Tests Done - Am I clean?

[Brenden]

Hello again everyone I haven't posted for a while but some of you may remember some of my previous posts. Since grade 9 I've suffered of diarrhea, abdominal pain, cramping, reduced appetite and weight loss, extreme fatigue, nausea, vomiting and delayed growth (shortest out of most my family).

I have had numerous blood tests, stool tests, urine tests, a colonoscopy with biopsies as well as a barium x-ray and many different diets where I would eliminate certain foods and food groups. However nothing worked and I still continue to feel sick.

All the tests have left me with diagnosis of IBS. I don't want to second guess the doctor however I'm not satisfied with my treatment. I am wondering if there are any people who had CLEAN colonoscopies and barium x-rays ended up finding out they had Crohns or Colitis in the end. If I had IBS then whatever I can deal with that. What I am worried is somehow it was missed and have this disease and not know it. I may sound a bit crazy but dealing with these symptoms daily I can't help but think it could be more serious.

 

[Hope345]

Brenden,
I can see why you would be concerned. You are obviously one to take a hands on approach. Do you have copies of your scopes and all lab work?

Do you mind if I ask "were you treated with antibiotics for an extended period of time?" The reason I am asking is because one of our members here had the pleasure of meeting with Dr. Borody and found out that extensive antibiotic treatment he had a few years earlier for acne totally messed him up. It had caused so many GI issues that it landed him in the hospital a couple of times. It was like a miracle to find out he didnt have Crohns, or U.C.

But yes, the GI tract changes quickly and can appear somewhat normal especially when you are in remission.

 

[UnXmas]

I honestly think that with the tests you've had, in all probability you do not have Crohn's or Colitis, so I think you shouldn't worry too much about having Inflammatory Bowel Disease that's being left untreated.

I'm not sure that leads to the conclusion you just have IBS; I believe IBS is the fall-back diagnosis doctors use when they can't work out what's wrong with a person complaining of digestive problems, and consequently a considerable number of conditions end up being labeled as IBS.

It doesn't come down to you having either Crohn's/Colitis or IBS - there are any number of other possibilities, but the tests you've had also rule out many other conditions besides IBD.

So although the tests you've had should give you a good deal of confidence that nothing immediately serious is wrong with you, keep in mind that it is not normal for you to be having these symptoms. I think second-guessing doctors is actually a very intelligent thing to do.

 

[LodgeLady]

What if a scope shows inflammation and then another scope months later shows no inflammation? Would that necessarily be remission? Could it still be IBS in the face of initial inflammation? I think Crohn's has to be the hardest disease to diagnose as there is no one test that conclusively diagnosis it.

 

[Brenden]

Brenden,
I can see why you would be concerned. You are obviously one to take a hands on approach. Do you have copies of your scopes and all lab work?

Do you mind if I ask "were you treated with antibiotics for an extended period of time?" The reason I am asking is because one of our members here had the pleasure of meeting with Dr. Borody and found out that extensive antibiotic treatment he had a few years earlier for acne totally messed him up. It had caused so many GI issues that it landed him in the hospital a couple of times. It was like a miracle to find out he didnt have Crohns, or U.C.

But yes, the GI tract changes quickly and can appear somewhat normal especially when you are in remission.

I did take take oral anitbiotics for acne a while ago. How long do you consider an extended period of time? I do regularly apply a tropical antibiotic externally