New here and scared!

[Stephjs81]

Hi all,

After many months of health issues a gynaecologist and a gastro doctor have told me that I likely have Crohn's disease. I will have a colonoscopy in two weeks and in the meantime I'm quite scared.

I've had ibs since I was 11 (32 now) but it decreased a lot when I was in my twenties. The only real symptom of it has been these occasional episodes where I suffer extreme pain during a bowel movement. This has happened about four times a year since the age of 14 and has gotten so bad at times that I vomit or pass out. Last year I went on a trip to France and had a pretty bad ibs attack which lasted for two weeks. The usual D, but also nausea.

Since the start of this year I've been struggling with bouts of extreme fatigue and joint paint, particularly in my hips, lower back, and rib cage. I've also had frequent mouth ulcers as well as some abscesses around my fingernails. All the doctors said it was post viral fatigue. Then in June I started to develop stomach issues. I had soft, watery stools for about four weeks. Then on June 28th I drank quite a bit of wine and woke up in the middle of the night with a searing pain in the lower right hand quadrant of my abdomen. In the morning I had black blood in my stool and gastritis. I was also very nauseous. It's been one month now and this lower right hand pain hasn't gone away. It's tolerable, only getting really painful when I drink,but its always there, achy and tender. The fatigue and joint pain have continued. Bowel movements have been normal but last week I had an enema before an ultrasound and lots of white mucous came out! I also experienced extreme cramping.

Does anyone else recognise any of these symptoms as Crohn's disease ? I'm scared of having something even more serious, like bowel cancer. Can people with Crohn's disease experience fatigue and other extra intestinal symptoms for months before an intestinal flare? For the record, I am a non smoker but I am of Ashkneazi Jewish descent . My mother and grandma both had ibs and my grandfather had bowel cancer in his sixties.

Any advice would be much appreciated. It's hard to wait for a diagnoses!

Stephanie

 

[nogutsnoglory]

Welcome to the forum Stephanie. Fatigue is extremely common with this disease and intestinal pain can come and go. Your symptoms are likely due to crohn's. I wouldn't worry too much because this colonoscopy will finally give you assurance of what's going on and your doctor will discuss what medical options are right for you. Try to look at this as a new chapter on health for your life.

 

[dragonfly]

They all sound like symptoms of Crohns or UC like said above after the colonoscopy hopefully you can get some dx and then figure out how to treat it. Stay away from drinking and if you can keep a food journel of what you are eating and use that to figure out what it is that isn't agreeing with you, that made a world of difference with me! Also I was taught by my Dr this was in the 80's mind you but whenever having a flare-up use the "BRAT" diet Banana Rice Applesauce & Toast these are very easy tolerated and digested I've done it for years when needed. I wish you the best of luck and hope you can finally get some answers. This is a GREAT place to ask questions, read about others and just to talk to someone who is going through the same thing. Welcome and feel free to ask away or just read away!! Best wishes to you!

 

[lblair]

Stephjs81
I have had all the same symptoms that you are having I was just Dx in March had been really sick since christmas time last year the 1st colonoscopy showed nothing the biopsies came back okay. It wasn't till I had the pill cam to look at my small bowel that it showed it was actively bleeding.

Saw the GI and he did another colonoscopy so that he could take a biopsies of my small bowel and that One came back Crohn's and a gluten allergy plus I'm a diabetic so makes the diet fun LOL!!!

Hang in there and keep us posted!!!!

 

[Stephjs81]

Thank you all for your responses! So nice to talk to others who have been experiencing similar symptoms and Re staying strong. I was wondering if crohns could lie undiagnosed for many years. Could my ibs have been crohns all along or are they unrelated? lblair, did you also have fatigue preceding the stomach issues? How are you going with your diet? Crohns plus a gluten allergy must be tough! I have really struggled with the drinking thing: it's the worst trigger for me, but being in my early thirties, almost all social interactions center around booze. I'm a huge fan of beer and was drinking it almost daily until my flare. Now down to once or twice a week but it looks like I may have to stop all together. The upside is that since cutting down on the booze I have lost six pounds! There's always a silver lining

Good luck to all of you and thanks again for responding.

 

[Mountaingem]

Oh yes, it is so common there's even an undiagnosed thread here! It took the doctors at least 10 years to correctly diagnose my Crohn's-I had a similar period where it flared severely, then it seemed to lay dormant for a few years before it came roaring out again in my mid twenties. Alcohol is something certain IBD patients can tolerate but yeah, I'm in the same camp as you, any alcohol, even a glass of wine, triggers symptoms.
Best wishes to you during your colonoscopy! If you need any help with prep, we're all here for you-you'd be surprised how many tricks the members here have amassed through trial and error.