Diagnose me

[zeroblue]

I'm from Quebec, my doctors are rather mediocre. I've been visiting them for over 2 months now and i haven't been diagnosed, they are unsure what the condition is. While i keep visiting them and preform more tests i would like to see if you guys think what i have is Crohn's (or UC or another condition)

Tests i have done so far:
1) Barium Swallow. Result: A very small amount of reflux was detected
2) Barium Enema. Result: An anomaly was detected at the junction of my intestines, the doctors are unsure what it is and have to decided to go along with a colonoscopy (amongst other tests which i am still waiting for)
3) Small Bowel Series. Result:nothing significant found

My Symptoms so far:
1) A lot of belching (burping), especially after eating a meal (even a small one)
2) Stomach pain in upper abdomen (center) and feeling of fullness, generally after a meal
3) Irregular bowel movements, Stools tend to be small in length, and thin in width. They also seem to lack consistency (meaning they are irregular in shape and are sometimes quite liquid). Sometimes the stools are also a large amount of small particles, i assume this is a type of diarrhea?
4) Consitipation: I've had quite a bit of trouble passing bowel movements. When they do pass they are often thin and inconsistent (see above)
5) Nausea: (3-4 times in the past 2 months) a feeling of extreme nausea (on the verge of throwing up). I was able to avoid vomiting in all scenarios, gravol seems to have helped.
6) Heartburn: Recently i've been experiencing heartburn as well...
7) Stool color: Sometimes the stools seem to have a red interior and a grey exterior.

Other points:
0) I have taken Accutane in the past for acne, is there really a correlation between the use of the drug and incidences of IBD?
1) There doesn't seem to be any blood in my stools
2) Blood tests came back and were normal
3) I believe this might also be food related (some kind of intolerance maybe?) My doctor recommended not eating products with lactose or gluten.
4) I seem to get more nausea and belching when in a car on a road that is very bumpy.
5) Caffeine seems to have a large impact on my stomach pain (it worsens it by a lot)

Do you think this might be Crohn's disease?

Any ideas? Recommendations?

 

[SarahBear]

Hi, zeroblue!

Unfortunately, we can't diagnose you - or even be of much help at all. Crohn's is certainly a possibility, but there are many other possibilities as well, and it would be impossible for us to tell you much more than that, especially since Crohn's affects us all so differently.

Do you have a date for your colonoscopy yet? I'd say at this point that examining the abnormality you mentioned needs to be top priority and dealt with as soon as possible.

I suggest you request that your doctor do a blood test to check for Celiac's disease, if this hasn't already been done. However, do not stop eating gluten before having the test done, or it could result in a false result. Also, something to keep in mind there is that with Celiac's and gluten sensitivities, it can take months of eating strictly gluten-free to see results. So, if you attempt gluten-free and see no results, I wouldn't necessarily get discouraged quickly - but this is why it's important to be tested. I'm surprised they would make that suggestion without having the blood test done.

Also, if you're not comfortable with your doctors, I strongly suggest you find new ones. It's very important to be able to trust in them.

I hope things go well for you!

 

[zeroblue]

Hi, zeroblue!

Unfortunately, we can't diagnose you - or even be of much help at all. Crohn's is certainly a possibility, but there are many other possibilities as well, and it would be impossible for us to tell you much more than that, especially since Crohn's affects us all so differently.

Do you have a date for your colonoscopy yet? I'd say at this point that examining the abnormality you mentioned needs to be top priority and dealt with as soon as possible.

I suggest you request that your doctor do a blood test to check for Celiac's disease, if this hasn't already been done. However, do not stop eating gluten before having the test done, or it could result in a false result. Also, something to keep in mind there is that with Celiac's and gluten sensitivities, it can take months of eating strictly gluten-free to see results. So, if you attempt gluten-free and see no results, I wouldn't necessarily get discouraged quickly - but this is why it's important to be tested. I'm surprised they would make that suggestion without having the blood test done.

Also, if you're not comfortable with your doctors, I strongly suggest you find new ones. It's very important to be able to trust in them.

I hope things go well for you!

Thanks for the response, i have done the celiac test and i didnt really stop eating gluten before it, I'm told it takes a month to get the results...

I have no date for the colonoscopy yet, i'm thinking of going private to get it done as soon as possible. I hear the wait times for that test are out of this world.

I'm not really looking for a diagnosis (was just a catch phrase ^_^) i'm looking for someone who has similar symptoms and also has the disease. It's sort of a stab in the dark but we'll see

 

[SarahBear]

Unfortunately there is (as far as I know) only one lab that processes the results of the Prometheus tests, so it can definitely take a while. However, I don't recall waiting a full month for my results, so hopefully yours will be quick as well!

I encourage you to call the doctors offices and push them to set the colonoscopy up as quickly as possible. Oftentimes, the more you stay on top of them, the quicker things are done. Personally, I'd go ahead and try to get a date out of them before going through any other hoops. It may not be a long as you expect.

 

[David]

Hi there and welcome to the community. I'm sorry to hear of your struggles

I don't suspect you have Crohn's or Ulcerative Colitis, but it's possible. I'm glad you're getting a colonoscopy. Please keep us updated as to what they find!

 

[UnXmas]

You don't have the typical symptoms of Crohn's or colitis (diarrhoea, bleeding, signs of inflammation detected in blood tests). I'm assuming since you haven't mentioned them that you haven't had fevers or unintentional weight loss either. So Crohn's or colitis don't seem that likely.

There are a lot of conditions that could cause your symptoms. My advice would be don't be put off if you don't get answers soon. Diagnosis can be long and complicated, and without signs that indicate an emergency situation doctors will not see any reason to rush you through tests.

I would think carefully before spending money on getting tests or appointments privately. There is a chance that a colonoscopy won't reveal anything significant and you may find yourself in a situation where you've had it done privately but are no further forward and are still having to wait for the next test.

I know this may sound discouraging, and it won't necessarily be the case for you - you might get a diagnosis very quickly and the colonoscopy might be very useful - however, I think it's important to be realistic. A lot of people have a harmless digestive disorder that doctors end up diagnosing as Irritable Bowel Syndrome because nothing objective can be found through tests and no serious symptoms (bleeding, weight loss, etc.) or complications develop. This doesn't mean the symptoms don't make life difficult and they still warrant treatment, but you should be prepared for the possibility of negative or insignificant test results. And a lot of people have rarer diseases that require more extensive testing to discover. It is possible your symptoms could be from Crohn's or colitis, but you'd be an atypical case.

 

[Chester31]

Hi
My dad had very similar symptoms. His coeliac test came back negative but endoscopy diagnosed gastritis and hiatus hernia.

 

[chick7388]

I'm sorry to hear about your struggles. I know tests in Canada can take a long time to get a date set. My sister lives in Calgary and had to wait 2 months for her colonoscopy and was eventually diagnosed with colon cancer. I hope you find relief soon but it does sound like a hiatal hernia to me. I'm far from a doctor but it wouldn't hurt to ask for an endoscope the same time they do the colonoscopy. Good luck finding a diagnosis and relief.

 

[zeroblue]

Thanks for the support everyone!

And a lot of people have rarer diseases that require more extensive testing to discover.

I think you are right about this, it may be a rather rare disease. I've looked through some of the diseases mentioned herein and they don't necessarily seem to match with my blood test results. Anyway we'll have to wait and see. It's a shame how these health problems just come about out of nowhere :ybatty:

Good luck to all

 

[joe-swift]

Hi, and welcome to the forum. As the others have said a diagnosis cant be made until you have had a colonoscopy. For what you said about your bowel movements I sometimes suffer from the same and I have crohns disease. This is more than likely just a coincidence and the problems you are having could be from something else. Get the scope done and let us know how you get on with it. The most important thing to do is not to worry about anything. It's hard not to, but it wont solve anything.

 

[zeroblue]

Hi, and welcome to the forum. As the others have said a diagnosis cant be made until you have had a colonoscopy. For what you said about your bowel movements I sometimes suffer from the same and I have crohns disease. This is more than likely just a coincidence and the problems you are having could be from something else. Get the scope done and let us know how you get on with it. The most important thing to do is not to worry about anything. It's hard not to, but it wont solve anything.

i will try not to stress

on a side note i'm scheduled for a small bowel series exam in less than 2 weeks. Is this effective in diagnosing crohn's disease? should i know anything before going into it?

Furthermore i had my first instance of Diarrhea today, will update if it persists.

The conoloscopy will likely take until September to get

 

[prettykitty]

on a side note i'm scheduled for a small bowel series exam in less than 2 weeks. Is this effective in diagnosing crohn's disease? should i know anything before going into it?

If I understand correctly, the small bowel series is more to identify any areas of narrowing or inflammation or other structural problems in the small intestine, since the colonoscopy can only get as far as the terminal ileum. I believe the purpose is to see whether there is any small bowel involvement in your illness -- whatever that might be. I don't think they can diagnose Crohn's -- they can only see whether what you are experiencing involves the small intestines.

Good luck! I know it is frustrating and scary to know that something is wrong but to not know what it is! Others have said it, but I'll repeat... try not to stress! In the meantime... we are all here if you need to vent!

 

[zeroblue]

If I understand correctly, the small bowel series is more to identify any areas of narrowing or inflammation or other structural problems in the small intestine, since the colonoscopy can only get as far as the terminal ileum. I believe the purpose is to see whether there is any small bowel involvement in your illness -- whatever that might be. I don't think they can diagnose Crohn's -- they can only see whether what you are experiencing involves the small intestines.

Good luck! I know it is frustrating and scary to know that something is wrong but to not know what it is! Others have said it, but I'll repeat... try not to stress! In the meantime... we are all here if you need to vent!

Thanks :hug:

I'm trying to self-diagnose what it could be through the internet while i wait, but most online diagnoses tools don't seem to account for the amount of time i've been feeling unwell. Anyone have some recommendations?

Also, is belching common in those diagnosed with crohn's disease?

I'm going to update my symptoms because i've been experiencing some heartburn recently...

I also forgot to mention that i have taken Accutane in the past

 

[UnXmas]

I'd avoid self-diagnosing. There are just too many possible causes for your symptoms, and even if you do happen upon the cause of your symptoms, you're still dependent on a doctor making an official diagnosis based on test results. I know it's frustrating not knowing and that you just want to get some idea of what is wrong with you, but I found it just too difficult trying to diagnose online - as you've found already with online tools not taking into account the duration of your illness, there are a lot of problems with trying to find possible diagnoses this way, especially if you have an uncommon illness.

Then again, perhaps my experiences are not typical as I had multiple things wrong and very atypical presentations, so perhaps you won't find it as problematic as I did. I don't think there's any harm in reading up on possible causes, but just make sure you don't jump to conclusions too quickly, and be prepared that a doctor may have very different ideas about your diagnosis. Not that the doctor will necessarily be right, in fact they're quite often wrong, but it can be very frustrating when you think you've got a good idea of what's wrong with you only to have a doctor dismiss it instantly. If you do feel strongly that you have Crohn's (or any other diagnosis), don't be disheartened if a doctor doesn't agree with you - sometimes you have to see a few different doctors before you find one who listens.

I don't think belching and heartburn are particularly common with Crohn's, though they are certainly possible - I have really bad heartburn and reflux.

 

[zeroblue]

I see,

well i updated my symptoms again, mainly things i forgot to add or just noticed recently.

I had the bowel series test scheduled in a few days instead of weeks because i'm not really feeling "top shape"

we'll see what happens :S

 

[zeroblue]

small bowel series exam tomorrow! results should be in either tomorrow or in a few days

 

[zeroblue]

Update:

Preliminary results from the Small Bowel Series exam:

nothing significant found (doctor confirmed)

 

[Tired]

Update:

Preliminary results from the Small Bowel Series exam:

A small amount of inflammation was discovered between the stomach and the duodenum. Could this be a sign of crohn's? I am awaiting another gastro appointment.

Not necessarly, it could be caused by bacterias like gastritis caused by H. Pylori.

 

[zeroblue]

Not necessarly, it could be caused by bacterias like gastritis caused by H. Pylori.

Merci pour la réponse!

It sounds likely that it is this, mainly because belching is a common symptom, but this doesn't seem to explain my bowel problems, which is a little worrisome

 

[zeroblue]

Doctor called and said nothing was significant was found now...

this is ridiculous

 

[zeroblue]

Just an update... I went through with the colonoscopy and everything was normal, but they found 2 parasites in my system through stool tests

Dientamoeba fragilis
Blastocystis hominis

I'm currently taking antibiotics to treat D. Fragilis but i'm still in extreme pain and they don't seem to be working :S