Changing symptoms?

[eternityinanhour]

Hi everyone, I'm new to the forum. I think I'm having a flare up but my symptoms are not what I usually get... does that happen to anyone else?

My crohn's hasn't been this active since summer 2011. Before, I used to get really bad & painful cramps and a constant throbbing around the terminal ileum, lots of diarrhoea, weight loss etc.

At the beginning of this month I started getting bad diarrhoea again and after a few days of that, I was woken up at 5 am by an intense pain all over my abdomen... I ended up in A&E for the rest of the night. Since then, I've been having diarrhoea in the morning and then constipation for the rest of the day, as well as intermittent constipation that lasts a day or two. Cramps have been quite minor, but I do get near constant throbbing along certain point, accompanied by lots of bloating and gas. Joint pain also seems worse than before.

Also, and I don't know whether this is crohn's related or not, I've been getting some swelling in my scrotum every now and then. Has anyone else experienced anything like this?

I'm starting to get concerned that there may be some adhesions or obstructions causing the constipation, but have no idea what those should be like. Could the scrotal swelling be an abscess or fistula? I already called my doctor but my appointment isn't until March.

Any advice would be very welcome.

 

[valleysangel92]

Hello

The difficult thing with crohns is that the symptoms can change from person to person, and from flare to flare, even from day to day in some cases, do its not always easy to work out what is and isn't a flare.

Both diarrhoea and constipation can be symptoms of crohns and can be constant or come and go.
Joint pain is also a common symptom with many finding it gets worse around the time of a crohns flare.

I'm not sure about the swelling in your sternum, it could be related to the crohns in that it could be linked to the esophagus , but I don't have any experience with that so please don't take my word as fact.

The constipation could be a side effect of narrowings (strictures) or it could be a result of where your crohns is located. If you start to have severe pain and/or vomiting go back to A+E as these are signs of a blockage.

The best thing to do is to try not to worry too much about the what ifs. I would suggest keeping a diary of your symptoms so you have a clear log when you see your consultant.

I would also suggest using heat for the tummy cramps, and peppermint to help with the bloating.

 

[eternityinanhour]

Thanks for your support. I am probably just anxious about not really knowing what's going on.... up until now I knew what to expect when flaring and how to act accordingly.

Unfortunately, the swelling isn't in my sternum...but somewhere further south and much more sensitive lol. It's very weird as the testicle itself seems to be fine, but behind it, it sometimes feels like a bag of worms back there, with a very full and heavy feeling. I've been to several doctors for it, and had a couple of scans for what they thought might be a varicocele, but it hasn't shown up in scans because on the days they were done, everything felt completely normal. I've been reading up online and I'm concerned it might be an abscess or something else related to Crohn's so I'm going to ask my GI doctor when I see him next month.

As for strictures... yes I do believe there is a stricture in my terminal ileum, can't remember my doctors words exactly as it was so long ago, but from the way he explained it, it sounded like a stricture. So I'll have to ask my doctor about clarification on that too.

He mentioned last year that he wanted to do some scans a d a colonoscopy to see how things were as it's been a few years since the last ones but we both agreed that since I was feeling okay back then that we weren't in a hurry to do them so I'll see if it can be pushed forward.

Thanks again and I hope you're doing well

 

[valleysangel92]

Sorry about that! That's me being half asleep and posting on a phone. If it's the scrotum then yes that could well be a fistula or an abscess, it's good that ultrasounds have been clear because it shows it's not sinister. Be careful about dr Google, it can scare us silly at times so make sure you take things with a bit of a pinch of salt until you see your gi . I find patient.co.uk good, or crohnsandcolitis.org.uk. They provide good accurate information.

Strictures can certainly cause constipation, as they make it harder for things to pass through, so that may be what's happened, especially if the stricture has got any worse since your last colonoscopy.

Getting some testing done sooner rather than later sounds like a sensible idea .

 

[eternityinanhour]

Haha that's ok, I've been using my phone too so I know it's tricky to see. Yes I've always been wary about looking up symptoms on the internet but I have found some cases which sound quite similar to mine.

The constipation is strange... In the mornings I've been going to the toilet about 4-5 times and then I won't be able to go again, regardless of cramps/pain or that urge to go.

I guess I'll just have to wait and see what the doctor suggests :/