Stricture

[Mark74]

How do you know if you have a stricture? My PCP thinks so because of flaring then healing multiple times in between humaria injections. PCP thinks so because having to strain for bowel movements and left side abdominal pain near belt line.

I ate a salad on Sat and again on Mon and have had to strain more. Also hooked on raw tiny baby carrots.

I thought it was where I had not been drinking enought water on Sat and Sun. Yesterday I got my water intake up and today doing good but not helping.

Thanks

Mark

 

[Pure_xl_ence]

Hi Mark! First, I think you need to get yourself a GI doctor STAT. A PCP is not trained to know what to look for nor WHERE to look. Outside of my GI doc ordering certain tests done (sonograms, dye contrasts, MRIs, etc) to determine where exactly the stricture is (if it does indeed exist), when I go to see him, he has me lie down and presses this area around my stomach to feel if there's any swelling. The funny thing is, when I have flares the pain is never around the stricture but when I'm lying down and he presses where it is, I feel it 100%. Otherwise I wouldn't be able to pinpoint it sometimes.

 

[Mark74]

Thanks,
I do have a GI who is great it is just easier to get into my PCP. I see my GI on the 9th.

What symptoms do you have and where is yours located?

 

[Terriernut]

Mark, a stricture is a dangerous thing. I had a stricture in my sigmoid. I had alot of diarrea, because that was all that could get out. I had fever, low grade. And pain, but not constant. It came in waves.

Fatigue. As I was flaring, I got night sweats as well. This was because the bowel perforated eventually. But before it did that, it created a fistula thru my left fallopian tube. The body just trying to sort itself out in this case I must presume.

As my stricture was so low down in the bowel, I didnt experience much nausea until it was very far gone indeed. I was in pain, but not horrible. But when the area was pressed on...Holy Batman!! That wasnt good!

I really hope you are seen to with a CT scan and some tests ASAP!

 

[Pure_xl_ence]

Hey Mark! Sorry for the late response, how did your CT go, have you heard back yet? Maybe you need another GI,I was referred to one by a coworker who also suffers from our disease and man do I love my doc. He always fits me in no matter what. I've read horror stories of folks that have GI docs that don't treat them with urgency and the best of care. In fact, my very first GI doctor sucked in that way. Maybe you should shop around for another. I'm surprised your GI doc hasn't ordered those tests done way before. When I first got to my current doc first thing he did was get a complete work up done so as to assess severity.

As far as my stricture, it's small bowel ileum for me. When I flare, I never feel anything there, quite possibly once food approaches there it forces it back up. When I flare I get the severe cramping in my upper stomach area and it radiates back and forth across the upper stomach area from right to left. I can tell when I'm approaching a flare due to loss of appetite and fatique, like Terriernut does.

Keep us posted on your results!