Hey everyone! This is my first time visiting this site and I thought now would be a great opportunity to share my story. On October 5th, 2012 I had my appendix removed. I started experiencing vomiting the night of October 2nd but thought nothing of it since I felt fine the next morning (oct 3rd). I am in grade 12 so I went to school that day with no problems. That night I woke up with sharp pains all over my body and more vomiting. I decided it was time to visit the doctor. He pressed on my stomach and I experienced the rebound pain which is very common. He sent me for a blood test and called me that night saying my white blood cell count was high. I went to the hospital and was there from about 830 pm and finally saw a surgeon around 1030. He said it was my appendix since I was also fevered at the time. They decided to just do the surgery the next morning as it was getting so late. After my surgery the surgeon told me that my appendix looked fine but that I had some terminal thickening on my small intestines. She told me it could be crohns but sent the appendix to the lab. About 3 weeks later the results came back with my appendix being normal. On December 17th I had a small bowel follow through with the barium and the X-rays. The lab had been closed for a while which is why the time in between. Today I went to the surgeons office to get my results. She said everything came back good accordingb to the X-ray. The thing is, I have experienced crohns symptoms for years now. I always put them off to being lactose as I wasn't able to drink milk as a baby. When she mentioned crohns, I looked up the signs and symptoms and I realized it wasn't the milk. When you are lactose, the symptoms rarely show up before 4 hours after consuming the product. I wa getting stomach cramps right after I'd eaten occasionally. I often experienced the pain I had when I had "appendicitis" along with diarrhea and occasional constipation. On New Year's Eve I had the worst possible stomach pains. It felt like someone was stabbing my stomach and they lasted for two days. I hardly ate at all. In the past few months I've woken up a few times randomly to vomit and then immediately felt better. I feel like I have become more aware of the symptoms since she suggested crohns. My dad has a form of IBS and he constantly has stomach problems. I also have had bad bloating and gas most of my life. Sorry fpr the long explanation I just am not sure what to do and I thought my story would better help you understand and help me figure out what's wrong. Was she right and I could just experience these weird pains? Or should I push for more testing ?
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Should I get a second opinion from a new doctor?
- Thread starter Bdinney22
- Start date
Hello
Welcome to the forum which is made up of fellow patients and who will share their experiences with you when asked... we are not doctors and speak only from our own experiences.
From what you have said it looks as if it might be a good idea to find a good gastroenterologist to continue investigations into your symptoms..you may need your parents to help you with this.
Had anyone suggested further follow up and have you had a colonoscopy.
This is the gold standard for crohn's.
You may also need appropriate blood work such as CBC, Sed rate, CRP, Vit b12 levels, iron levels etc. which are helpful in the diagnosis of crohn's.
Its possible you already have had these investigations but you could ask.
Hopefully you will soon feel better.
Let us know how you get on.
Hugs and best wishes
Trysha
Welcome to the forum which is made up of fellow patients and who will share their experiences with you when asked... we are not doctors and speak only from our own experiences.
From what you have said it looks as if it might be a good idea to find a good gastroenterologist to continue investigations into your symptoms..you may need your parents to help you with this.
Had anyone suggested further follow up and have you had a colonoscopy.
This is the gold standard for crohn's.
You may also need appropriate blood work such as CBC, Sed rate, CRP, Vit b12 levels, iron levels etc. which are helpful in the diagnosis of crohn's.
Its possible you already have had these investigations but you could ask.
Hopefully you will soon feel better.
Let us know how you get on.
Hugs and best wishes
Trysha
Thanks for the replies! I defiantly plan on going to my family doctor in a little while but for now I'm just trying to see if what I have even has a possibility of being a disease with the bowels or if maybe I'm over reacting. I have not experienced the blood nor weight loss. Just today I felt very sick to my stomach and it was two days since my last BM. I went shorty after waking up and felt totally fine. This has happened a few times. I don't think it's lactose anymore since the symptoms show up quickly and even if no milk is involved. I'm very aware that everyone on here either has crohns or has a family member who does and that none of you are doctors. I just wanted to know from your personal experience with this disease if any of you think that crohns or maybe something like IBS could be the problem before I try and get all these tests taken. I live in a small city in Saskatchewan Canada and I'm nt even sure we have any gastro doctors around. Also I am always feeling fatigued no matter my daily activities, diet or the amount of sleep I get.
Getting a second opinion with something serious like IBD is always understandable, unless you already have one of the best doctors around. If you're having any doubts please seek a second opinion. Listen to your gut. You should be able to trust every word that comes out of your doctors mouth.
Good Luck,
Salvatore Barcia
Crohn's Disease Patient
Staten Island, New York
Good Luck,
Salvatore Barcia
Crohn's Disease Patient
Staten Island, New York