EXTREMELY worried. Waiting for diagnosis.

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Hi everyone.

I am new to this forum and decided i would join to get some insight on this subject. Summer of 2016 I went on a vacation to the UK and came down with a terrible stomach bug. Up until that point I had normal Bowel movements once a day and could eat anything I chose to. After that trip and sickness I had lost quite a bit of weight and had partially lost my appetite. I was still having regular Bowel movements but found them to be yellow instead of typical brown.

The beginning of October that year i felt fine and continued to eat whatever I wanted. I do suffer from anxiety and from time to time would get a “nervous stomach” here or there. Fast forward to about 4 or 5 months ago, I started to have softer stool and some bloating and gas. My doctor suggested to start taking Align which seemed to help. I did a celiac test which came negative and figured out on my own that I am not lactose intolerant.

About a month and a half ago I was having some pretty bad anxiety and ate a burrito which made me feel quite ill. The next day I could not eat and had completely lost my appetite and lost about 10 pounds within a few days (went from 136 to 124). That continued for about a week until i went to the doctor and got some acid reflux pills and nausea pills. I took those for about a month and felt fine. Still had softer stools and went a couple times a day to the bathroom but no diarrhea.

FAST FORWARD TO NOW... I cannot eat as most food makes me feel nauseous even though i never throw up. I’ve been having frequent Bowel movements that I would consider soft stool and not diarrheah. I have also been going about 3-10 times in a day. I do get the occasional stomach cramp that will last for a second (more gurgling than anything.) I never have blood In my stool although it does have a bit of mucous. It is on the yellow side and I did have one bout of watery diarrhea last night immediately after eating some dinner. I have a gastroenterologist appt coming up in a month but I wanted to know if anyone thinks this is more IBS related then crohns???????? I do get the occasional sore bum and “cut” on the outside probably from the constant wiping which can be painful. Other than that I think food just travels through me quite fast. PLEASE HELP as I am terrified I have Crohn’s disease that was triggered by my illness. Just unsure because my symptoms are so flitty and change every other month. I am an 18 year old female.
 
hello and welcome. I understand your concerns, but try not to be too worried. Stress wont help. Try to relax as much as possible and ease your mind to help your bowels. You have the chance to have a GI appointment coming up soon and hopefully will get more answers. Symptoms of IBS or dyspepsia and CD can sometimes be very similar. IBS is a very common condition, CD very much less common. So try not to panic at this point. You are doing the right thing in investigating with a GI consultation and you will be under good care. let us know how it goes, wishing you well:)
 
Hi Mag3451 and welcome to the forum! :D

I saw your other thread where you're asking if it's IBS or IBD in both threads. Honestly we couldn't say. Not everyone who has Crohn's or other forms of IBD have had blood loss. I also wonder if maybe one of the medications you're taking may be causing these symptoms as well even if they aren't constant.

If you and your GI suspect it may be some form of IBD then you'll want to have a colonoscopy (with biopsies taken) to diagnose it. If nothing comes back it doesn't mean that it's just IBS either. Many people can sometimes go years without a diagnosis but that doesn't mean no treatment or relief or that your doctor gives up.

No matter what it is there's treatment out there for it. You're on the right track by seeing a GI and having testing done soon. Keep us posted on how your appointment goes. :)
 
Hi Mag3451 and welcome to the forum! :D

I saw your other thread where you're asking if it's IBS or IBD in both threads. Honestly we couldn't say. Not everyone who has Crohn's or other forms of IBD have had blood loss. I also wonder if maybe one of the medications you're taking may be causing these symptoms as well even if they aren't constant.

If you and your GI suspect it may be some form of IBD then you'll want to have a colonoscopy (with biopsies taken) to diagnose it. If nothing comes back it doesn't mean that it's just IBS either. Many people can sometimes go years without a diagnosis but that doesn't mean no treatment or relief or that your doctor gives up.

No matter what it is there's treatment out there for it. You're on the right track by seeing a GI and having testing done soon. Keep us posted on how your appointment goes. :)

Hi, thanks for the response!

I’ve got an appointment coming up this Thursday for a consultation and will go from there. Just wondering how long it takes to get a colonoscopy/endoscopy after the initial appointment?
 
I’ve got an appointment coming up this Thursday for a consultation and will go from there. Just wondering how long it takes to get a colonoscopy/endoscopy after the initial appointment?

It depends. If the endoscopy center is not too booked up you can get your colonoscopy done within a week or two. But if it is way overbooked (and some of them are) then it might take a month or two.
 

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