Help Please.

[Meg585]

Hi, this is my first time on this site. I have had severe UC for about 15 years. It has never been well controlled on anything for long and lately I have been getting some new VERY PAINFUL bouts that I dont know what it is. I had been told once by a Crohns patient that my symptoms sounded like I had Crohns/Colitis. I know everyone is going to tell me to go to the doctor, which I will do when I can, however, since I have no insurance and my case has been so severe from the start I get turned away alot and shuffled around between doctors who straight up tell me that they dont want to deal with someone who is so sick and unable to pay. Then they suggest somewhere else I can go and wish me luck. I have a lead to a place that may help me right now, but I have to wait a bit to save up a little $$$ to take with me before I can go. But I need some answers now!!! Can someone please tell me if this sounds like Crohns symptoms and if so, what kind of foods usually trigger this and what kind of foods dont???

Here is what happens:

I am woken out of a dead sleep with pain from between my shoulder blades to the front of my chest(kind of like heartburn so bad its hard to breathe) and also in my stomach. The pain is a mixture of that SEVERE heartburn feeling and almost like a SEVERE muscle spasm in my digestive tract.

The pain slowly starts to worsen to the point of writhing around unable to lie down or sit still for more than a few seconds. I cannot express enough how excruciating the pain is, and NOTHING seems to ease it.

Then a severe nausea starts and lots of vomiting starts.

Then a fever hits swinging quickly between chills and sweating(when i have taken my temp its usually a low grade fever).

This all continues for about 14 hours and then slowly starts to subside. But then for the next three to four days my body feels as though its just been through a meat grinder. I have to walk hunched over holding my stomach b/c my digestive tract feels completely wrung out. I dont eat and the low grade fever hangs around for a day or two.

This has happened to me 3 times in the last year. HELP PLEASE!!! Does this sound like a Crohns flare up???

SIDE NOTE: I also get fistulas, which one of my old doctors found odd b/c I am thought to just have UC which apparently doesnt usually do that.

 

[Nyx]

I've never heard of severe pain in the back or chest. Stomach pain is obviously related, but I don't know about the heartburn feeling with pain and lack of breath. Vomiting usually indicates a blockage. Do you have normal BM's? Are you prone to D or C? Almost every doctor I've ever seen has said to get to the ER right away if you start vomiting. You don't want to wind up with a perforated bowel (that's really painful...been there, done that).

I've never found food to trigger anything for me, so I can't be of help there...but I will say that it's pretty individual. I know that some people can't tolerate dairy, and others can. Some can't eat seeds or nuts, and others can. You need to keep a diary of what you eat and see if a pattern emerges for you.

Sorry this hasn't been more helpful. Hopefully you can get to a doctor soon and get it sorted out!

 

[Meg585]

Thanx.

I do have D almost everyday. And I have always vomited alot. But this is different. I thought that Crohns involved the whole (or could) involve the whole digestive tract. I thought that maybe thats where the pain was coming from (my esophagus) in a spasm. I ocassionally get C.
What is a typical crohns flare like???
Do you get horrible heartburn like symptoms???

 

[Nyx]

A flare is different for everyone. I never have D, I always had C and I've never had heartburn except when I was on Prednisone. For me, a flare consisted of blood in my stool (when I could go) and severe weight loss. This is not typical for everyone.

 

[lookame]

Try taking prevacid. I have had really bad heartburn but as long as I took prevacid daily I could avoid the heartburn. To me it sounds like possibly really bad heartburn or gastritis. You can have crohns but without being able to take a look it's hard to say. The prevacid is available over the counter(you have to ask a pharmasist) for a small fee and it could probably help susbside the symptoms.

A typical flare for me is diarreah, urge to go often(feeling like I never completly empty my bowels), anemia, blood, blood, blood, more blood, low grade fever, mucous, I only get heartburn symptoms when I'm not in a flare because everything more slower in my system.

 

[Meg585]

lookame, thank you so much for your input, i have done an internet search and am 99% positive that i have been suffering with Gastritis. I know only a Dr. can diagnose it, but now when i go to the doctor we have a starting place! Which is always a great help. Also, antacids are all thats been getting me by. so I greatly thank you for that suggestion! The pain has become a daily thing, but the antacids are keep me from vomiting and lessen the pain enough so that i can stand it!!! Thank you SO MUCH again!

 

[Jenny06xx]

Hey Hun have u had your gallbladder checked ?
It sounds to me you could have crohns an b in a flare and it's affecting your gallbladder .
I had mine removed due to stones and pancreatitis , look it up an see what u think .

Jen xx

 

[Rick0517]

I too don't have any insurance so I volunteer for clinical trials. On line look at NIH.gov, that's the National Institute of Health site. Also check out Clinical Connections.com and Clinicaltrials.gov, for Doctors,Universities,Hospitals and government sites doing trials. You might find state of the art testing, treatments and often times they reimburse you for you time,travel and participation. Best of luck to you.