How we check on your IBD

Key points

• Keep up with your tests even when you feel well. Inflammation can be there without symptoms.
• For a stool calprotectin test, use the first stool of the day and drop it off as your kit says.
• Intestinal ultrasound needs no bowel prep and uses no radiation. Come as you are.
• If IBD affects your colon, ask your team when your next check-up colonoscopy is due. It can be every year, every few years, or less often, based on your risk.
• Keep your vaccines up to date. Get any live vaccines before you start medicines that weaken the immune system.
• Get a skin check every year, and protect your skin from the sun.
• If you have a cervix and have taken immune-suppressing medicine for 3 years or more, Ontario advises an HPV test every 3 years (not 5).
• For pain, acetaminophen (Tylenol) is usually the safest choice. Don't take more than the label says. Avoid ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) and naproxen (Aleve), which can trigger flares.
• Tell your team if you feel low, worried or very tired. This is part of IBD care.