Hello everyone..I am new to the forum and am looking for some insight/advice.
My son is 14yo and has had some bowel problems in the past..nothing major up until this past Nov 2009 when he started experiencing extreme lower abdominal pain. We ended up in the ER approx 4 times within a week(!)He had bloodwork, xrays and was diagnosed with pneumonia and told that that was what was causing his abdominal pain(?) He took his antibiotics for a week but the pain did not subside...back to the pediatrician who sends us to a GI who reccomends that if the pain continued to go back to the ER...at this point the Drs are starting to think it may be an abcessed appendix. Well, pain did not subside, we end up back at the ER where they do an ultrasound and see fluid around the appendix that shouldn't be there so they decide to take his appendix out..guess what..yup, appendix was fine. The surgeon also adds that he "did not see any signs of inflamation, so no need to worry about Crohn's disease."
So what is causing his pain?!?!? We end up at Childrens Hospital In Phil with a wonderful GI Dr who does more bloodwork (all normal) tests his stool (normal) and at first seems pretty sure that it is NOT Chron's as he doesn't have many symptoms other than extreme lower abdominal pain and all his test are normal...BUT thankfully does feel the need to do a colonoscopy, which they did the beginning of last week. I received a call this past Thursday that although the colonoscopy did not reveal any visual inflammation, the biopsy revealed that there IS inflammation in the ileatis (sic?) but they are not ready to diagnose him with Crohn's right now...he had another xray with contrast and we are waitng till monday to hopefully have the results of that.
I am relieved that he may finally have a reason for his pain...but very very sad that he may now have to deal with it for the rest of his life
I guess I don't understand why they won't diagnose him now...the did start him on Pentasa (to which he unfortunately had an allergic reaction and had to stop taking) but if there is inflammation isn't that indicative of Chrohn's? Or are there other causes of inflammation?
Thanks for reading this if you got this far! LOL!
I would appreciate any advice or information!
My son is 14yo and has had some bowel problems in the past..nothing major up until this past Nov 2009 when he started experiencing extreme lower abdominal pain. We ended up in the ER approx 4 times within a week(!)He had bloodwork, xrays and was diagnosed with pneumonia and told that that was what was causing his abdominal pain(?) He took his antibiotics for a week but the pain did not subside...back to the pediatrician who sends us to a GI who reccomends that if the pain continued to go back to the ER...at this point the Drs are starting to think it may be an abcessed appendix. Well, pain did not subside, we end up back at the ER where they do an ultrasound and see fluid around the appendix that shouldn't be there so they decide to take his appendix out..guess what..yup, appendix was fine. The surgeon also adds that he "did not see any signs of inflamation, so no need to worry about Crohn's disease."
So what is causing his pain?!?!? We end up at Childrens Hospital In Phil with a wonderful GI Dr who does more bloodwork (all normal) tests his stool (normal) and at first seems pretty sure that it is NOT Chron's as he doesn't have many symptoms other than extreme lower abdominal pain and all his test are normal...BUT thankfully does feel the need to do a colonoscopy, which they did the beginning of last week. I received a call this past Thursday that although the colonoscopy did not reveal any visual inflammation, the biopsy revealed that there IS inflammation in the ileatis (sic?) but they are not ready to diagnose him with Crohn's right now...he had another xray with contrast and we are waitng till monday to hopefully have the results of that.
I am relieved that he may finally have a reason for his pain...but very very sad that he may now have to deal with it for the rest of his life
I guess I don't understand why they won't diagnose him now...the did start him on Pentasa (to which he unfortunately had an allergic reaction and had to stop taking) but if there is inflammation isn't that indicative of Chrohn's? Or are there other causes of inflammation?
Thanks for reading this if you got this far! LOL!
I would appreciate any advice or information!