Early symptoms of Crohn's/UC?

[insignia]

Howdy folks. I'm new here, and have yet to be diagnosed with anything, though I have a colonoscopy scheduled soon.

I strongly suspect some form of IBD based upon my symptoms, but I'd like to see what others here who have actually been diagnosed think.

Overall, my symptoms seem less pronounced and life-disrupting than what a lot of IBD patients are going through, but my fear is that I'm simply in the early stages of whatever I have.

I'm a 23 y/o male. About a year ago, I experienced what I thought was a quick-hitting stomach bug one night: I woke up with nausea and a slight fever that kept me up all night. The symptoms subsided completely by late morning, which I thought unusual, since the stomach flu usually lasts quite a bit longer and makes me feel worse than this did. But hey, I wasn't complaining.

No problems whatsoever for several months after that, until late in the summer, when I experienced another such episode -- cramping/bloating started after dinner, then I woke up around 1am with diarrhea and bad nausea, but no vomiting. Felt feverish with chills. Spent all night under blankets trying not to toss my cookies. Thought for sure I had picked up a bad stomach bug, but again, my symptoms abruptly subsided after 6-8 hours, as quickly as they'd appeared.

This happened one final time about a month later, and was accompanied by about a day of diarrhea, fatigue, and possible low-grade fever.

It's been about six months since that last "severe" episode, but things haven't been right since. My appetite is certainly not what it used to be, and I've experienced constipation, mild cramps, and frequent bloating/gas on a regular basis. My symptoms appear most often at night, especially after I lay down, and I'll find myself waking up in the middle of the night with a lot of bloating and abdominal discomfort (sometimes accompanied by chills) that will abruptly disappear by the time I get up in the morning.

More recently, I've experienced blood in the stool on a few occasions. Nothing too abundant, but it certainly adds to my suspicion of IBD as the explanation for my symptoms.

Oh, and I've noticed a steady increase in nasty grumbling/gurgling noises coming from my intestinal area over the past few months -- seems to be a common IBD complaint.

All that said, I've yet to really lose weight due to these symptoms, and the GI discomfort is more of a nuisance than a life-altering calamity most of the time. Also, I only rarely experience diarrhea -- BM's for the most part have been fairly similar to before all this started, save for some mucus and a few instances of blood.

For those of you diagnosed with IBD: does this sound anything like your earliest signs and symptoms, or did the really nasty stuff come on more quickly? I feel like I've been stuck in this limbo for the past 1/2 year where my symptoms are not really all that severe or disruptive, but their mere presence has me worried sick 24/7 about what may lie ahead.

Again, I've already seen a GI specialist and will be doing a colonoscopy soon, but would love to hear some opinions and stories to contribute to my knowledge of what I could be facing.

 

[imisspopcorn]

Hi Insigia....My trouble began with a horrible episode of food poisioning.....But, I experienced a lot of pain before finally being diagnosed with Crohn's.... This disease affects each person differently, so who is to say for sure your symptoms are IBD related....You are doing the right thing by seeking answers. Your symptoms are definitely suspicious. I hope the colonoscopy will shed some light on what the problem is. I really hope you do not have IBD...When exactly is the scope?

 

[dreamintwilight]

Hey Insignia Welcome!

I an relate a lot to your story. I have just been recently diagnosed with Crohn's disease. My symptoms first started last summer. It was stomach cramps and bloating. I thought it was related to my birth control so I didn't think much about it. It lasted for about a month and then went away for a couple months. It happened again with the same stomach cramps and bloated feeling, but the pain was getting worse it seemed and I needed to take more OTC pain medication to feel better. This time it lasted a month and a half. It started getting bad again in December and I finally decided to call my gynecologist to possible switch to a different type of birth control. I was still convinced it was related to that. I also experienced one day where I woke up with the chills, nausea, and a fever. I thought I had the flu, but the next day I felt fine and thought it was just a stomach bug. I suffered through Christmas break and was now experiencing severe chills and night sweats. Anything I ate hurt my stomach no matter how small or how healthy it was.

I had an ultrasound that revealed I had fluid in my stomach and a CT scan later I was hospitalized for an abscess in my lower right quadrant. I spent 12 days in the hospital and most of the doctors were thinking it was Crohn's. They drained and treated the abscess, but I found out I also had fistulas and narrowing of the bowel in my lower ileum. Last Tuesday I had my first colonoscopy confirming Crohn's and I'm waiting results from biopsies, but in the meantime I'm on the biologic Humira.

Before all of this I would have described myself as a healthy young female with no prior medical issues. It came completely out of the blue. I was in such denial about the seriousness of my pain. Even in the hospital I wasn't convinced it was Crohn's because, like you, I didn't have a lot of the other symptoms associated with Crohn's like chronic diarrhea. I also realize that the back pain I had been suffering with for a couple years now had to do with Crohn's because now that my abscess is gone I have no back pain! I can only imagine how long I've had this!

It's good to hear things are happening more quickly for you. I'm sure you will feel a lot better once you have answers so you can get on with your life