Good Morning All,
I am hoping someone can help us. My son is 20 yrs old, has had severe diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain for almost 4 years. He has had every GI test I believe is out there to diagnos him. Every Doctor we visit including a wonderful Nurse Practioner he sees at John's Hopkins suspects he has Crohns, but a biopsy he had in April during a single balloon enteroscopy did not show Crohns. Since December 2010, by son has been hospitalized 6 times for severe abdominal pain which is not relieved with high doses of morphine or dilaudid. His painful episodes last anywhere from 24 hours to 4 days and he always has to go to the ER for them. When I look up Crohns I think I can put a check mark next to every symptom except eyes and weight loss, although he was on Lexapro and just come off about 3 weeks ago and the weight is already dropping. His last hospitalization was at Vanderbilt in Nashville while he was driving back to school at Univ of Alabama last week. He was filling up a toilet bowl full of blood about 15 times in 4 days. The Docs there admitted him to ICU as his hematocrit was dropping quickly and after testing said it could be a fissure. He has had fissures before, but never bled like this. They could not do a colonoscopy because he kept throwing up the contrast, but did do an upper and said it looked fine. Here are the test he has had done in the last 4 years and some recent surgeries:
Colonoscopies x 4 = Always find inflammation and narrowing of the sigmoid colon
Upper endoscopy x 2= gastritis
Capsule endoscopy 2010-showed delayed progession and inflammation in the SB
CT Scans x 3 = Narrowing sigmoid colon
Barrium swallow- Normal
Single Balloon Enteroscopy- 04/11- thickening of Small Bowel Wall
HIDA Scan 01/11- positive for Sphincter of Oddi due to GB removal
Surgeries:
12/10- Gallbladder/Appendix removed due to pancreatitis and cholecystitis
06/11- Sphincterotomy- Bile duct had to much pressure and was enlarged
This poor kid is trying to go to college has not been able to complete a full term due to all of this and we still don't have a correct diagnosis. He is getting depressed, afraid and always waiting for the next flare up of severe abdominal pain. I am wondering if a trip to the Mayo Clinic may be in order? If anyone has any thoughts, I would greatly appreciate them.
Thank you so much!
Amy
I am hoping someone can help us. My son is 20 yrs old, has had severe diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain for almost 4 years. He has had every GI test I believe is out there to diagnos him. Every Doctor we visit including a wonderful Nurse Practioner he sees at John's Hopkins suspects he has Crohns, but a biopsy he had in April during a single balloon enteroscopy did not show Crohns. Since December 2010, by son has been hospitalized 6 times for severe abdominal pain which is not relieved with high doses of morphine or dilaudid. His painful episodes last anywhere from 24 hours to 4 days and he always has to go to the ER for them. When I look up Crohns I think I can put a check mark next to every symptom except eyes and weight loss, although he was on Lexapro and just come off about 3 weeks ago and the weight is already dropping. His last hospitalization was at Vanderbilt in Nashville while he was driving back to school at Univ of Alabama last week. He was filling up a toilet bowl full of blood about 15 times in 4 days. The Docs there admitted him to ICU as his hematocrit was dropping quickly and after testing said it could be a fissure. He has had fissures before, but never bled like this. They could not do a colonoscopy because he kept throwing up the contrast, but did do an upper and said it looked fine. Here are the test he has had done in the last 4 years and some recent surgeries:
Colonoscopies x 4 = Always find inflammation and narrowing of the sigmoid colon
Upper endoscopy x 2= gastritis
Capsule endoscopy 2010-showed delayed progession and inflammation in the SB
CT Scans x 3 = Narrowing sigmoid colon
Barrium swallow- Normal
Single Balloon Enteroscopy- 04/11- thickening of Small Bowel Wall
HIDA Scan 01/11- positive for Sphincter of Oddi due to GB removal
Surgeries:
12/10- Gallbladder/Appendix removed due to pancreatitis and cholecystitis
06/11- Sphincterotomy- Bile duct had to much pressure and was enlarged
This poor kid is trying to go to college has not been able to complete a full term due to all of this and we still don't have a correct diagnosis. He is getting depressed, afraid and always waiting for the next flare up of severe abdominal pain. I am wondering if a trip to the Mayo Clinic may be in order? If anyone has any thoughts, I would greatly appreciate them.
Thank you so much!
Amy