Diagnosis Confusion.

[LindseyAnne81]

My name is Lindsey. I'm 32, and for the past year have had a lot of trouble with my gut. It started with constant nausea and bloating with occasional pain. My doctor did an endoscopy looking for H. Pylori and found inflammation in my stomach and duodenum. H. Pylori was negative, and the biopsy he took looking for evidence of Celiac Disease was negative. So, he sent me off for a gastric emptying study that was inconclusive. Since my symptoms fit gastroparesis, he gave me a tentative diagnosis of gastroparesis and put me on Domperidone and a low-residue diet.

The combination of diet changes and meds have helped with the nausea, but the pain started getting worse. I have had a few episodes now where I've gone to bed feeling fine, only to be woken up out of a sound sleep by pain. I've also added alternating constipation and diarrhea to the mix.

So, my GI sent me to have a CT scan, which showed inflammation in different patches of my colon. The CT results made my GI order a Colonoscopy. The Colonoscopy showed...... nothing. The biopsy from the colonoscopy showed nothing. I was told that my doctor still can't rule out Crohn's, however.

I am left wondering what the heck is going on with me, and suspicious that I might have Crohn's after all. Have any of you gone through anything similar?

 

[Kero]

Hey Lindsey,
It could very well be crohns. Sometimes it can be hard to diagnose. Hope you get some answers soon. Sending ya :hug:

 

[UnXmas]

A lot of us spent a long time and went through many tests seeking a diagnosis. However, bear in mind that Crohn's is one of the most common causes of digestive trouble and hence why it's one of the first things doctors attempt to confirm or rule out - there are plenty of much rarer conditions out there which can cause digestive upset, and not all are detectable by endoscopies.

Did your doctor offer an explanation for the inflammation? If he's still considering Crohn's, has he suggested further tests to confirm it?

As you probably know, gastroparesis does not cause diarrhoea or constipation (as far as I know, and I have it as well), so if it is causing your upper-digestive symptoms, you may have more than one thing going on, which is certainly not unheard of either (it's true in my own case).

Have you tried any pain-relief or treatment for the diarrhoea and constipation? Let me know if you'd like any medication suggestions.

 

[LindseyAnne81]

UnXmas, I have not taken anything for pain or for the alternating C & D. I am exceptionally cautious about using painkillers because I 1) have two young children and a demanding career and 2) I have no desire to end up addicted to anything. I am currently taking Domperidone, and it does help with the nausea. I have been able to maintain my weight while taking it, whereas without it I was dropping weight rapidly because I was having trouble forcing myself to eat enough.

 

[UnXmas]

It's definitely sensible to avoid anything addictive. There are some non-addictive options, and something like Immodium for diarrhoea is unlikely to cause any side-effects, but I understand if you want to steer clear of medication when it's not necessary. Please let us know how you're doing and if you're getting any further forward with getting diagnosed.