Ok, well as many of you on here who know me and have read my previous posts, well you know I have been battling intestinal pain to varying degrees for the last 2 years now. I have Not been diagnosed with Crohns disease, my doctor says IBS so far due to my tests not showing anything. ( MRE of small bowel, Abdominal ultrasound, CT scan but with only IV contrast, colonoscopy with biopsies, blood work, stool cultures). None have found anything too significant that would give me a diagnosis.
Also a lot of you know I have other health issues I deal with chronically. I was diagnosed with Interstitial cystitis of the bladder back in 2006. Anyhow, having that disease made me very prone to getting Urinary infections.( well, however I honestly believe that IC is caused b a bacteria since certain antibiotics have helped my IC) . I have had to be on low dose antibiotics for the last 5 years to keep the UTI's under control. First I was on Keflex for 4 years and now low dose augmentin for the last 8 months. I am kind of thinking the antibiotics have really caused a lot of the intestinal issues I am having now. I do take Tons of probiotics and they do help greatly, but still probably not enough.
My main symptoms I have been having since this intestinal issue started are as follows,( moderate to severe pain in the intestines to varying degrees, cramping feelings like I always have to poop( though I only poop usually once a day and it is always usually formed to sometimes kind of soft, where it comes out solid, but disintegrates when it hits the water), sore feelings throughout intestines, headaches, feeling extremely tired all the time, muscle pains all over.
Well back in April I had my colonoscopy. I felt awful right after the test. Even got a vaginal infection due to this test( probably from the prep and all that diarrhea). Well anyhow, I felt ok intestinal wise for about almost a month and half. Then it all started up again and I have been in agony. This last few days I started noticing that I have more pain in my lower right area. It is like a sharp pulling to stabbing pains that come and go. I had something like this back in January of this year and that sent me to the ER it got so bad. Well they were useless. The did a CT scan and said everything looked fine and sent me on my way with a $ 10,000 bill! Well then I had the colonoscopy in April but the gastro said everything looked normal and the biopsies he took were also normal.
I do not know what to think. I know the only other test I could do is the pill cam, but my husband and my GI and my primary care doc all think it is a very bad idea to do anymore testing due to how I always have complications with tests with my other health issues. I sort of agree with that but it is hard to stand by and do nothing too. I mean I am in some sort of flare or should I say I just feel worse lately. I mean honestly, I am always in some degree of pain everyday in my bowels, just that I feel like I am worse lately. I do not take many medications due to my being sensitive to them or they give me such horrid side effects. I am terrified I am going to develop bad diarrhea as I feel like I could get it at any moment( you know the feeling). Well for me it would not be just a case of diarrhea. It would mean a full blown raging UTI and likely a vaginal infection as well which would require more full strength antibiotics which I do NOT want to take. Being a woman really sucks. I mean my urologists nurse once told me that IC patients cannot get diarrhea or they will end up down ***** creek! It would be a viscous cycle. This is true for me. I spend most of my day just sitting still with the heating pad praying I don't get the runs. I have pain all the time. I don't know what to do.
I mean can this all be just IBS??? Could the have missed the crohns disease on my tests or is it possible that crohns does not show inflammation right away, that maybe it takes a few years to show up?? I just don't know.
Anyhow, sorry for the long vent, I am just so sick and tired of being sick and tired and in pain
. I feel stuck between a rock and a hard place. Part of me wants to push for more tests, but then the other part of me knows that is going to open up more cans of worms health wise for me and what if the test does not end up showing anything like all the other have so far? It is very hard when you have overlapping health issues:yfrown:.
Also a lot of you know I have other health issues I deal with chronically. I was diagnosed with Interstitial cystitis of the bladder back in 2006. Anyhow, having that disease made me very prone to getting Urinary infections.( well, however I honestly believe that IC is caused b a bacteria since certain antibiotics have helped my IC) . I have had to be on low dose antibiotics for the last 5 years to keep the UTI's under control. First I was on Keflex for 4 years and now low dose augmentin for the last 8 months. I am kind of thinking the antibiotics have really caused a lot of the intestinal issues I am having now. I do take Tons of probiotics and they do help greatly, but still probably not enough.
My main symptoms I have been having since this intestinal issue started are as follows,( moderate to severe pain in the intestines to varying degrees, cramping feelings like I always have to poop( though I only poop usually once a day and it is always usually formed to sometimes kind of soft, where it comes out solid, but disintegrates when it hits the water), sore feelings throughout intestines, headaches, feeling extremely tired all the time, muscle pains all over.
Well back in April I had my colonoscopy. I felt awful right after the test. Even got a vaginal infection due to this test( probably from the prep and all that diarrhea). Well anyhow, I felt ok intestinal wise for about almost a month and half. Then it all started up again and I have been in agony. This last few days I started noticing that I have more pain in my lower right area. It is like a sharp pulling to stabbing pains that come and go. I had something like this back in January of this year and that sent me to the ER it got so bad. Well they were useless. The did a CT scan and said everything looked fine and sent me on my way with a $ 10,000 bill! Well then I had the colonoscopy in April but the gastro said everything looked normal and the biopsies he took were also normal.
I do not know what to think. I know the only other test I could do is the pill cam, but my husband and my GI and my primary care doc all think it is a very bad idea to do anymore testing due to how I always have complications with tests with my other health issues. I sort of agree with that but it is hard to stand by and do nothing too. I mean I am in some sort of flare or should I say I just feel worse lately. I mean honestly, I am always in some degree of pain everyday in my bowels, just that I feel like I am worse lately. I do not take many medications due to my being sensitive to them or they give me such horrid side effects. I am terrified I am going to develop bad diarrhea as I feel like I could get it at any moment( you know the feeling). Well for me it would not be just a case of diarrhea. It would mean a full blown raging UTI and likely a vaginal infection as well which would require more full strength antibiotics which I do NOT want to take. Being a woman really sucks. I mean my urologists nurse once told me that IC patients cannot get diarrhea or they will end up down ***** creek! It would be a viscous cycle. This is true for me. I spend most of my day just sitting still with the heating pad praying I don't get the runs. I have pain all the time. I don't know what to do.
I mean can this all be just IBS??? Could the have missed the crohns disease on my tests or is it possible that crohns does not show inflammation right away, that maybe it takes a few years to show up?? I just don't know.
Anyhow, sorry for the long vent, I am just so sick and tired of being sick and tired and in pain
. I feel stuck between a rock and a hard place. Part of me wants to push for more tests, but then the other part of me knows that is going to open up more cans of worms health wise for me and what if the test does not end up showing anything like all the other have so far? It is very hard when you have overlapping health issues:yfrown:.
