Is it a flare up or just stress?

[zagi256]

Last week before sleep I had pain in the parts where my Crohn's is, like someone was poking me. I had that before, but not as severe. I fall asleep and in the morning when I woke, again the pain started. I was really getting worried. It stopped after that day, but now I seem to go to the toilet 4 or 5 times a day, not diarrhea. It doesn't seem like a flare up, I remember when I got Crohn's diarrhea was my first symptom. But is it stress? I'm really stressed, my mom's in the hospital, I have to pass some exams. And It's really bugging me. Any of you had anything like this?

 

[superzeeman]

It could very well be stress and not a true flare but I guess there is no way to tell for sure without tests. I would say that you need to find a way to control your stress like exercise or meditation. Take care of yourself.

 

[UnXmas]

Do you usually experience digestive upset when you are stressed? I would suspect Crohn's would be more likely to be causing your symptoms. Tests will be the only way to know for sure. You won't necessarily need invasive tests - basic blood tests can give a rough idea of your state of health. Although they don't always pick up on active Crohn's, blood tests can reveal things such as whether inflammation is present which can help to determine whether you're flaring.

It might give you some peace of mind if you visit the doctor just in case. You won't necessarily have the same symptoms with each Crohn's flare. Have you tried any meds such as Imodium to reduce the number of bowel movements?

 

[SarahBear]

The tricky thing here is that stress can lead to a flare - it's not necessarily one or the other.

How many days has this occurred? It might be a virus or something along those lines rather than an actual flare, since it's so different from your typical symptoms. Have you changed your eating habits? If things persist, get worse, or you would just feel better having it checked out, please contact your GI.

 

[jwfoise]

The tricky thing here is that stress can lead to a flare - it's not necessarily one or the other.

It does for me; stress is my single biggest trigger.