- Joined
- Feb 13, 2013
- Messages
- 1
Hello all...
First off and foremost, this is a lengthy post, but I hope some of you folks will take the time to read and respond to this and maybe compare my problems to yours and see where this might be headed? I will be as descriptive as possible(and I know it may be TMI, but just trying to keep it real).
So I've been searching the internet high and low and I keep coming back to ground zero with no solid answers. My story started back in November of 2012. Before I get started there, I will admit that I've noticed for the last few years, it would seem about once a month I'd get a horrible stomach ache in the middle of the night waking me up around 2-3 am. I'd run to the bathroom 4-5 times with diarrhea but after that, I was good to go. But, I dismissed it as nothing and just figured it was a stomach ache and everyone gets one from time to time.
I am now 30 years old and noticed in November of last year, I had about 3 stomach aches in one month. I thought that was a little odd. December rolled around and I had about 5. Again, waking me up in the middle of the night, 2-3 am with stomach pains and diarrhea. After about 4-5 trips to the bathroom, problem solved. January of this year rolls around and it started getting to the point where is was twice a week. February started and it was like 3 days in a row. Of course, this started diminishing my appetite because not only was I sick at night, but it was carrying over into the day. I had been using the traditional Pepto to try and curve it but found myself drinking it straight out of the bottle and I felt like I was putting a band aid on a problem that wasnt going away. Finally after enough bouts, I said, something is WRONG!
On Feb 7th, I went to a Gastrointestinal specialist who said it could be a range of many different things. He opted to do a Endoscopy to try and pin point something as that test would help diagnose/and eliminate certain conditions. Well, with my insurance not being the greatest in the world and not knowing the cost of this, I elected to proceed. I was on no medication and was scheduled for the procedure on Feb 24th. Well, on Feb 21st, all my symptoms seem to clear up for the first time really since December and I went back to eating as usual. Now on a side note, I will admit, I dont eat the greatest of foods. Honestly, pretty much junk foods. Im actually a lean guy though so Im not overweight, etc. But, honestly, a day for me might be a pack of crackers or a snack cake(little debbie) for breakfast, maybe a cheeseburger/fries or pasta of some sort for lunch and dinner can range from 3-4 different vegtables to pizza, to etc. That being said, again, I've read online where practically any food out there does not sit well with Crohns. I've heard people say foods high in fiber arent good then others say they are good. People say greasy foods arent good while others say not to eat fruits, vegtables and nuts. So in other words from what I read, basically your just gonna starve b/c nothing is good for you! lol
The endoscopy was performed and it came back with the following results. It was negative for H Pylori(what I felt for certain it was), it was confirmed I had Grade A Esophogitis(in which he put me on prescription Omeprazole 1x a day) and some sort of bacteria infection in the entrance of the small intestine. No ulcers were found either(my 2nd thought of what it was). He said to start the medication he prescribed me and he felt the infection would clear on its on along with the help of a good probiotic. So I started with the omeprazole and probiotic(each 1x/daily). I never knew I had acid reflux but he stated based on my esophogeus, it appeared that I had a little. So, all was well until about Feb 5th with no problems.
I woke up the morning of Feb 5th with continuous burps that tasted like rotten eggs. I dont even eat eggs! That continued for about an hour until about 9 am when my stomach started hurting again. Back to the bathroom about 2-3 times with diarrhea. This same pattern continued for 3 days and the rotten egg burps(or "sulfur burps" that I researched online) went away. However, the diarrhea has stayed here ever since. Its on/off throughout the day depending on if I eat or not. If I do decide to eat, it usually hits me about 3-4 hours after I eat. If I dont eat, usually no diarrhea. Its never moments after I eat or even within the hour when the diarrhea hits me. I've lost about 15lbs since all this has started however I do not feel sore anywhere on my body. I read where some people were claiming back pains, kidney pains etc.
I decided to call my Dr back b/c obviously something is still wrong and it appears its progressively getting worse again. I told him I had gotten better for about 10 days and then all of the sudden, rotten egg burps which have now gone away but severe diarrhea again. He asked about blood in the stool, but that has only been once and was simply a trace amount. To be honest, its usually pretty "mucus-y" or "slimey". That being said, I dont even wanna eat now. I'm eating small things like a cracker here and there, etc. I tried chicken noodle soup one night...lasted for about 5 hours and then diarrhea. The dr stated he'd like to perform a colonscopy to rule out Crohn's disease. This scared me and he said he didnt think it was, but wanted to make sure. The problem is again, with my insurance, my endoscopy was about $2000.00. I explained to him I knew the colonscopy would probably be double that and could not afford it at this time. I asked him if there was a medication or antibiotic I could try? To be honest, I had been taking some cephyalexin 500mg(2x/day) that I had left over from a severe sinus infection I had about a year ago. I had been taking that for 4 days with no results. I was grabbing for straws and trying to save myself some $. I never told the dr about the cephyalexin antiboiotic but he said he could put me on 14 days of xifaxan 550mg 3x/day. He said that was a great antibiotic to eleminate the bad bacteria out of the gut. He said bad part was it eradicates the good bacteria out as well. He said in the meantime to stop the probiotic and just take this Xifaxan along with my 1/x day omeprazole. He said after the two weeks, continue back on the probiotic to replenish good bacteria in the gut. So I started that regime yesterday around 1pm. My stomach hasnt hurt really but its making horrible squirting noises and acts like its going to want to hurt. The dr said when prescribing the Xifaxan that he thinks its IBS and if it clears up with this medication, then its obvious that its not Crohns. He said if it is Crohns, then the medicine is obviously not going to help.
My concern is my stomach is starting to show me the signs that hurt is on its way again and I dont know if its b/c the medicine hasnt really had time to get in my system or b/c I really may have Crohns? I had a small lunch yesterday but didnt eat dinner. I had a few crackers b/c I was starting to get some hunger pains. Today, I had breakfast and lunch but now I'm starting to have some butterflies down there. One of my best friends has Crohns so I decided to call him yesterday. Maybe I shouldnt have b/c after talking to him, I made myself think I have it even more now. He said he just woke up one day and ran to the bathroom like 10 times before 9am. He scheduled a dr's appt b/c it def wasnt normal and the following day was diagnosed with Crohns. He said the dr told him he had probably had it for a while but something probably just triggered it. He said his stomach will hurt and he will have horrible diarrhea. He said certain foods will make it hurt worse. He said that the other thing was he had a lot of blood with his diarrhea. Im sitting there thinking...I've had all of this minus the blood except for a trace amount one time. He states he is now on medication that for the most part allows him to live a normal life. He said maybe once a month he has a little flare up but usually its manageable. But long story short, he told me, "Man...I had a lot of those same symptoms and it sounds like it could be..."
Now, that being said, theres no history of Crohns in my family but there is a history of IBS. But, my friend told me, theres none in his family that he knows of but his father may have it as he's never been diagnosed. So, long story short, this medicine is basically the do or die. If it does not work, colonoscopy is next and dr said that's pretty much what it would have to be as we've eliminated most of everything else that would cause the stomach pains and diarrhea.
So I think back now and the more I read online, I think...maybe all these months I'd have a stomach ache...maybe I've had Crohns the whole time and its just gotten worse now? Or maybe this is the "flare-up" people talk about? Idk...Any help or comparisons would be great. And I understand everyone is different...I guess more/less, I'm just trying to prepare myself...
Thanks to all who read and are willing to help.
First off and foremost, this is a lengthy post, but I hope some of you folks will take the time to read and respond to this and maybe compare my problems to yours and see where this might be headed? I will be as descriptive as possible(and I know it may be TMI, but just trying to keep it real).
So I've been searching the internet high and low and I keep coming back to ground zero with no solid answers. My story started back in November of 2012. Before I get started there, I will admit that I've noticed for the last few years, it would seem about once a month I'd get a horrible stomach ache in the middle of the night waking me up around 2-3 am. I'd run to the bathroom 4-5 times with diarrhea but after that, I was good to go. But, I dismissed it as nothing and just figured it was a stomach ache and everyone gets one from time to time.
I am now 30 years old and noticed in November of last year, I had about 3 stomach aches in one month. I thought that was a little odd. December rolled around and I had about 5. Again, waking me up in the middle of the night, 2-3 am with stomach pains and diarrhea. After about 4-5 trips to the bathroom, problem solved. January of this year rolls around and it started getting to the point where is was twice a week. February started and it was like 3 days in a row. Of course, this started diminishing my appetite because not only was I sick at night, but it was carrying over into the day. I had been using the traditional Pepto to try and curve it but found myself drinking it straight out of the bottle and I felt like I was putting a band aid on a problem that wasnt going away. Finally after enough bouts, I said, something is WRONG!
On Feb 7th, I went to a Gastrointestinal specialist who said it could be a range of many different things. He opted to do a Endoscopy to try and pin point something as that test would help diagnose/and eliminate certain conditions. Well, with my insurance not being the greatest in the world and not knowing the cost of this, I elected to proceed. I was on no medication and was scheduled for the procedure on Feb 24th. Well, on Feb 21st, all my symptoms seem to clear up for the first time really since December and I went back to eating as usual. Now on a side note, I will admit, I dont eat the greatest of foods. Honestly, pretty much junk foods. Im actually a lean guy though so Im not overweight, etc. But, honestly, a day for me might be a pack of crackers or a snack cake(little debbie) for breakfast, maybe a cheeseburger/fries or pasta of some sort for lunch and dinner can range from 3-4 different vegtables to pizza, to etc. That being said, again, I've read online where practically any food out there does not sit well with Crohns. I've heard people say foods high in fiber arent good then others say they are good. People say greasy foods arent good while others say not to eat fruits, vegtables and nuts. So in other words from what I read, basically your just gonna starve b/c nothing is good for you! lol
The endoscopy was performed and it came back with the following results. It was negative for H Pylori(what I felt for certain it was), it was confirmed I had Grade A Esophogitis(in which he put me on prescription Omeprazole 1x a day) and some sort of bacteria infection in the entrance of the small intestine. No ulcers were found either(my 2nd thought of what it was). He said to start the medication he prescribed me and he felt the infection would clear on its on along with the help of a good probiotic. So I started with the omeprazole and probiotic(each 1x/daily). I never knew I had acid reflux but he stated based on my esophogeus, it appeared that I had a little. So, all was well until about Feb 5th with no problems.
I woke up the morning of Feb 5th with continuous burps that tasted like rotten eggs. I dont even eat eggs! That continued for about an hour until about 9 am when my stomach started hurting again. Back to the bathroom about 2-3 times with diarrhea. This same pattern continued for 3 days and the rotten egg burps(or "sulfur burps" that I researched online) went away. However, the diarrhea has stayed here ever since. Its on/off throughout the day depending on if I eat or not. If I do decide to eat, it usually hits me about 3-4 hours after I eat. If I dont eat, usually no diarrhea. Its never moments after I eat or even within the hour when the diarrhea hits me. I've lost about 15lbs since all this has started however I do not feel sore anywhere on my body. I read where some people were claiming back pains, kidney pains etc.
I decided to call my Dr back b/c obviously something is still wrong and it appears its progressively getting worse again. I told him I had gotten better for about 10 days and then all of the sudden, rotten egg burps which have now gone away but severe diarrhea again. He asked about blood in the stool, but that has only been once and was simply a trace amount. To be honest, its usually pretty "mucus-y" or "slimey". That being said, I dont even wanna eat now. I'm eating small things like a cracker here and there, etc. I tried chicken noodle soup one night...lasted for about 5 hours and then diarrhea. The dr stated he'd like to perform a colonscopy to rule out Crohn's disease. This scared me and he said he didnt think it was, but wanted to make sure. The problem is again, with my insurance, my endoscopy was about $2000.00. I explained to him I knew the colonscopy would probably be double that and could not afford it at this time. I asked him if there was a medication or antibiotic I could try? To be honest, I had been taking some cephyalexin 500mg(2x/day) that I had left over from a severe sinus infection I had about a year ago. I had been taking that for 4 days with no results. I was grabbing for straws and trying to save myself some $. I never told the dr about the cephyalexin antiboiotic but he said he could put me on 14 days of xifaxan 550mg 3x/day. He said that was a great antibiotic to eleminate the bad bacteria out of the gut. He said bad part was it eradicates the good bacteria out as well. He said in the meantime to stop the probiotic and just take this Xifaxan along with my 1/x day omeprazole. He said after the two weeks, continue back on the probiotic to replenish good bacteria in the gut. So I started that regime yesterday around 1pm. My stomach hasnt hurt really but its making horrible squirting noises and acts like its going to want to hurt. The dr said when prescribing the Xifaxan that he thinks its IBS and if it clears up with this medication, then its obvious that its not Crohns. He said if it is Crohns, then the medicine is obviously not going to help.
My concern is my stomach is starting to show me the signs that hurt is on its way again and I dont know if its b/c the medicine hasnt really had time to get in my system or b/c I really may have Crohns? I had a small lunch yesterday but didnt eat dinner. I had a few crackers b/c I was starting to get some hunger pains. Today, I had breakfast and lunch but now I'm starting to have some butterflies down there. One of my best friends has Crohns so I decided to call him yesterday. Maybe I shouldnt have b/c after talking to him, I made myself think I have it even more now. He said he just woke up one day and ran to the bathroom like 10 times before 9am. He scheduled a dr's appt b/c it def wasnt normal and the following day was diagnosed with Crohns. He said the dr told him he had probably had it for a while but something probably just triggered it. He said his stomach will hurt and he will have horrible diarrhea. He said certain foods will make it hurt worse. He said that the other thing was he had a lot of blood with his diarrhea. Im sitting there thinking...I've had all of this minus the blood except for a trace amount one time. He states he is now on medication that for the most part allows him to live a normal life. He said maybe once a month he has a little flare up but usually its manageable. But long story short, he told me, "Man...I had a lot of those same symptoms and it sounds like it could be..."
Now, that being said, theres no history of Crohns in my family but there is a history of IBS. But, my friend told me, theres none in his family that he knows of but his father may have it as he's never been diagnosed. So, long story short, this medicine is basically the do or die. If it does not work, colonoscopy is next and dr said that's pretty much what it would have to be as we've eliminated most of everything else that would cause the stomach pains and diarrhea.
So I think back now and the more I read online, I think...maybe all these months I'd have a stomach ache...maybe I've had Crohns the whole time and its just gotten worse now? Or maybe this is the "flare-up" people talk about? Idk...Any help or comparisons would be great. And I understand everyone is different...I guess more/less, I'm just trying to prepare myself...
Thanks to all who read and are willing to help.
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