Crohn's or Colitis????.......IBD..... NO diarrhea....
Hello to my fellow pain in the a-- friends on this board....
I have been having problems for a while, since June. I am normally a constipated person, but since then have been going every day, sometimes up to 5 times a day. I have lost 45 lbs. This all began after a very severe kidney infection. I tested positive for a fecal occult blood test (hidden blood in the stool) and started to take notice & look at my stool after going. I noticed blood a few times, in the stool. It used to be difficult for me to go, constantly constipated, going maybe twice a week, so I thought everything was finally good with my bowels. When the doctors were thinking colon cancer (with all the weight loss & my brother being diagnosed at the same time with pancreatic cancer), I thought they were crazy. I thought I was going #2 very well! Well, I had a colonoscopy & EGD done at the same time (NEVER do that–I was sick for a week!!) & found that I ulcers & inflammation of my colon. The surgeon thought colitis. The biopsies came back "focal active colitis" with mild edema in the transverse/descending colon, and "Focal Active Colitis" with mild crypt distortion and mild edema in the rectum/sigmoid colon. I was told it would go away after a month on azulfidine. As soon as that month was over, I lost another 10 lbs. So they put me back on it. My osteo said he was thinking Crohn's, some sort of IBD. I thought I had already been diagnosed! I am confused... Then my mom talked to her gastro about it & she thinks it's Crohn's, too. I couldn't believe it when I got the script filled & I have 5 refills!!! Am I going to have to take this forever??? UGh...
Please respond if you have any info. I do NOT have diarrhea or anything, just weight loss & I feel like crap, tired & such. I also have pain in my left rib, but they think that is due to a rib out of joint, so not related.
How do they tell if it's Crohn's as opposed to Colitis? Can't it just go away?
Re: Crohn's or Colitis????.......IBD..... NO diarrhea....
Have they taken blood to test for Crohn's? There are markers now they can look for. I was told I had Crohn's two years ago but now told I don't because I don't carry the markers.
Re: Crohn's or Colitis????.......IBD..... NO diarrhea....
No, I haven't. I haven't been in to see the gastro yet. I have been pretty ill. Like I have the flu. I never had diarrhea before, not sure what is going on. I am really bloated too. Food not digesting... I see lettuce & stuff in the toilet. So gross, I know. Not sure what to do. I feel so ill, but I guess I have to wait for 2 weeks to see my pcp so I can get a referral to a gastro....
I would love any suggestions or ideas... I am running out of gas on this...
Re: Crohn's or Colitis????.......IBD..... NO diarrhea....
No, I don't have diarrhea most of the time. Maybe because I am on narcotic pain meds that sometimes cause constipation??? I just had my pain meds switched to Darvocet & initially I had diarrhea for 2 days, but it has firmed up again. I emailed a gastro online who said it is important for me to see a gastro, I either have an enzyme problem or everything is moving too fast through the GI tract. He said not sure if I have Crohn's or Colitis, but you CAN have an IBD such as UC or CD WITHOUT having diarrhea.
I have also been having this yellow-transparent jelly like stuff (mucous?) in my stool. I also feel like I have to go constantly & have been having numerous BMs—sometimes 6+ times a day. I have seen small amounts of blood still.
I am worried due to the dizziness & fatigue & black-outs (I am not sure if you would really call it a black out, it's just where I can't see for a few minutes, not where I really pass out or anything.) & such. I still have the palpitations, too.
Re: Crohn's or Colitis????.......IBD..... NO diarrhea....
Went to the GI yesterday. She said I have an IBD. Just not sure if it's CD or UC. My WBC count has been high for the last few weeks & the GI said that was due to inflammation from the IBD.
I have now lost 50 lbs. & have bouts of nausea & loose stools. I have had to reeive IV fluids a couple of times due to dehydration. Also had low potassium. I feel the urge for BMs constantly & have urgency in the morning so much that it will wake me up. I haven't seen much blood lately, but have had it shown on my stool in the past, just not often & not that much.
I had the small bowel follow through today. It was not fun. The barium moved through to my large bowel in 30 minutes, but there was a pool of it in my lower right side & they kept doing x-rays to see if it would move so they could get better pictures. The radiologist said it is still a toss up between UC & CD & that the small bowel didn't look too bad. I am to call my GI in a couple of days to get the results. What makes the barium move through the bowels so fast?
Re: Crohn's or Colitis????.......IBD..... NO diarrhea....
ZoeGirl: That is interesting because I have of late been having GYN problems & am being referred to an ob-gyn. I do have a couple ovarian cysts that they have been watching, but my GI said that my pain is NOT due to the cysts, but due to the IBD. She is SURE I have IBD, just not sure if it's CD or UC. I go for another colonoscopy in 6 weeks. I had a small bowel series which showed what they believe is inflammation in the area of the cecum/ileum. This makes me believe that it is crohn's but not for sure. My colonoscopy that was done in October did not look at the cecum/iluem or do a biopsy of that area (that's why I have to have it done AGAIN.) So what were your gyn issues?
My GI did not think I should do the blood test due to the cost & the fact that it is not always accurate.
