I keep ‘jumping the fence’ on whether Crohns may be what I’m dealing with or not. And so I go back and forth on whether to bother going in or not. But I’m just so tired of dealing with these ‘episodes’. I’m partly scared of going in because I honestly do not feel like doctors take me seriously. I’ve been in numerous times over the years for various stomach related things and usually end up being sent home with either a recommendation to exercise more or ‘take this pill every day’ to keep your heartburn at bay. They do a lot of ‘suspecting’…I suspect you have GERD, I suspect you have a sensitive system, I suspect you have ulcers…. I’m tired of suspecting and would like to stop focusing on my symptoms and figure out the cause. I’m afraid of going in and them, once again, making me feel like a hypochondriac and send me on my way.
And I’m partly scared of the tests they will want to do if they DO take me seriously.
I have had stomach problems since I was a kid. I remember as a kid having so much stomach pain I would drop to the floor in the middle of playing and curl up in a ball on the floor. I remember them doing tests – me drinking gross stuff and standing in front of some screen. In the end they sent my mom home with an enema. My poor mom.
Throughout the years I’ve always just had a sensitive stomach. I cold sores a lot…don’t know if that’s related. A few years ago, I decided to go gluten free and it helped quite a bit for a while. Over the past couple years though, I have had a growing and growing issue with episodes. The episodes are usually pain in my belly – kind of centered at my navel area and to the right. Sometimes it just feels like I’m walking around with a softball in my stomach. And sometimes I will be constipated and super gassy and then be hit with a large and uncomfortably bowel movement. Or have to take multiple trips. I haven’t had constant and/or bloody diahrea so that makes me wonder if maybe Crohn’s isn’t what is going on. I have had some blood in my stool here and there, though. My stomach will just hurt...constantly...and feel like it's "swimming". And I have constant pain behind my breastbone. And heartburn. When it’s bad, I literally can take a bite of toast and feel it go down my esophagus because it hurts going down. And fatigue…when my episodes are happening, I am so FREAKING tired! I can sleep all day if I could. And emotionally just blah!
When it’s bothering me, I usually am down to just eating rice, potatoes, and oat cereal because I just feel like it’s the only thing I can handle. I haven’t lost a ton of weight…in fact, I’ve struggled with it since my late teens…so that’s another thing that makes me wonder if the Crohn’s possibility is my imagination.
…And then the symptoms will wane a bit for awhile…and I’ll start to convince myself that it’s nothing more than just having a sensitive stomach and to stop being a hypochondriac. I don’t want to come off that I’m HOPING for a Crohn’s diagnosis. That is definitely not it. Instead I’d just like SOME sort of diagnosis that makes sense and isn’t just focused on particular symptom. They all have to be related right???
I’m on the tail end of an episode now and am in the middle of playing the back and forth game of ‘do I go in again or not waste my and the dr.’s time’. In talking to my mom, she said family history on my dad’s side consists of ulcers and bleeding ulcers (dad and grandpa), and Crohn’s on my mother’s side (my grandma, great grandpa, and great aunt).
My daughter has started experiencing bad stomach pains too...makes me wonder again...
I don’t know what I’m looking for in posting this. Maybe looking for someone who can relate… Maybe just being able to tell someone what I'm struggling with.
And I’m partly scared of the tests they will want to do if they DO take me seriously.
I have had stomach problems since I was a kid. I remember as a kid having so much stomach pain I would drop to the floor in the middle of playing and curl up in a ball on the floor. I remember them doing tests – me drinking gross stuff and standing in front of some screen. In the end they sent my mom home with an enema. My poor mom.
Throughout the years I’ve always just had a sensitive stomach. I cold sores a lot…don’t know if that’s related. A few years ago, I decided to go gluten free and it helped quite a bit for a while. Over the past couple years though, I have had a growing and growing issue with episodes. The episodes are usually pain in my belly – kind of centered at my navel area and to the right. Sometimes it just feels like I’m walking around with a softball in my stomach. And sometimes I will be constipated and super gassy and then be hit with a large and uncomfortably bowel movement. Or have to take multiple trips. I haven’t had constant and/or bloody diahrea so that makes me wonder if maybe Crohn’s isn’t what is going on. I have had some blood in my stool here and there, though. My stomach will just hurt...constantly...and feel like it's "swimming". And I have constant pain behind my breastbone. And heartburn. When it’s bad, I literally can take a bite of toast and feel it go down my esophagus because it hurts going down. And fatigue…when my episodes are happening, I am so FREAKING tired! I can sleep all day if I could. And emotionally just blah!
When it’s bothering me, I usually am down to just eating rice, potatoes, and oat cereal because I just feel like it’s the only thing I can handle. I haven’t lost a ton of weight…in fact, I’ve struggled with it since my late teens…so that’s another thing that makes me wonder if the Crohn’s possibility is my imagination.
…And then the symptoms will wane a bit for awhile…and I’ll start to convince myself that it’s nothing more than just having a sensitive stomach and to stop being a hypochondriac. I don’t want to come off that I’m HOPING for a Crohn’s diagnosis. That is definitely not it. Instead I’d just like SOME sort of diagnosis that makes sense and isn’t just focused on particular symptom. They all have to be related right???
I’m on the tail end of an episode now and am in the middle of playing the back and forth game of ‘do I go in again or not waste my and the dr.’s time’. In talking to my mom, she said family history on my dad’s side consists of ulcers and bleeding ulcers (dad and grandpa), and Crohn’s on my mother’s side (my grandma, great grandpa, and great aunt).
My daughter has started experiencing bad stomach pains too...makes me wonder again...
I don’t know what I’m looking for in posting this. Maybe looking for someone who can relate… Maybe just being able to tell someone what I'm struggling with.
