HELP, Whats wrong with me?

[mfoley07]

I know it's best to see a doctor about this and I probably will but I just need to get some info first.

I am a 20 year old male in decent shape and I've had a few unusual symptoms and patching them together through friends and the internet has led me here. I'll just list them here.

1. Feces coming out of my navel. One day, after being backed up for a week, I went to take a shower and noticed a brown stain around my bellybutton and soon figured out it was feces, and I could push on my stomach and it would squeeze out like out of tube. Although this only happened once, my navel constantly smells like feces, and I'm afraid it might be a fissure.

2.High liver count. I was getting blood work done because I was being prescribed Adderall. The tests came back and I had a very high liver count, they did an Ultrasound on my liver but didn't find anything wrong.

3.Abdominal Pain. For several years now I've had horrible pain in my lower left abdomen after exercise or sometimes just randomly, I had an MRI done testing for Femoral Hernia but they didn't find anything.

4.Diarrhea. I told my sister I thought I had IBS which led to her telling me about her friend who had Crohn's. Whenever I eat away from home, or sometimes even when I'm at home I get horrible diarrhea or constipation.

5.Sores in mouth. For the past few months I have been getting horrible painful sores in my mouth, the entire inside of one cheek becomes inflamed and swells like a blister.

6.Small anal tears. I'm not sure about this one but whenever I shower and try to wash back there and the water runs over it, it stings and burns horribly which makes me thing there's torn exposed skin.

If you have any idea of what might be going on please let me know, this is really starting to worry me. Thanks

 

[kello82]

hey there
im glad you found this forum, theres a wealth of info and people here with lots of experience in living with crohns.

in regards to your first question: i think the word you were looking for is fistula? that is an abnormal connection between two parts of the body, in your case the intestine and bellybutton is where the tract exits it seems.
this is a complication of crohns and really sucks big time, ive dealt with fistulas too, except mine in my butt area. they are no fun, but with medication and sometimes minor surgery can be treated, ok?

yes you definitly need to go see a doctor as a fistula is a more serious condition, not an *emergency* not trying to scare you, but it has to be looked after. they will most likey want to do some tests and scans to see if it is crohns, but ill say that in my opinion, it sounds like it to me.
the mouth sores are anouther classic crohns symptom that many of us on here deal with.

you want to seek out a GI specialist. maybe ask your regular doc for a referral to one, or ask anyone you trust to give you a good reference. sometimes its hard to find a good doc, so thats why it helps to get a good reliable source instead of just the first person in the phone book you know?

go get checked out! there a many meds and combonation therapies used to treat IBD and its just a matter of finding what works for you. youll feel much better (mentally at least) when you know whats going on and it all has a name on it.
let us know what happens, well here for you every step, from testing, to meds, etc. people here are really helpful
good luck

 

[Agent X20]

I'd advise you to see a doc ASAP.
Yes... some of the symptoms you describe do sound crohns-like, and while we can be quite knowledgeable about our own conditions and medication, we can't take the place of a proper doctor. You need a diagnosis, then maybe they can do something about these symptoms and set you on the road to feeling better.
Good luck and keep us posted about how you get on

 

[fenway1971]

Self diagnosing is dangerous. Go seek out a professional. Sounds like you may have crohns and, if so, this forum is great place to ask questions, share experiences, etc.

But first thing is first...see a doc!

 

[Agent X20]

Mfoley... looks like your account on this forum has been cancelled/blocked. It's designed to stop spam posters, but sometimes happens to genuine new posters. Nothing personal... contact one of the administrators who should be able to sort you out.

 

[kello82]

we definitly understand how hard it is to deal with doctors, but you have to find one that you can trust! thats the most important thing in order to take care of yourself. like i said before, is there someone you would trust to give you a good referral?

and you said that nothing convinces them that there is something wrong, well, poo coming from your bellybutton is something wrong and THAT will convince them! there is no way in hell that they can brush that off, ok?

im sorry to say, but if this is IBD then there isnt anything you yourself can do to make it go away. you NEED a doctors help in managing it or else it will just get out of control and then youll be in an emergency situation.

where do you live? not specifically, just general area. maybe someone on here can give you a good referral!

 

[jamie2462]

mmm sorry to say but I went through 8 ER docs before I finally got my family doctor to get me in to see my GI...1.5 months worth of ER visits and being laid up in bed..I hear you on the pain. Get in to see someone...fissures can be a problem if things get infected in there and it's just better to get in to see a GI.

 

[kello82]

mfoley, it looks like your account accidentally got deleted.
this has been happening a bit lately, in trying to control spammers, real people get the boot as well. the staff has been trying to correct the problem
please re register ok?
we want you to come back so that we can help you through this!

 

[forum contributor]

What ever happened to Mfoley? Anyone know?

 

[kello82]

ah poor guys account got deleted twice!!
i just realized.

edit--oh wait...no it didnt. i just gave him the re register schpeel after agent had already fixed him up. duhh, i mustve been a little off that day

 

[CD68]

Hey, sorry I disappeared for a while there. I guess I'm having a harder time with this than I thought I would. It's just been slowly dawning on me that this is the real deal. I've been trying to put it in the back of my head but the past 2 weeks things have been getting worse. I've been seriously constipated and I started getting discharge from my navel again. I don't know, I guess I'm sort of in denial mode or something, like I feel like if keep putting off going to the doctor than it won't be real. I've been reading a lot and all the surgeries and colonoscopies involved just really scare the hell out of me, but at the same time I know I have to do it, i dont know

Look at it this way, you can have Crohn's and not get the meds to help it or have Crohns and get the meds to help it. When they caught the disease in me it was so bad that I was on the verge of needing surgery, but the meds were what prevented me from needing that surgery. I haven't had surgery yet and things are only getting better. I think Humira is a drug that helps to close fistulas.

I have a relative who has Crohn's and years ago they told him that wanted to go ahead and remove his entire colon and sew up his back end. Well he delayed and right about that time remicade came out and he went on it and it saved his colon. Now he's been in remission for years and has a completely normal life.

The colonoscopies are really not a big deal for me. I fast liquid for a day, take a med to clean me out, someone takes me to the doc early in the morning and when they put an IV tube in me I'm out like a light. I wake up afterward and the doc has his report ready and I'm being discharged.

Once you get treatment you can get back to your life and have a chance at avoiding surgery.

 

[kello82]

foley! glad you came back

yes, it is scary, but maybe the unknown is scarier?
if you go see a doc and have a diagnosis and a plan of how to fix it you will feel SO much better mentally at least that you have addressed this issue.

really, whats worse?
sitting there feeling like crap with stuff coming out of your bellybutton and thinking "what the hell is going on?!" or
seeing a doc and they tell you "you have _____. it is treatable, you are not weird. this happens to a lot of people. we will try _____ first. it has a good chance of getting you back to normal!"

we are here to help you through all your questions and concerns!
you deserve to feel better. its only gonna happen if you start taking some action though ok?

 

[sandylou]

Hi Foley!
Getting diagnosed is a relief, because it confirms you are not insane. I had a lump in my neck, and the doctor called me a hypocondriac for pointing it out.
Two years later, stage 2 thyroid cancer.
I had 4 surgeries before they figured out I had Crohn's. It took a colonoscopy for them to figure it out. You have to be aggressive!!! Go to a GI doctor! I think doctor's like to deal with things that can be cured, and Crohn's doesn't fall in that catagory. But, there is help and it sounds like you need help. Feces coming out of the naval is not right. I had a rupture, and spent 3 months in the hospital. Take charge of your life!!!! And, good luck!

 

[NelsonPigeau]

Wait to long and you can be like me where I was diagnosed with Crohn's when I was in emergency with a bowel obstruction.

After that, it was the removal of 13 inches of my small bowl and 8 months of in and out hospital stays due to infections and complications of the obstruction.

Dude, I would not wish that year on anyone so PLEASE go find the help you need.

You and you alone have to be your most vocal advocate for your health.