Stricture?

[bumble_bee]

I know that there are quite a few posts on here as well as a wiki post about strictures but I just haven't really found anything that really matches how I'm feeling. I just wondered if anyone could relate to what my symptoms are. I started Remicade about 10 months ago and after about 2 months or so I noticed my stomach was very grumbly and gurgling which I had never had before. It was never painful but kind of annoying. After my second to last infusion (around end of March) I started getting pain in my stomach just before it would gurgle. The pain was really bad and came and went in waves. I would feel sharp pain and pressure kind of and then my stomach would grumble loudly and the pain would ease or be gone for a couple minutes or so and then it would happen again. Also, I noticed when it was really painful and happening every minute or so I felt slightly nauseous at times but never have I actually vomited. This has been going on for a few months now and since my last infusion a few weeks ago it seems more frequent. My doctor said I could have a bit of narrowing but if it's not that bothersome then its probably okay. The day I saw him for my regular visit and told him about the pain, I was feeling okay so I guess I didn't really seem too convincing about how painful it really is. I've read that Remicade can promote healing and create scar tissue and I'm wondering if this is what's happening because the gurgling and such started after starting Remicade. I had surgery in 2004 to remove 2.5 feet of small intestine so there's probably scar tissue from that too.

I have no other symptoms of active Crohn's disease, all my blood work comes back normal, CRP level is 4, no D or any other problems...I just have this pain and the noise. It seems to last for a few days then I feel ok for a few days then it comes back and so on. I can also see my stomach bulge out on the right side usually when the pain is there and then I can push on it and it will gurgle and disappear. It moves across my stomach on its own too without me pushing on it. When I feel where the pain is, I can feel its hard there and then dissipates when the gurgling happens. I think it's gas or something that is getting caught up in there? I don't know what to think but I know it is really painful. Any thoughts would be appreciated! I am seeing my GI next week about it but just wanted to get some opinions from those who may have experienced the same sort of problems.

Thanks for reading! :ysmile:

 

[kllyeve]

It might be gas stuck if you can press on it and it goes away. Try the FODMAP diet and see if eliminating onions, mushroom, and garlic make a difference in your symptoms. I am on Remicade as well and found that once the Crohn's had settled down, my IBS came out to play!!

Be sure to write down the number of times this is happening and rate the pain level each time. Maybe seeing it tracked will help the doctors take it more seriously.

 

[bumble_bee]

Did you know you had IBS as well as Crohn's or was that something that you discovered after the Remicade settled your Crohn's symptoms?

 

[kllyeve]

As many on here, I was originally diagnosed with IBS by my family doctor when I was in my early 30's. I suffered with chronic constipation and RLQ pain that I thought was arthritis in my hip from a fall. Nobody ever thought I had Crohn's because I did not have D, and my CRP was completely normal. When I finally had a flare that resulted in D, and started having partial bowel obstructions - I then got the Crohn's diagnosis.

Everyone then thought the the IBS diagnosis must have been in error and that I really just had misdiagnosed IBD. This is an all to common pattern for Crohnnies. So I finally, after 2 long years, get to having to go on Remicade. Crohn's is settled, constipation and RLQ pain are gone, but I am still having quite a bit of pain all over, bloating, gas and now sometimes even an urgent need to go and its way more watery than I have ever had. So now everyone realizes that I most likely have IBS as well as IBD. So I m doing the FODMAP eating plan to deal with that and having pretty good luck with it.