Crohns or UC???

[sls12002]

I have a colonoscopy and biopsy scheduled in October, and I've been to 2 GI doctors and one said my symptoms sound like Crohns, and the other said UC. Crohn's does run in my family, and I was also just diagnosed with Ankylosing Spondylitis.

I have frequent mouth sores, joint pain, migraines, blurred vision, extreme fatigue, nausea, weight loss, hair loss, and diarrhea. Quite often I have bloody stools. I have had 3 times in the last 2 years where it was so severe that I was having diarrhea 20 times/day - each time this has lasted 2-4 weeks. I have bloating and cramping also.

Does this sound like UC or Crohn's? Could all these symptoms be related to an IBD?

I should also point out that my stress levels are always high as I'm a single mom with 2 kids, working full time and going to school part time. I'm on zoloft and alprazolam.

 

[Johnnysmom]

The mouth sores would point to crohn's. UC is only in the large bowel and Crohn's can affect anything in the digestive tract from the mouth to the anus. Your colonoscopy should give you a lot more answers. It is usually pretty cut and dry but their are people whom it is difficult to tell if they have crohn's or UC, as crohn's can be present in the large bowel only as well. But it usually presents itself differently.

I am not sure how having AS changes symptoms/treatment but there are others on the forum who have both.

Good luck on your scopes, let us know how you are doing. Hang in their and be strong. Once you get a diagnosis and treatment you should be feeling much better. ((((HUGS))))

 

[nogutsnoglory]

Those symptoms are definitely indicative of IBD. I would recommend getting another opinion. Crohn's and UC are differentiated by the pattern of ulceration and their location in the GI. UC would be limited to the colon and rectum and rarely touches the end of the small intestine, whereas Crohn's can occur anywhere from mouth to anus and primarily affects the small intestine. If you have inflammation outside of the colon and rectum it is not UC. As for the patterns, UC is continuous in terms of the inflammation whereas Crohn's can skip around.

More info here: http://ibdcrohns.about.com/od/ulcerativecolitis/a/diffuccd.htm