Is it or isnt it

[sheilag]

is it or isnt it

hi my name is sheila from ireland, just found this site and thought it was quite good, so here is the story so far, iv always had ibs so i was told but in the last few months the symptoms have gotten quite bad as in visiting the toilet upto 6 times a day with, severe cramping that would last a while and sometimes i would get the urgency quite suddenly, also i had little blood, i also am gone very tired which is not like me at all as with two young boys and a demanding job im used to being quite busy. anyway went for colonoscopy last week and he found rectal polyp which he removed and said my small intestine is inflamed but that he could not see it all and sent me for ct scan today, now because my mother and sister have crohns he said he feels i could have this but wont know for sure untill results of ct and biopsy are back, but to me all i have known is my sis and mum with chronic symptoms and have to have most of their small intestestines removed. also they had weight loss which i dont have if anything i think i have gained with extremely distended tummy. what i do know is that there is something going on with me do any of you think it could be crohns or could it be some kind of infection of the small intestine. hope somone replies to me as i am really anxious over all of this..

kind regards,
sheila:ybatty:

 

[soupdragon69]

Howya Sheila!

Welcome to the forum. I am from County Antrim originally.

From your family history it is possible you have Crohns I am sorry to say. Not all crohns sufferers lose weight (I am one and overweight). You will find others here in the same boat believe me. It is also possible for you to have IBS and NOT IBD despite the family history.

The distended tum could also be due to any inflammation you have there and if you go onto treatment once you have a diagnosis you will probably find it decreases in time too.

Your consultant is very right in waiting for all the results to come in as Crohns or any form of Inflammatory Bowel Disease can be very elusive! So sit tight and wait for the answers to come THEN you can make sensible decisions rather than guessing.

Quite a few on here have also had the IBS diagnosis and some of us have IBS as well as Crohns believe it or not!

Take it one step at a time ok? Keep in mind that every Crohns and IBD patient is very different Sheila. Just because your mum and sister have had surgery doesnt mean you will alright? There are many meds that can be used nowadays.

Make sure you gather lots of accurate up to date information. Keep asking questions both of your medical team and us here.

We are not here to give medical advice BUT we WILL always listen, be a sounding board, understand why you feel as you do and help with any tips we can. We will support you on your good days and your not so good days.

Well done you for posting. Remember you are not alone bird ok?

Thinking of you.... let us know how you get on.

((hugs))

 

[sheilag]

thank you

wow that was a quick reply, i really appriciate your comments thank you. I felt so shocked when told me the results of the colonoscopy but also relieved that I wasnt going mad. The pain in my tummy is everyday now but comes and goes, it seems to be a tightning pain and then it goes again;. Also when I have a meal it seems to get worse after that. At the moment it is making all these gurgling noises "weird"! Are rectal polyps part of crohns aswell or is that something compleatly different??? oh I dont know Im going off my trolley thinking what this could be, but I have a funny feeling that it is crohn's. But then again maybe not! DO YOU C WHAT I MEAN! but thank you so much for replying so soon and i will let you know how i get on.

cheers,

sheila:confused2:

 

[Nancy Lee]

Hello Sheila and welcome to the forum!

I'm sorry you are suffering with what looks like Crohn's Disease.
IBD does tend to run in families and I would not be surprised if
that is what the diagnosis is.

I'm so glad you came here where we are all in the same boat.
You can feel free to read through the forums,
join in the threads, or just vent if you like.

Do take care and let us know what the final results are.

Once again welcome!

Healing hugs~Nancy

 

[Nancy Lee]

Almost missed your post there Sheila!

The tummy noises my GI doctor calls audible bowel sounds.
Guess they mean something but I'm not sure what.

I have had two or three polyps removed since being diagnosed.

AND, no you are not going off your trolley! :ylol2:

 

[sheilag]

thank you

thanks guys,

You are all so nice here, its great to be able to talk to people who understand, I havent told my mother or sister yet as I dont want to worry them, as especially my mum would worry like crazy if she thought another one of us had it. They went through so much, my sister was diagonosed when she was nine and had 2 ops since then to remove some of the small bowl, she is 26 now and is getting married next year, and only has odd flare ups, mum had several ops to removed bowl and still gets frequent flare ups, and she had very deep set kidney stones at the moment and has many treatments but cant get rid of them, she also has osteoporosis,

thanks again guys will let you know tomorrow, i have to ring for results of ct scan i dont think biopsy will be back as only had done last thursday. but i suppose the scan will give a good indication,

cheers!
sheila

 

[danman]

Hiya Sheila,
I'm from Donegal. I've been on here for the past few weeks, and it's been enlightening. I've learned more about this condition in the last few weeks than in the last 20 years.

I look forward to hearing how you get on with your results.

By the way, Do your sister or mother go to a consultant in Cork by any chance?
Dr. Buckley is the consultant there and he's one of the best in the country. He treated me when I lived in Dublin, but he moved about 4-5 years ago. He is unbelievable he's that good. But I suppose they would go to Limerick.

 

[sheilag]

Thank You

Hi Danman,

thank you for your reply, would you believe I was just reading your story and I am humbled by your courage, Yes my mum and sister go to cork, but they see Prof Shanahan, who they have been seeing for years, my sister goes there for regualar inflliximab, i think thats how you spell it, and i know she finds this treatment excellent,

How are you feeling now, i hope things are improving for you,

cheers!
sheila

 

[danman]

I'm going into hospital in Tallaght tomorrow for a colonoscopy and hopefully, they are going to keep me in to get surgery for a temperary colostomy bag.

I'll not know untill tomorrow if they will definatly do it, so fingers crossed.
I can't go on like this for much longer.

Dr. Buckley must be in one of the other hospitals in Cork. He's an amazing man. He's a consultant that talks "To" you rather than "At" you.

Hopefully if all goes to plan, I won't be on this site for a few days. If I'm back on before then, they'll not have operated.

Talk to you soon.

 

[sheilag]

best of luck danman, hope everything goes well for you,

talk soon,
sheila

 

[sheilag]

ct result in,

hi guys, well today i got the ct results, the lady in the docs office quoted the report as saying nothing significant found and no indication that this is crohns, so i have to wait for the biopsy which was taken a week ago today! and that could take up to 20 days, but i asked her to make appointment for doctor for review as i need somthing for the pain and constant trips to the toilet, so i guess this inflamation on my small intestine which showed up on the colonoscopy is something else maybe infection or something, the docs are not putting much seem into it, the pain is low down on my belly, not to any specific side, im very bloated and after every meal i have to run to the bathroom within a half an hour, i also am very tired, but as i said previously i am not very bad with pain only very crampy. oh i dont know maybe i am just being too moany!!!!
anyone any ideas, and should crohns have showed up on ct????

thank you,
sheila,:yrolleyes:

 

[sheilag]

thanks pen

pen thank you for you words of wisdom, you are so kind, i know i will have to be patience, but i am the type who has to take a peak on christmas eve at the presents under the tree, no patience what so ever, even when i was pregnant with my boys i had to find out what i was having so as you can imagine I wont be waiting around for doctors to ring me I will be on the phone pestering them for answers,

great site by the way, cant stay off it,

sheila:ybatty:

 

[ladyB]

Hi, Sheilag
Welcome to the forum.
Hope to be hearing more from you.

 

[helly25]

Hi sheilag ,its me again!!!
I've just been reading through your history and I'm wandering if its your ibs ,aggravated by something you ate or drank .I have it and sometimes that exact same thing happens to me, if i eat richer foods or drink more than 2 glasses of wine or eat cream of any sort. When it gets really bad ,my doctors put me on antibiotics for 10 days or so,as they believe sometimes it' is caused by infection I've had ibs for years ,but it seems to play up more now.

 

[Guest]

hi Sheilag

i've been popping in & out the forum quickly for weeks now so i am late welcoming you.. sorry.

in my own experience, CT scans have been used to determine whether there is a collection or mass.. such as when i had a pelvic abcess, and a bowel obstruction. the other tests such as colonoscopies, endoscopies, biopsies - i think - are more reliable as diagnostic tests for Crohns.

it could be that what you're experiencing is a nasty IBS flare - and i know how bad this can be as i watched my mother deteriorate alarmingly with this condition. with careful diet and addressing other issues like relaxation, cutting out caffeine etc.. she is now back on track & in control of the IBS.

i hope you get some answers soon, and feel better from all the pain & discomfort.

 

[sheilag]

thank you

hi guys, thanks for all your replies, im in work at the moment well finishing at 7.30pm after a 12 hour shift only 2 more to go!!:ybatty: i dont know maybe it is ibs but these symptoms are going on now for about 3 months would a flare up last that long, and my tummy my god i look like someone ready to give birth, but i will wait for the review with doc on tuesday and see what he says, its just i have a feeling that there is something else going on this time, or else i am overreacting, but my god what some of you have to go through is truly humbling and i am sure that you all get great comfort from this site,

i better go now the phone is hopping:smile:

talk again soon,
sheila

 

[sheilag]

help!

Hi guys,

could anyone let me know how to deal with this situation, i dont know what the blazes this thing is that i have got, but again today in work, I have to run to the toilet after everything I eat, I have a lot of wind and also tummy cramp and pains going down through me, I feel like going home! It is awfull. does this sound familiar to anyone, also just another piece of history for you im noticing a lot of you have had other problems too. I have had gallbladder removed, submandibular gland removed in my neck, i have had operation for adhesions from my 2 section scars that had travelled to my bowl, i also have had 2 operations under my arms for persistant abseces and they had to be left open to drain, Oh yes and Ive had 2 operations on my knee and they told me i have no cartiledge left and i will have to get a knee relacement but im only 38 so they want to wait a little longer, also i get awful pains in my feet and legs when i get up in the morning or if i have been resting for a while when i get up I can hardly walk, Ive also got fibrocystic disease of the breasts, and ive had 3 lumps removed which were ok "thank god":ylol2:

sorry for boring you all but as you can imagine i am just fed up today as im so :depressed: because i dont feel well, im getting to the stage now i dont want to eat because it is easier,

i have to go now and do some work so i will call back later

cheers,
sheila
:ybatty:
Pen i sent you a pm did you get it

 

[sheilag]

an answer at last

hi guys,

well had meeting today with the doc who done colonoscopy and he told me that he is 99% sure it is crohns, he is making appt for me with GI, and gave me steroids and another tablet for crohns, i cant remember what it is as i gave it to the chemist and i have to call back in the morning as they had none in stock, he said this will should bring down the inflamation, thank god as i need something now as this is just not going away. the constant visits to the loo and the cramping and tiredness is unreal. he said eventhough the ct scan just showed the inflamation also in the illum and the biopsy has showed nothing he saw it with his two eyes and he knows what it is but he had to prove to me that there was nothing else, but that we have caught it early and we can treat it now.

thanks for all your your support and i will keep you all updated with how the meds go, i am a bit worried about the steroids, will they make me put up weight. I am slightly overweight as it is so as you can imagine i am not looking forward to all this extra weight, and will it bring down the swelling in my tummy.

talk to you all soon, and i hope you are all well.

sheila:yrolleyes:

 

[soupdragon69]

Sheila I have PM'd you - see what you think..

Glad you are getting somewhere on the diagnosis and commencing treatment aspects.

Dont go disappearing now you have found us bird!