My Ongoing Saga :)

[Catarific]

All of this started in September 2010 :confused2: I thought I had either a gastrointestinal virus or food poisoning - afflicted with diarrhea, back pain, cramps, mucus, etc. This continued like this for about a week - and unresponsive to any of the remedies I used in the past - white rice, bread, crackers, gatoraid - nothing worked.

After a few weeks, I still had the diarrhea but no longer had the cramps or backache - and continually felt somewhat better but still I no longer had a normal stool. I have had IBS-C for years - but this was definitely not that. Not only did the regular foods I used for diarrhea no longer work, but new sensitivities developed which were never there before - I could not eat dairy, fructose, high fructose, nightshade vegetables, gluten products which included cookies, cake, pizza, etc. I no longer could tolerate anything fried, whole eggs (egg whites, occasionally), nuts, fruits, vegetables, chocolate, etc. I also noticed malabsorbtion (especially if I tried to eat carrots).

Now in February of 2011, I still am having trouble with stools - ranging from mushy to runny and ranging from 1 time a day to maybe 4 or 5 times. I still have most of my sensitivities but can now tolerate 1/2 banana or some pineapple but not a lot. I finally did make an appointment for the doctor to have an endoscopy (to check for celiac sprue) and a colonoscopy to see what is going on. Hopefully I will have some answers and can get back on track. I have been taking probiotics but they have not seemed to help much.

I have kept a food diary through all this - unfortunately I have found more things I cannot eat rather than finding safe foods. I have lost a great deal of weight - no longer eating much starch, sweets, red meat. I mainly eat baked fish and baked turkey or chicken. I am down to 101 lbs all dressed with shoes. Thankfully I am 5'1-1/2" so at least I do not look painfully thin. It is very easy to loose weight when you eat so much less - but that really was not the way I planned to lose weight

Will update my saga as soon as I hear what is going on with me....

Appreciate all the help I can get!

Big hugs,
Sue aka Catarific

 

[Crohn's 35]

Hi there! :bigwave: welcome to the forum. I love your avatar so cute! Many people have been on here and some for over a year and still no diagnosis. Have you not had a colonoscopy? Where is your pain located? Btw you dont have much choices of food that you do eat!

Glad you are here, welcome aboard!

 

[Catarific]

I have seen two gastroenterolists - have had much blood work and stool tests - all negative. I had a colonoscopy quite a few years back when they determined IBS. But now I am scheduled in March for an updated colonscopy and endoscopy. Funny - there is basicially very little pain - not severe at all and accompanied with an urgency to go to the bathroom. After going, whatever pain there was, is relieved. If I do eat something that I have a sensitivity to, I usually get some pain in my upper abdomen - but again it is relieved after going to the bathroom. The problem is - when I eat something I am sensitive to, I sometimes have to go many times. That is how I find out not to eat that product again. I really do not enjoy playing detective because I have not found too many foods that I do not react to.

I am hoping that at some future date, I can reintroduce foods back into my diet that I now cannot eat.

I am hoping the colonoscopy will give some answers to what is going on and some positive steps I can take to relieve this problem. If everything comes back negative, I have no idea how to proceed in the healing process I no longer eat milk products, very little gluten, no caffeine, no fried foods, no nuts, no chocolate. With a changed diet, how long would healing take?

 

[vickyhunter]

I've been a vegetarian for 7 years (since I was 12) but when I was younger and did eat meat I found that after I ate beef I would experience diarrhoea and stomach pains. Although, diet has never played a huge role in my Crohn's. I'm veggie for animal reasons btw, not because I have intolerance to meat. It's bad your diet is restricted so much I hope you get well soon so you can indulge in some chocolate!
xxxxxxxxxx

 

[Cat-a-Tonic]

Hi Sue and welcome! As Pen mentioned, some of us - myself included - have been undiagnosed for a long time (I've been ill since Oct 2009). I hope you are able to get some answers and a diagnosis soon! I hope the scopes can shed some light for you so that you can get some treatment and relief. Good luck and let us know how the scopes go.

 

[Astra]

Hi Sue
and welcome

Hope you get the answers and dx soon too
good luck
Joan xxx