Is this a flare up?

[epconroy]

Having tolerated my condition for many years without being diagnosed I now find it hard to put my finger on whether Im having a flare-up or not, I do feel a little silly as I imagine if you were having a flare-up you'd know it. Here's the deal. Diagnosed for the first time in April 2011 with CD after being admitted with severe abdominal pain, I never really suffered from diarrhoea or constipation . I fell pregnant in early June and had a miscarriage just a month ago in August.
In the last week or so I feel like the CD is acting up, cramping , loose stools, heartburn, generally feeling yucky.........so when do I contact my doctor? I was at my consultant on Tues and he said he could feel it was tender in the area where my Crohns is affected, he said come back if you've pain, I'm getting my bloods done in the a.m. to see if my CRP is raised, I just don't want to wait until I'm in agony. He told me not to wait until I'm that bad-does this make sense to anyone?? Do I seek medication or just ride it out???

 

[Lizzie]

Hi. I would say first of all that if you feel you need treatment then you should go back and ask for it. I'm recently diagnosed with IBD and this is the info that was given to me on a hospital visit last week, which I hope might be of interest. It says to ring the IBD nurse helpline if you think you are having a flare-up of your disease or you are experiencing any of the following: you are opening your bowels regularly more than 5 times a day; you are passing blood; you are getting up regularly at night to open your bowels; you have abdominal pain that is waking you at night or is preventing you from eating your meals. So these seem to be the danger signals as far as that particular hospital is concerned.