Sorry to butt in, but even if you think that his reported pain is more than what he is actually experiencing, I think that right now he needs you to support him 100%. You can certainly use language such as he says, he feels, he reports etc., but as he is undiagnosed and they really are not sure what, or if something else, is wrong, he needs to be able to trust that you will advocate for him, no matter what. Young adults (actually anyone) can regress developmentally when under severe stress or pain--it is not pretty, but it does happen, just as a potty-trained child can become 'un-trained' when there is a death or separation in the family. (By the way, I had lots of sludge backed up too; went away when the IBD was treated; and the liver enzymes always went down again when I stopped eating.)
I have experienced severe, excruciating nerve pain from a large disc protrusion in my neck that did not present in the 'textbook' way. I had to keep my arm resting above my head to take the pressure off the nerve and I had to keep moving--very entertaining for the medical staff to watch. I saw several doctors in two emergency departments who thought that I was nuts and did not want to treat the pain (except for one kind one--who has chronic pain from AS.) Once everyone saw the huge protrusion on the MRI, they couldn't write prescriptions fast enough. It was so large, it also affected my legs, which everyone had thought was impossible, so they thought I must have been malingering. Although my husband didn't understand what was going on at first, he stood by throughout the whole awful experience--our relationship would be very different now if he hadn't. It took quite a bit of fiddling to get the correct narcotic in the right dose and schedule to relieve the pain. Once the inflammation settled, I quite naturally didn't need the narcotics and was able to taper off myself, very gradually so as not to experience withdrawal.
The year I was diagnosed with IBD, the inflammation was first seen on a scope in September. I saw them on the scope. (If your son currently has unhealed ulcers like I saw, it is not surprising that he is in severe pain.) By December I was desperate, nothing else mattered in the world, but trying to find a way to eat without the pain and symptoms. If I had been younger, with parents to care for me, I suspect that I would have behaved very much like your son--you just want it to stop.
I suspect that you are really worn out by now, Crohn's Mom. Don't let this problem jeopardize your relationship with your son--he needs your support, despite how he acts. ( And I know that you have given more support already than you probably even thought was possible .)
One more thing, I have experienced this regression from one of my own children this year. Once the stressor stabilized, they regained their independence and maturity. I had had one blow-up with them about their behavior- I am glad that there were no more, especially once we realized what the cause of the behaviour was. I believe that they would not have forgiven me, if I had given less support, and I would have found it hard to have forgiven myself. Now I can look back and be amazed that this adult child managed as well as they did during very trying times.
I so hope that you and your family get some answers and more help soon. :hug: