Never had an upper GI done..... What if?

[ibdoer]

I was just wondering. Last year when I first showed symptoms, I was diagnosed via colonoscopy about a month later.
Biopsies showed active crohn's in the lower half of my large colon, and I was all clear in the upper half and ileum.
I was just wondering. Why wouldn't my doctor want to see other parts of my small intestine? What if I have inflammation going on over there and don't even know about it?

 

[Jennifer]

It's more common for Crohns to be found near the ileum. If nothing was found in that first test, I'm sure they would have scheduled you for an upper scope. If they find it in the lower, it doesn't matter if you have inflammation in the upper as well because the medication you take to treat the lower goes throughout your body and will treat the upper as well.

As far as the entire small intestine goes, you can't get a scope in there to see. It's too long and it's hard to get a camera in there. Those camera pills I believe are used more often when the source of your symptoms cannot be found. It wouldn't make sense for them to see every part of your infected bowel when they are already treating you until you don't have symptoms anymore.