Do I have Crohn's Disease?

[kevinj]

Hi Everyone,

I am a 32 year old male. I had mild fever for around 3 weeks which would subside if I had tylenol but it would spur up again after the effect of Tylenol was over. I went to GP who suggested hospitalization to run tests. They did ultrasound and CT Scans and found nothing. My GP consulted the GI who suggested colonoscopy, they found an ulcer (1 cm, pale in colour) in the ileal region. GI suggested I get a capsule endoscopy done, which confirmed I have some small ulcers in the duodeum also. While they did all these tests they kept me on antibiotics via the IV. The fever started to fade away (with the antibiotics ?) and a single tylenol was good enough for 24 hours. I was discharged confirming fever was because of ulcers and crohn's disease was questionable.

I have never had any pain in my abdomin during the time i had fever for 3 weeks or earlier. After I got discharged from the hospital I have started to have pain which was like muscle cramp, not sure if that was because of the diarhea that they caused to clean the system to do test or was for other reasons. I now have burning sensation in my upper abdominal area, no muscle cramp pain any more. No other pain as it is anywhere -

For the last couple of months I have felt tired almost all the time.

I am very new to this... quite scared as well. My Doctor did not confirm if I have Crohn's disease but did say that the fever was because of ulcers that I had. I am on Budesonide 3 mg (steroid) and esomeprazole 4 mg (antacid) twice daily. Do not have the fever now. My appetite has been normal all this while.

I would like to find out:

1. Has anyone ever been daignosed to have Crohn's Disease who has felt lethargic and had ulcers but has never had pain in the tummy but developed burning sensation / muscle cramp pain gradually?

2. I dont really understand what kind of a pain do you generally have in mild Crohn's disease ? Is it like muscular cramp ? Or is it piercing? Does it travel ? Do you have it before you eat or after you have eaten ?

3. My motion is porridge like.. do people with Crohn's disease have this ?

4. Generally how long do the Crohn's flare/s take to subside, specially if you are on steroid ?

5. My lethargy is momentary now. Happens for maximum of 1 hour, does not happen always. 4 weeks from now I was always lethargic.

I stay depressed for I am not able to understand what could actually be wrong... Dont want to be a victim of wrong daignosis.

Thanks to all you folks out there. God Bless.

Regards,
Kevin

 

[kiny]

Dont want to be a victim of wrong daignosis.

No one can diagnose you here, diagnosis of crohn is done with a colonoscopy and specimen to differentiate between clinically similar diseases like intestinal TB. No one on this forum can tell you what you have, you are far more likely to be wrongly diagnosed here than relying on your doctors.

 

[Trysha]

Hello Kevin
Welcome to the forum.
Sorry to hear you are having a hard time with pain and discomfort.
From your description and the treatment you are getting it looks similar to crohn's.So your docs appear to be on the track of crohn's or other inflammatory disease..
When you had the colonoscopy hopefully the GI did some biopsies which when examined in the pathology lab by a pathologist will show specific tissue changes with different disease processes and crohn's gives a distinct picture microscopically.
This together with blood work and radiology will give the GI the diagnosis which he/she would already suspect.
Did you have blood taken for CBC, Sedimentation rate (ESR) CRP Vit B12 ferritin etc.
You should ask your docs for these results and their interpretation.
Fatigue can be caused by low B12, and/or iron (ferritin) levels low hemoglobin etc.
You may feel better with the budesonide and the esomeproazole will help the ulcers to heal and reduce inflammation..
The porridge like stools occur with crohn's and other GI conditions..
Crohn's patients differ with symptoms and length of flare., everyone has their own symptoms.Flares can last days, weeks or months.
Crohn's can occur anywhere from mouth to anus and everything in between. It affects the entire GI tract.
Pain can be sharp, dull aching with nausea and fatigue.
Initial treatments trends after diagnosis by the GI seem to be with the Biologics such as Remicade and Humira.
These can give very good and fast results but are not everyone's cup of tea.
My crohn's is in the left colon but I have been getting ulcers in the duodenal area and lately there are gastric issues.The pain in the left side ranges from cramping to sharp to dull pain and never quite goes away. The ulcer pain is different and is a miserable dull ache in the midriff and the upper right side which is helped by esomeprazole.
My GI is prescribing immediate Remicade for all of this and hopefully it will all subside.
Like you I have been treated with steroids and esomeprazole which I have found helpful but does not provide a permanent cure.
The forum consists of fellow sufferers and is not in a position to provide any type of diagnosis.
Ask your GI directly after all the tests "Is this Crohn's?" When do you have the next GI appointmentr?
Please let us know how you get on.
Keep your chins up and try to cultivate a positive attitude---not easy but can be done, and never underestimate the power of prayer.Try listening to soft music , meditation can also be helpful.
God be with you and keep you in the palm of His Hand
Hugs and best wishes
Trysha

 

[SarahBear]

Hi, Kevin! Welcome to the forum!

As kiny said, you're going to have to have your doctors find you a diagnosis. But, we can still answer some questions for you!

1) I had ulcers throughout my small intestine, have felt lethargic, but did and do have sharp, stabbing pain.

2) All of the above. Crohn's affects everyone very, very differently. Most of us have different symptoms and find relief from different medications. I know I have felt pains like everything you've described, and I'm just one person.

3) Hmm, not sure on that one. I don't.

4) That also depends from person to person. Some people start feeling better within days of starting steroids, and some take longer.

I hope that helps a little!

 

[kevinj]

They did many CBC's and only found the DLC to have minor anomilies. The biopsy of the ileal tissue revealed ulcer and lot of white blood cells in it. The report did not say anything else.. the ESR was mildly high and the CRP was positive. They also did Anti-saccharomyces cerevisiae antibodies test which came out negative. I have very candidly asked my GI about me having Crohn's Disease but he says that there is a possibility which cant be ruled out but he wasn't sure if I had Crohn's disease.

My Dr has treated me well and I am very thankful to him for his attention, I understand that there might be medical restrictions at his end because of which he may not be able to confirm CD so I thought of asking on the internet. I am thankful that I did join in

Is Crohn's Disease life threatning?

 

[kevinj]

Also, how do you identify that there is a flare which has come up? Do you also identify where it has come up? Do you do any regular screening or do you do any screening to identify that there is a flare and the region where it is ?

Thanks in advance
Kevin

 

[Emily]

The internet definitely can't even try to decide if you have Crohn's disease. Still I'm sure you're not really asking that! Hopefully getting answers to these questions from various people on the forum will be helpful to you though.

1. Ulcers and lethargy are definitely things that come with IBD but usually there is more to it than just those.

2. I wouldn't call it burning or cramping, more like you can feel your intestines desperately trying to do their job but struggling majorly and refusing to give up. It usually follows eating which is why lots of people avoid food and lose weight, because without food the pain seems to vanish.

3. I definitely know the porridge-like description!

4. It is very different for everyone. Some people can take steroids and control a flare as soon as it comes on, some may be in a flare for months before something works. There is a massive range in how severe flares can be so there's really no standard time period. But they usually end when treated, they don't just come and then go as they please. Flares don't really just end on their own.

P.S. Crohn's is really not life threatening besides for severe circumstances like septic shock due to bowel obstruction. This and any other way to die from Crohn's would have to result from a very long time of no medical supervision or treatment. It is rare, very rare, to die from Crohn's.

 

[kevinj]

Very informative and very helpful reply Emily. Thanks much.