Report of ultrasound: what does this mean?

[kenvh]

Hi

I had my second IBD test and want to know what the report says about my ultrasound. My first test was calprotectin and was positive at 277 and 141.

The ultrasound of the small and large intestine report says:
Multiple reactive Lymph nodes at retroperitoneal and mesenterial, specially mesohypogastric region.

I know that the doctor who did the ultrasound did said to me that there was actually inflammation seen. wich I except to be the swollen lymph nodes.

I did search the forum at lymph nodes, but notting shows up about the intestines here.

 

[kenvh]

ps: my symptoms is: nausea, night sweats, hot flashes, vomiting sensation, cramps, pressure, abdominal pain, constipation/diarrheah, extreme fatigue, dizziness.

 

[eleanor_rigby]

An ultrasound scan is quite a non-specific test and cannot visualise as clearly what is going on compared to an MRE with contrast or CT scan. Do you have any other tests planned?

 

[kenvh]

Yeah, but it is a start right. I got calprotectin and ultrasound saying it isnt ibs anymore.
I have an mri waiting and a colonscopy too. The ultrasound could clearly see the colon and non of the inflammation was there. I talked to the GI and told my problem isnt the colon. Still they planned a colonscopy wich will show notting at all. I asked for pill cam wich will give the best idea of my disease. They arent against it, but its always colonscopy here and colon there. Colon is just a very small part of intestine. Im afraid i must do the colonscopy too to get my pill cam afterwards.

 

[eleanor_rigby]

The colonoscopy will show the terminal ileum, which is the most common area for Crohn's to occur therefore it is important to do it to at least rule that out. They are unpleasant but necessary in the path to an IBD diagnosis.

 

[kenvh]

Yeah i understand u as the manority has crohns in ileum.
But ileum is easy to see with ultrasound and best images are on that spot.mthe ultrasound doc said there was none inflammation there. All in the jejunum section. Plus... I always felt th burning at jejunum location. I told every doc right at the start. So im afraid i just have to endure the scope im afraid and give them there will

 

[eleanor_rigby]

It is possible the ultrasound won't have picked up everything though. I had a lot of symptoms above my belly button - cramps and discomfort. I had an ultrasound scan which showed absolutely nothing so no further testing was done. A year later my ileum perforated from severe ulceration that had been there years and required emergency surgery.
A colonoscopy is standard for all patients suspected of IBD regardless of location of disease. Hopefully it will be clear for you and you won't need another one.

 

[kenvh]

Yeah, indeed. Its far from perfect. Sorry to hear ur missery man. I guess im following that crap along ur side. I see u had blockage. What were ur symptoms on the obstruction?
I suffer from vomiting sensation, nausea, distention, cramps, bloating, reflux, more gerd as usual.
Could u go to the toilet? Or was it impossible? I can go everyday once mostly.
But food is in my throat.. Hadnt that symptom previous weeks. Its news.

 

[DEmberton]

The ultrasound I had showed nothing at all. Colonoscopy couldn't see into the Ileum, but the CT scan showed a 20cm stricture.

 

[JaimeM]

All it means is that something is triggering your immune system. that's what lymph nodes are. If they are inflamed then they are working to fight something off. My lymph nodes are almost always inflamed when I have scans done. But only on my right side for some reason

 

[kenvh]

All it means is that something is triggering your immune system. that's what lymph nodes are. If they are inflamed then they are working to fight something off. My lymph nodes are almost always inflamed when I have scans done. But only on my right side for some reason

Yeah, i did read that too. That its fighting something.
But yours are also inflammed as well u say.
Isnt it just the auto immune inflammation that triggers it, wich is basicly crohn itself?
Or do u think we have an hidden infection? Did yours also started after food poisoning?

 

[JaimeM]

I would say it's the auto immune. Your body thinks it has an infection but is actually attacking itself. My crohns did actually start with food poisoning. That's when my crohns symptoms started.

 

[kenvh]

I would say it's the auto immune. Your body thinks it has an infection but is actually attacking itself. My crohns did actually start with food poisoning. That's when my crohns symptoms started.

So we have the same cause.
Pls explain me some more.
Did u have a resection? Did u get better after it, or did u get just another stricture? U have also low fever and night sweats and burning intestines?

What helped u the most? Pls tell me some story.

Greets

 

[JaimeM]

I have been diagnosed for 10 years. I started on entocort and then went to remicade. I did really well until about 3 years ago after I had my son. I switched to cimzia and it didn't work for me. I work at a hospital, ended up getting cdiff and a fecal transplant. I had a lot of damage to my bowel after the cdiff and with my crohns. I ended up at mayo clinic (which is the #1 ibd center in the US) They told me I had 3 fistulas forming, and 12 inches of affected bowel. They said I wasn't a candidate for a resection yet, as that's a last resort procedure. They started me back on remicade as well as adding azathioprine.

I get night sweats and burning on my right side and whenever I'm flared i get a low great fever. The things that have helped the most are finding the right medication doses and combinations tbh. I also make sure to drink a ton of water, I tend to get dehydrated a lot. I make sure to take vitamins especially vit D. I also started drinking kombucha which is a fermented black tea. It has a lot of vitamin B and probiotics. It seems to help. I just recently had my tonsils out too, as I kept getting infections in my tonsils. I feel much better after that. Otherwise, just watching what I eat. Sugary foods and a lot of bulky stuff makes my crohns site hurt.

 

[eleanor_rigby]

Yeah, indeed. Its far from perfect. Sorry to hear ur missery man. I guess im following that crap along ur side. I see u had blockage. What were ur symptoms on the obstruction?
I suffer from vomiting sensation, nausea, distention, cramps, bloating, reflux, more gerd as usual.
Could u go to the toilet? Or was it impossible? I can go everyday once mostly.
But food is in my throat.. Hadnt that symptom previous weeks. Its news.

I am not sure exactly that what I have had in the past were obstructions but my symptoms sounded a lot like what other people said they felt like when they had obstructions. I have never been to hospital for them though.
Symptoms: horrific painful cramps, like waves of pain, like labour contractions that tighten and then release. The location of the pain from the cramps is always a few inches directly above my belly button and below my ribs. The pain is so awful you cannot eat, you cannot go to work, you just have to lie in bed. Sometimes I would throw up. Can sort of pass stool/wind but not properly. Can last a week at a time. There have been times where I have laid on the bathroom floor cramping and sweating thinking I was going to die. I probably should have gone to hospital then but I was too scared. The pain is the level where you think you should be in hospital because you could be dying. My parents never took me though and I wasn't old enough at the time to go on my own. I then kind of got used to them and just trusted they would always pass. They would come and go over 5 years and then my ileum perforated. I had a resection at my ileum and then I never got them again for 4 years, completely disappeared.

 

[JaimeM]

that sounds really similar to my pre diagnosis symptoms. I could only lay in bed or writhe in pain in bed. It was terrible! It would go away eventually but lasted a good 12-16 hrs. Then I'd be so exhausted the next day that I'd be home then too. I dealt with that for 2 years before I finally got a diagnosis.