feels like."

Fistula: an abnormal connection between two body parts.

"My aunt had a connection from her intestines to her butt. I get queasy thinking about how painful that would be."

GI*: Usually refers to a gastroenterologist, or the gastroeintestinal tract.

 "I went to see my GI today. He said my colon seems to be on the mend"; or, ''My GI tract is so ulcerated I can't get out of bed today."

IBD*: "Inflammatory Bowel Disease"

"Investor's Business daily? Oh, I read that with my morning coffee. Wait... that's not what you're talking about?"

Ileitis: inflammation of the ileum, the last part of the small intestine.

"My cousin just got diagnosed with Crohn's- luckily it's only the last part of her small intestine."

Inflammation: swelling of tissues beyond normal, which is the bodies way of fighting off something foreign. Inflammation can be seen in a tissue biopsy under the microscope. In a tissue biopsy, the shape of the intestinal cells is "warped": instead of the cells being in a nicely rounded shape, the cells are distorted into oblong shapes.

"My dad's face became red and inflammed when bee keeping went wrong. The swelling didn't come down for days."

-itis: (suffix): inflammation

Left-sided ulcerative colits: when left side of colon is involved in [chronic] inflammation.

"My daughter's colonoscopy showed that the damage done to her colon is only in the first foot or so of her large intestine. Thank God!"

Mucosa: the inner lining of the intestine.

"The damage has only been done to the first layer of your intestine."

Stenosis: abnormal narrowing of the bowel due to scar tissue, not inflammation.

"My MRI results showed that I had narrowing in my colon from years of undiagnosed flares."

Stricture: a narrowing of the small or large intestine, most likely due to long standing inflammation and scar tissue.

As far as I can tell, stenosis and stricture are interchangeable. If anyone knows any differently, please let me know!

Transmural: occuring through the entire width of the intestine wall.

"They thought it was ulcerative colitis, until they realized he actually had Crohn's because the entire thickness of the colon was inflammed. Only the mucosa and submucosa are affected in ulcerative colitis."

UC: Ulcerative colitis.

"You see? You see what?!"

Ulcer: an area of damaged tissue, and in IBD, breakdown of the lining of the intestine.

"My relative has stomach ulcers from drinking too many Cokes when he was a teenager."

Ulcerative: inflammation that has damaged the inside lining of the colon.

"My pictures from the colonoscopy were terrible. My entire colon was ulcerated."

Ulcerative colitis: chronic inflammation of the innermost lining of the colon.

"I have a zombie colon. Medically, it's called ulcerative colitis."

Ulcerative pancolitis: when [the] entire colon is involved [in chronic inflammation].

"Her worsening symptoms prompted concern that her disease had spread throughout her entire colon, resulting in ulcerative pancolitis."

Ulcerative proctitis: ulcerative colitis that only occurs in the rectum.

"All UC starts in the rectum and eventually spreads throughout the colon. You are lucky you were diagnosed while it's still only in your rectum."