Are these symptoms of IBD?

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jolie

Joined
Jan 30, 2014
Messages
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Hi all.

I was diagnosed with Irritable bowel syndrome since the age of 16 , however i have always suspected my symptoms may be of a type of IBD instead.

My main symptoms are -

- chronic bloating after eating
-cramps after eating
- mucus in stools (yellow)
- unintentional weight loss
- feeling fatigued all the time
-dehydration
- skin complaints , boils on the top of my leg and eczma type patches on my chest.
- loss of appetite

the doctor prescribed me buscopan , and a high dose of omeprazole to help but this has had no effect , i had blood tests done a few month ago which came up that my iron was low , but the doctors did not seem too concerned.

I cut out lactose , and caffeine to no effect.

is it worth a visit again to my GP .

Thanks ! any replys are appreciated.
 
Hello!

I would be going back to my GP with those symptoms. I would expect that they should at least have some explanation for your anaemia. Have they carried out a stool test? I would ask that they test for faecal occult blood (blood in the stool that is not obviously visible). If that comes back positive, then they need to find out where that blood is coming from. If it's negative, then it can help to put one line of inquiry to rest, but I would still want to know why the anaemia is there as it affects every part of your life when you are feeling fatigued and run down.

Buscopan and omeprazole have their place, but they are only treating the symptoms (and not doing that successfully, by the sound of it). They need to find the cause of those symptoms first.

If your first GP doesn't take you seriously then try to see another one in the practice. I have a family member who was fobbed off repeatedly by her GP, putting her problems down to her age (a TERRIBLE neglect of duty). Her next GP was a bit better, but still ignored basic warning signs. With our encouragement she pushed and insisted on specific tests, and finally got referred to a specialist who confirmed that she has nephrotic syndrome.

Try to keep a good relationship with your doctor if possible, but not at the expense of your health. Explain your concerns and how much this is affecting your life - you don't need to exaggerate, but don't put on a brave face either.

I heard a GP saying that if patients don't come back, then they can only assume that the treatment is working. If you don't go back and let them know you are still having problems, they have no other way of knowing that they need to do more.

Good luck.
 
Thankyou for your reply , I have made an appointment for my GP for early next week and to hopefully nip this in the bud once and for all !

Indeed i feel like i have been neglected i have complained about weight loss and anaemia for years but i do not think they like to spend the money on things such as extra tests !

thanks again !
 
While doctors can dismiss many of your symptoms as IBS, they shouldn't dismiss the unintentional weight-loss, which is not a symptom of IBS. It is a symptom of IBD (as are the other symptoms you listed, except perhaps the skin complaints - IBD can cause skin complaints but only certain ones), but there are also other conditions that can cause weight loss and your other digestive symptoms.

It's definitely worth pursuing it if you don't feel your symptoms have been adequately accounted for. I hope your next appointment goes better.
 
thank you for all your reply's , i just wondered if constipation or lack of bowel movements is at all an occurrence in IBD? - only for the last month i have only passed movement once a morning and it has been painful and hard to pass , and now i can not pass anything at all , i tried sennokot to no success ?.

this might also be worth mentioning to my gp.

thanks !
 
Sorry to hear your story! Drs said I had ibs in my late teens and I've put up with it until I was diagnosed in 2012! Push your gp definitely I don't tend to have diarrheah it's always the other way! I have to take movercol daily at the moment as I hav a narrowing in my small bowel which I'm having surgery for tom 😕 scared and relieved I could hav a better life! Most of your symptoms are the same as mine, demand a referral! I was told that a colonoscopy was the only way to diagnose ibs as it would rule any other issues (ibd) out! Good luck hope u get some results it's a miserable life with crohns x
 
jolie said:
thank you for all your reply's , i just wondered if constipation or lack of bowel movements is at all an occurrence in IBD? - only for the last month i have only passed movement once a morning and it has been painful and hard to pass , and now i can not pass anything at all , i tried sennokot to no success ?.

this might also be worth mentioning to my gp.

thanks !
Click to expand...

Constipation can occur in IBD. However, it isn't typical and is very easy for doctors to dismiss as IBS, as it is a very common IBS symptom. So be prepared if you tell your GP, that the GP might not think it that significant (even if it actually is significant).
 
thank you everyone , went back to gp and he has a took a stool sample to test for blood or bacteria , not sure how long the results will be , but i will keep pressing on to find out as nothing seems to be getting better.

also buttercup - sorry to hear of your story , glad you mentioned it being the other way around as i nearly ruled out going to my gp because of my chronic constipation and not diarrohea x
 
oh thanks , maybe if nothing comes of this stool test , i can push for a GI , my gps attitude was " unless theres anything wrong we wont ring you " .. so in a week it will be up to me to go back and battle them again !! the NHS system !.
 
I'm so sorry. I know how frustrating it is when they think nothing is wrong! I think all of us have been there. You need to know that this is something to keep pushing for. If it is IBD there is treatment that can help with the symptoms and prevent future damage to your intestines. Saying a prayer for you right now. Take care!
 
I had blood found by fecal occult blood testing in my stool.It was from years of taking nsaid's.My crohn's is in my duodenum.I'm not sure if gastroduodenal crohn's would be alerted by this test.Anyone have a thought on this?
 
not sure , all my symptoms point to gastroduodenal Crohn's but the gp tried to blame the buscopan for my symptoms so was reluctant to do anymore tests , i feel like the stool sample will come clear and i will be back to square one again , kinda feeling defeated already !!!.
 
We all get knocked back a step or two from time to time.Don't give up!You deserve good treatment and competent doctors.Come here and vent when it gets too much.
 
Yeah, I also had a stool sample by a GP and nothing. My blood tests showed high white cells, but they didn't worry about that. It was a colonoscopy that gave me my diagnosis. The only reason they found it was because I had cancer in my appendix and they were doing my 12 year screen to make sure it was not in my colon. Even after my diagnosis, I didn't fully understand the symptoms of the disease and kept going back to the dr with strange extra intestinal manifestations. I finally have a great GI who listens to me and educates me.
 
inspiring story smiley thanks , will not give up , will just keep pestering till they are so sick they have to give me a colonscopy to rule it out , i am fine with my IBS diagnosis , but i am more narked that they refuse to rule out anything more serious ! , reading through the forums i keep seeing comments people have made and thinking " i have that " , " i know how you feel " ... so it is definitely convincing me more now.
 
Perhaps a esophogastroduodenoscopy(is that a word or what?) to check out your duodenum or a enteroscopy? Have you had these Jolie?
 
no i have not been offered no tests , i have had this for 6 years and this is the first time my GP has offered me a stool test which is of no use because you are not meant to do it when you are constipated and i am having major problems with that at the minute *sigh* ... if i go back in a weeks time i will see what else they can do , there will be no exaggeration needed !
 
my stool sample has come back clear so i guess maybe it is just a bad case of IBS ?.... who knows ! thanks for all the support.
 
jolie said:
my stool sample has come back clear so i guess maybe it is just a bad case of IBS ?.... who knows ! thanks for all the support.
Click to expand...

Not necessarily - a negative stool sample is very limited in determining what is wrong with someone. Sorry if you already posted this and I missed it, but have you had any other tests? I know you've said you had blood tests, but have you had tests such as colonoscopies, endoscopies, barium tests?

These tests are invasive, and your symptoms do not sound particularly serious, so if you are happy to accept the IBS diagnosis and have no further concerns, I think you'll be ok to do so, and maybe your doctor will be able to advise you on managing your symptoms. You may benefit from increasing your calorie intake to stop further weight-loss, and this may well also help with the fatigue. Check out the diet forum if you're interested: http://www.crohnsforum.com/forumdisplay.php?f=17 Although it's aimed at people with Crohn's or Colitis, there is plenty of advice there which could help someone with digestive symptoms arising from other causes. Personally I would avoid any extreme diets though. If you like you could start a thread there specific to your own circumstances.

The weight-loss is the main reason I would have some suspicion about whether accepting the IBS diagnosis is ok, as weight-loss is not a symptom of IBS. So I guess the choice you have to make is whether your concerns about this out-weigh the stress of going through more comprehensive tests - and bear in mind that you might go through tests only to have all the results turn out normal and for you to be no further forward.
 
Yes..and i was mis dx with IBS from age 8 to 28!! I had colonscopys and no one ever dis a biopsy. My gi who discovered mine said looked ok but tool biopsys to be sure and i thpugjt Omg no doc ever gonna help..sure enough it came back poaitive for IBD. the hard part is them being able to tell u of i have UC or Crohns.
 

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