Can Crohn's Disease cause symptoms like Celiac Disease

[pewpewlasers]

Hi there!
I just have some questions for anyone who would like to answer them.
Let's see...I have been on a gluten free diet for over a year after my Mother was diagnosed with Celiac Disease. She recommended that I try the gluten free diet to see if my symptoms improved. And what do you know? Within a month my symptoms were gone!

However, I have had some serious issues that I am sure are related to accidentally eating gluten. Last December I was out with my S.O.'s family and we ate at Applebee's and I got so sick I went to the hospital convinced my insides were ripping themselves apart. After ultrasounds at the er the doc said it was probably gastritis due to an underlying bowel disease such as celiac or crohn's.

Now, Crohn's disease is in the family and well as Celiac. My Mom has Celiac and her sister has Crohn's.

The past three months I have had symptoms that seem to be completely unrelated to Celiac. Such as, extreme lower abdominal cramping (it felt like my intestines were making balloon animals out of themselves), mucus in stool, random abdominal pains and tenderness, d, cramps and the urgency to poop along with cramps during, and all of these come and go. The severe cramping happened 3 three times in the past three months and every time I research what could cause it Crohn's or intestinal blockage/obstruction comes up. I saw the GI two weeks ago and he immediately ordered an endoscopy and biopsy (which is tomorrow). I'm not going to go any farther into my symptoms because I have had GI issues since as long as I can remember and there are so many.

When I eat gluten I can feel pain in my stomach but this new stuff is all in my lower abdominal area.

My question is, do any of you have problems like this? Do any of you with Crohn's also have Celiac? Can Crohn's cause symptoms like Celiac? Does a gluten free diet improve some symptoms related to Crohn's?

I just have so many questions and have gone so long wondering what causes all of my GI problems. I am hoping I can get some answers from the endoscopy tomorrow.

I guess I'm just worried that when I read about what causes my symptoms Crohn's is always there.

Any info would be helpful! Thank you!

 

[pewpewlasers]

Oh yeah, another question.

Can Chron's be diagnosed with a endoscopy or do you need a colonoscopy?

 

[Crohn's 35]

Hi there and welcome to place where you will get answers, opinions and experiences. I have had Crohns most of my adult life and my sister has UC/CD and a brother with UC. I have tried Gluten free foods but I find some things are very hard to digest and heavy in my gut. People with Crohns do not particularly need to be gluten free but you may be a different case because you could have both. I felt a stuck feeling in my intestinal area if I ate the dense bread. Everyone is different, but I find that small meals more often thru the day and no milk products, or a I suffer. I have had two resections so I am only drinking Rice milk.

AS for Endoscopy from the mouth to intestines with a barium follow through, was the diagnoses after many other test such as CT scans, barium follow thru and went on for over a year. A colonoscopy is done by most. Crohns can creep up on you slowly or some find it right away. Not sure if I helped, but many people on here will help you out. When are you going for a scope? Glad you found us!

 

[pewpewlasers]

Thanks for the reply! I find that eating small meals helps. I seem to start feeling yucky if I eat more than usual. I had gluten free pizza for dinner last night and I somehow felt yucky afterwards and today my stomach and intestines feel out of whack. I had some lower abdominal cramps with the urge that I needed to poop right away. While going to the bathroom my intestines felt like they were cramping up and it hurt. No d though, thankfully.
Today I also have tenderness in my lower right abdomen when I press on it. Completely new to me. I first noticed it this morning when I was sitting at my desk and my pants were pressing on it. It feels bruised on the inside but I haven't had any recent injury and I don't see anything.
My endoscopy is tomorrow morning. I'm nervous but also excited that they might find something that will answer all my questions. If it comes back normal the doc said he might have to gluten challenge me and I will probably break down and cry because I don't want to go through all of that. At least he understands and wanted to check for damage without a gluten challenge first. But I also don't know exactly what kind of damage he is looking for.

He mentioned IBS but his being very good about not filling my head with "what might be's" without the testing first. Better not to get me more scared than I already am!

 

[Crohn's 35]

Try not to worry, easier said than done, can cause your stomach to be upset. I have also been told I may have IBS but I dont think so. Good luck with your test, I am assuming you are clearing your system out? Let us know what happens. I always get my results right there and then. Hope it all turns out, and it will!

 

[My Butt Hurts]

Hi PPL - welcome to the forum. Num1Habsfan has Crohn's and celiac, but she hasn't been around lately. If you search the member list then read her threads, you might find some answers. Or just do a general search for celiac, you might find some helpful info.
Good luck with your endo tomorrow.

 

[pewpewlasers]

Try not to worry, easier said than done, can cause your stomach to be upset. I have also been told I may have IBS but I dont think so. Good luck with your test, I am assuming you are clearing your system out? Let us know what happens. I always get my results right there and then. Hope it all turns out, and it will!

They just said not to take any anti-inflammatories or pepto-bismol beforehand, and no eating after midnight tonight since I am scheduled tomorrow morning.

I think I need to ask at my follow up in two weeks if he thinks a colonoscopy would be warranted if he didn't find anything. We will see!

I hope he says something when I wake up.

 

[pewpewlasers]

The endoscopy went well. The doc said everything looked normal except there is some sort of valve or something in my stomach that isn't working correctly. I don't know...I was really out of it and he said we would talk about that and the results of the biopsies on the 26th.

I'm starting to think that he needs to do a colonoscopy.