Hello,
I'm new *waves*, and very happy to have found this forum, as I've been feeling very isolated.
I've had GI symptoms for years - mostly recurrent diarrhoea, abdominal pain - and told I had IBS.
A year and a half ago I had severe diarrhoea that last months - no diagnosis, told IBS again.
It more or less went away, and then this summer, same thing: lasted longer this time, from about June to November. And I was much sicker generally - dehydrated, vitamin deficiencies, and then started getting severe abdominal pains. This was reduced almost instantly with esomeprazole (I'm guessing I had some ulcers), but diarrhoea continued. It took so many months to get in to the gastroenterologist that by the time I was there, the diarrhoea was almost gone and so was the abdominal pain (and there was no sign of ulcers then).
I also get regular joint pain in my hips, knees, elbows.
I finally had endoscopy and sigmoidoscopy last month, and news just in from biopsies that I have microscopic colitis.
I'm actually wondering with all the symptoms etc if I might have Crohn's disease? Is it possible to have that as well as microscopic colitis? Should I try to get them to do a full colonoscopy also, which hasn't been done?
Symptoms-wise, I'm not as bad as I was months ago, but I'm not well either.
Advice very much appreciated! At the moment, my gastroenterology appointment isn't until March. I'm debating if I should try to get in earlier.
Also not sure if I should try to stop taking the esomeprazole, as online it says it may aggravate microscopic colitis.
Thanks in advance for any advice.
I'm new *waves*, and very happy to have found this forum, as I've been feeling very isolated.
I've had GI symptoms for years - mostly recurrent diarrhoea, abdominal pain - and told I had IBS.
A year and a half ago I had severe diarrhoea that last months - no diagnosis, told IBS again.
It more or less went away, and then this summer, same thing: lasted longer this time, from about June to November. And I was much sicker generally - dehydrated, vitamin deficiencies, and then started getting severe abdominal pains. This was reduced almost instantly with esomeprazole (I'm guessing I had some ulcers), but diarrhoea continued. It took so many months to get in to the gastroenterologist that by the time I was there, the diarrhoea was almost gone and so was the abdominal pain (and there was no sign of ulcers then).
I also get regular joint pain in my hips, knees, elbows.
I finally had endoscopy and sigmoidoscopy last month, and news just in from biopsies that I have microscopic colitis.
I'm actually wondering with all the symptoms etc if I might have Crohn's disease? Is it possible to have that as well as microscopic colitis? Should I try to get them to do a full colonoscopy also, which hasn't been done?
Symptoms-wise, I'm not as bad as I was months ago, but I'm not well either.
Advice very much appreciated! At the moment, my gastroenterology appointment isn't until March. I'm debating if I should try to get in earlier.
Also not sure if I should try to stop taking the esomeprazole, as online it says it may aggravate microscopic colitis.
Thanks in advance for any advice.
