Need Help With Mysterious Pain

[Chucky]

Hi everybody,

I just joined the forum today. I was hoping to maybe get some insight from you guys and gals regarding my chronic abdominal pain. Any advice will be greatly appreciated! My only symptom is chronic, intermittent abdominal pain for 8 mos. My BM is normal and regular so far. The pain I have is not what I would consider severe but it's nonetheless uncomfortable. It doesn't radiate from one location; the pain tends to move around from stomach region to bladder region. When the pain is lower it's always in the middle.

I haven't been officially diagnosed with Ibd yet. My GI doc is running all the tests to check for it though. I had CRP and sed rate checked as well as lactoferrin and calprotectin. All results came back normal. Prior to having all the inflammation tests, I had an ultrasound to check gall bladder; it was negative. Now GI doc wants to do upper endoscopy. I was hoping to avoid the scope but unfortunately it looks like the scope is a very big possibility. Does Crohn's still seem likely?

I tried Prilosec for a week and didn't see any improvement. Gas x didn't help either. I tried Activia as well but it didn't help either.

Thanks in advance for taking the time to read my post. I'm very grateful for any replies I get!

-- Chuck

 

[FrozenGirl]

Welcome!

Unfortunately abdominal pain is one of those symptoms that has so many causes, one of which is IBD. That said I wouldn't jump to any particular diagnosis without more testing. I think the scope is a good idea, its not that bad honestly. If you are worried, you may be able to request sedation so you would be sleeping during it. Hopefully it will reveal something or at least you will be able to eliminate some possible diagnoses.

 

[SmellyMelly]

Unfortunately abdominal pain is one of those symptoms that has so many causes, one of which is IBD.

Too true. Most of my pain is from chronic intestinal wind. Once went to emergency hospital department thinking I was at deaths door. But a few good farts on my part, and I was on my way home again safe and sound. :ylol2:

The ONLY way to tell what it is - is to get tests done.

 

[UnXmas]

I think the lack of diarrhoea makes Crohn's unlikely. Typical symptoms of Crohn's would be frequent diarrhoea, bloody stools, abdominal pain, maybe fevers, weight loss or nausea, and a more typical case may have a family history. Your results on some tests also make it less likely. Though obviously there are always atypical cases, so your pain could be caused by Crohn's regardless of how far you deviate from text-book cases. IBD is one of the most common causes of digestive system symptoms and chronic abdominal pain, so it's among the first things doctors try to rule out or confirm. The scope can detect and rule out a lot more than IBD though, so it should be a useful test to have. And you will only find out what's wrong by having tests, asking on forums won't get you much further forward. You can find a lot of support here though, regardless of what you end up being diagnosed with.

 

[buttER]

The pain and area of pain you describe reminds me of kidney stones. I hope you can find the cause, good luck.

 

[Chucky]

Thank you all for your insightful replies! I definitely feel reassured after reading your responses. I have an appointment on this coming Tuesday to discuss my lab results. I will tell the doc I've decided to have the endoscopy.

I'm definitely going through with the scope even if my pain magically disappears. I guess my only concern now is a negative endoscopy. I'm not sure where to go from there.

I pretty much only have one out of several Crohn's symptoms so it's a bit premature for me to be fearing a Crohn's diagnosis. Thanks for putting my fear of Crohn's into perspective !

I drink a lot of milk and my dad has had kidney stones so stones wouldn't be a total surprise. I need to mention it to my Urologist to see what he thinks.

--Chuck

 

[UnXmas]

If you do have a negative endoscopy, your doctor should be able to tell you what other options you have. Or if you do think it might not be an issue with your digestive system, it may be worth considering if there's any other specialist besides a urologist who might help. What kind of pain is it you get? E.g. cramps, burning, aching, etc.?

 

[Chucky]

Hi!

Sorry for the delayed response. I would describe my abdominal pain as a dull burning pain. There's a warm feeling that comes over my abdominal region before I start feeling the uncomfortable burning pain. It's not bad enough to make me double over. I hope I explained it accurately.

Thank you!

Chuck

 

[UnXmas]

Burning pain could well be a stomach problem - not necessarily IBD, but things like bile reflux, or ulcers, though I think with those the pain would be higher up. But with burning abdominal pain an upper endoscopy could well be a very useful test to have.

 

[Chucky]

The pain can be lower at times. I wonder if ulcer pain can radiate that far from the source? A circle with a two inch radius, centered at my navel would encompass most of the pain.

Thanks

Chuck

 

[UnXmas]

According to the NHS it can, to your belly button at least:

The most common symptom of a stomach ulcer is a burning or gnawing pain that develops in your abdomen (tummy). The pain can also travel up to your neck, down to your navel (belly-button) or through to your back.

http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Peptic-ulcer/Pages/Symptoms.aspx

But hopefully the endoscopy will tell you for certain what is or isn't wrong.