Crohns?

[Saranicole]

Hey y'all,
Hoping I can get some opinions on this matter.
My story starts in 2011... Severe generalized abdominal pain, hands down the worst pain I've ever felt. It was stabbing and so painful. I was at a graduation event at my high school and I was doubled over in agonizing pain (not a gas pain) but by the next day the pain had gone away. The pain reoccurred every once in a while but I just tried to tough it out.

2013... Just ate a steak from saltgrass (yum) ... Pain returned.. Hit me so hard. I tried to hold it together for about 2 hours. Finally I made the decision to go to the ER. I was diagnosed with a small intestine obstruction. I had surgery and was hospitalized for a week. (NG tube sucks!) l left the hospital with no diagnoses.. They had no idea what caused it. The CT scan showed thickened bowel walls. No colonoscopy performed.

2013-now: on and off pain after food. Sometimes I can go months without the pain but when it hits, it hits. Severe diarrhea where I have to literally run to the bathroom. It seems to be a frequent occurrence after I eat. I had a colonoscopy and endoscopy done when I wasn't in any pain. All results came back normal except for inflammation in the esophagus (I don't even have pain or ingestion in that area) it has now gotten to where I can't eat without doubling over in pain and having diarrhea.. I've dropped 6 pounds in 3 months.. Not a lot I know, but I'm small to begin with.

So conflict is .. I am undiagnosed.. Could be ibs? I'm not sure.. What do y'all think about these symptoms?

 

[ronroush7]

Hi. I am sorry for what you have gone through. I don't know what you have but I would lean towards IBD or esophagitis. It could be both. Keep pursuing with your doctor. Let us know how you are doing.

 

[eleanor_rigby]

IBS does not cause small bowel obstructions. I am surprised that you went through surgery and was not given a diagnosis whatsoever or explained why this had happened to you. I would seek a second opinion from a gastroenterologist.

 

[Saranicole]

Thank you for your responses! Means a lot to get some feedback. The doctor that performed the emergency surgery was a general surgeon. He never sent me to a GI for follow up. His explanation was he thought maybe "I ate too many carrots" (the day before I consumed some raw carrots). I may be wrong, but I don't think people who eat raw carrots get random bowel obstructions. Years later and I'm still struggling with the pain. The pain is similar to how I felt before I was Dx with a bowel obstruction in 2013. It just dissipates on its own and hasn't resulted in another surgery...... Yet.

I'm just afraid I'm never gonna get a Dx unless something major happens again. My former GI informed me that he thought forsure it was crohns based on the CT scan I had prior to surgery... But every test has been normal so far.

Thanks again!!

 

[eleanor_rigby]

A few questions:
1. How long were you experiencing any abnormal pains prior to needing surgery?
2. Did the surgery provide relief from the pains your experienced before surgery?

 

[Saranicole]

The abdominal pain started when I was 16 (2010).. From what I can remember. It reoccurred in 2011 then off and on after that. The pain was excruciating.. Again, the same pain I felt prior to surgery but it went away on its own.

The surgery provided relief.. I was on a liquid diet for a while. July 2013 I was able to eat what I wanted again. It was my birthday and I decided to get Mexican food with my family.. Simply ate chicken, pain returned.. Went away on its own. Ever since then it comes and goes. Dr informed me that if I have IBD the pain would be constant. I seem to have periods where I find relief but like I said, when it hits, it hits. I'm not able to eat and I'm scared to go out due to the frequent trips to the bathroom.

 

[eleanor_rigby]

Sounds like IBD potentially. Your symptoms sound very much like small bowel obstructions (perhaps partial). For me they were my only symptom for 5 years. Stabbing cramps that would last a few days, then maybe a few months of feeling TOTALLY NORMAL. I was never investigated because obviously GPs etc have this preconceived idea, like what your GI described above, that if it were IBD I would have constant pain, that I would have diarrhea, that i would have blood etc etc. This is absolutely not the case!! Everyone is different and some people have NO symptoms whatsoever but their IBD is doing silent damage to their bowel, which can be permanent.

You need to remember what you went through with your surgery and ask yourself if you are prepared to go through that again? Small bowel obstructions are medical emergencies and you don't want to mess around with them. In my opinion you need to find out what is going on urgently. You need to see a more open minded GI and have tests that examine your small bowel. A colonoscopy/upper endoscopy misses out the huge majority of the small bowel, because it cannot access it.

 

[Scipio]

Pain from IBD is definitely not necessarily constant. I have Crohn's and the pain comes and goes. Sometimes I have it every day for 2-3 months. Other times I have no pain at all for a few days up to no pain for month or more

 

[ronroush7]

Pain from IBD is definitely not necessarily constant. I have Crohn's and the pain comes and goes. Sometimes I have it every day for 2-3 months. Sometimes I have no pain at all for a few days up to no pain for month or more

I agree

 

[Saranicole]

Thanks for your replies, y'all. I guess it's on to the next GI...