Anyone else feel like bugs are crawling?

[KellyMom]

I am desperate to figure this out. Quick backstory: Dx Crohn's this month, started with upper left abdominal pain. Did all sorts of testing, found ulcers in terminal illeum leading to Dx. Capsule study did not show anything in intestine where main upper pain is located. Still trying to figure out what this pain is and why it is getting worse. It throbs/aches all day, and after I eat, about 20 minutes after, it feels like bugs are crawling downward in the spot that's sore. It is creepy, and I dread eating because it feels so weird. It's doing it right now as I type. I have not seen anyone on here post feeling like this. Thought I would see if it's part of Crohn's b/c I am facing laproscopic surgery as a possibility to figure it out if we can't figure it out with other testing soon and I would like to avoid surgery if possible. I heard from one person who has had Crohn's a long time she feels like gravel is rolling through her if she eats a trigger food. Could this be what I feel, a trigger reaction? Anyone have thoughts?

 

[David]

Hi Kelly,

Where specifically does it feel like bugs are crawling? What area of your abdomen? And is it with ALL foods or specific ones? When you drink do you get the same feeling?

That must be really disconcerting, I'm sorry you're having to deal with this

 

[KellyMom]

It only feels this way in my left upper abdomen, parallel to my stomach. It feels this way after I eat, about 20 minutes after. There seems to be no rhyme or reason to the type of food that triggers it that I have found. I am starting to journal my food to see if I can narrow it down. Saw the abdominal surgeon again today to address this ongoing pain and they are going to wait 3 months to see if the Pentasa helps the pain. If not, they will do laproscopy to check out what is going on in there. They are guessing it is Crohn's related pain and therefore should resolve with the meds or at least get better. If it doesn't they will explore a muscle/nerve/malformed body part as an option. Whatever it is, it hurts and I am so over dealing with it. A year and half is too long for no answer.

 

[David]

That's really weird. At the 20 minute mark the food would likely still be in your stomach. And from there it wouldn't be anywhere near parallel to your stomach until it hits the transverse colon much later. I wonder if something is going on with your vagus nerve.

I'm no help, sorry Hopefully someone else comes along with some ideas.

 

[KellyMom]

I know Nobody seems to be able to figure it out. I even had a doctor tell me to see psych. because she thought I meant I 'saw' bugs crawling on my skin. Um, no. I guess I wait and see in May what they say at my follow up.

 

[Heather_D]

Hi! I haven't experienced the symptoms you are describing. I was wondering though if you have had other organs checked that are in that area for inflammation or issues. Crohns increases your risk of other problems, so perhaps it's not your intestines causing this specific issue. Even if the doctor doesn't feel that there might be other issues, I would push for the tests; a lot of them are fairly simple (blood work, x-ray, etc). I pushed for an ultra sound of my gallbladder a few months ago when I was experiencing severe pain. My GI didn't think it was the cause, but I wanted it checked anyway (have a family history of gallbladder issues). Turned out it was not my GB, but I felt better being able to rule it out.

 

[tots]

Cramping? Try Bentyl?

Not alot of help but, the best I could think of.

I hope you get help for it soon,

 

[Joann B]

KellyMom, do you have an answer? I have no diagnosis but am suffering from a similar thing. I have pain in the area under my ribs on the left side where the stomach is, and it often extends to where the liver is on the right side. After I eat, and no matter what I eat, I get feelings of being inflated, and bugs crawling on the insides and eating me alive, and have chest wall spasms that make me feel like I'm having arrhythmia. Sometimes the chest wall tightens to the point I feel like I'm having a heart attack, and it's difficult to breath. Have confirmed there is nothing wrong with my heart, but it appears that eating triggers all the odd neurologic stuff, and it starts about 20 minutes after I eat. Would love to hear the outcome of the tests and surgery. Some time has passed since this conversation. Thanks!

 

[xmdmom]

muscle fasciculation can feel like bugs crawling-- might it be a muscle twitching?

btw, there is a word for that worm like feeling myokymiahttp://www.healthhype.com/myokymia-rippling-muscle-movements.html

 

[KellyMom]

Hello! Much time has passed since I posted. I thank you for your reply. So it has been a year and I had a baby since I last posted. The interesting thing was, when pregnant the bugs crawling sensation lessened. He was born in February and my symptoms returned this past summer. Now, I feel it daily and I have returned to having the burning stabbing pain in my left upper quadrant where the bugs feeling is. I have also developed pain in my left chest muscle and when I lay down at night, I now get sour taste in my throat leading me to believe the chest pain and sour taste are GERD or reflux. I have no answers as of now, I am very frustrated. The only thing I know for sure is I am lactose intolerant so I plan to start a very milk free diet and see if it helps with the pain/bugs feeling. I will keep you posted.

 

[Joann B]

Thank you so much for your quick response! I am really sorry to hear that you have the same symptoms and no answers. It's encouraging, though, that you were able to have a healthy baby despite the odd symptoms. Congratulation and best wishes! I will be seeing a specialist, and will let you know if I learn the cause. I suspect a candida (yeast) infection in my GI tract. I have never had anything like that before but hear that can cause bloating, stabbing pains, and numbness and tingling in the extremities.