Really Need Answers / Info...

[H&RsDaddy]

For the last 8+ weeks, I feel that I have been going through a Crohn's flare up based on some preliminary fecal and blood results and symptoms, as well as my GI telling me he is 65% sure. Terrible stomach pains and cramping (both left and right side below rib cage), pain when holding my babies (which sucks!!!) or any pressure against my stomach, lower back pain. I have also had a sharp stabbing pain in the center of my back; feels like it comes from the inside out, when this occurs, it itches and when I go to scratch it, its numb.

The GI I am seeing has conducted blood work, fecal test, ultra sound, an endoscopy, a colonoscopy, a lower GI, and a camera capsule endoscopy. All tests revealed borderline Crohn's, but no clear diagnosis. I am scheduled for a double balloon Enteroscopy to take a biopsy of a suspicious area revealed in the camera-capsule test, which so happens to be on the right side below my rib cage where I have pain when press against or any pressure applied to that area.

Since the camera test, my Dr seems to now think it may be celiac disease or a bacterial overgrowth (although he has not ruled out Crohn's). I strongly feel otherwise and believe it's Crohn's (he was 65% sure diagnosis would be Crohn's up until this last test, mainly based on my family history (two cousins on opposite sides with Crohn's) and the fact that I haven't changed my eating patterns and suddenly became sick for the first time in 10 years (I had one other episode like this that was ultimately diagnosed as Pancreatitis, which was caused by a B12 deficiency because my body was not absorbing the vitamin.

My question is, has anyone ultimately been diagnosed with Crohn's after several borderline tests? Are any of the symptoms familiar to anyone else? This process, as all of you know, is quite frustrating, especially since this is the second time in 10 years going though the battery of tests with negative results.

Thanks ahead of time for any help, advice and support, I really appreciate it...

 

[valleysangel92]

Hello, welcome to the forum

I'm sorry that you are having such a tough time. The symptoms you describe could easily be coeliac disease as much as they could be crohns so the biopsies gained in your endoscopies could be vital to distinguish between the two.

I know it might seem odd to suddenly develop a condition which responds to food so closely but it happens more than you'd think. I was fine until I was 14 and then random testing for other things picked up coeliac disease. There are blood tests, TTG and IGa which can be used to look for coeliac disease. It might be worth getting these done if they haven't already been included.

Crohns wise, unfortunately it's not uncommon to have a tricky road to diagnosis. There are many people here who have had to fight to get a strong diagnosis and this is something which I can relate to personally. It is important to listen to your body and remember that you know it better than anyone.


Personally, I couldn't tell you which I think is more likely, as a sufferer of both I can see the indications for both in what you describe, so I think it's important that all possibilities are properly investigated here.