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Kelleh, why didnt they offer you a colonoscopy instead? Crohns is notorious for hiding in the terminal ileum which the sig cant reach, if im correct?
 
Welcome, Jen. Have you had a referral to a GI yet?

Best of luck to everyone with tests/procedures this week.

Another weird development in my symptoms: I think I had stool in my vagina yesterday. I wiped and the stuff that came out was liquid, but brown and obviously smelled like poop. It hasn't happened again, thankfully, but I'm still concerned. I would think that a fistula would have shown up on the CT scan they did 2-3 weeks ago, but maybe not? I have no idea. But I'm pretty damned sure I haven't given birth lately (or ever), which is a major cause of vaginal fistulas.
 
@Wildmtnhoney - more than likely. Not sure what benefiber is though, is it a stool softener or is it a bulker? I know Laxido, which is a stool softener, can actually cause me to get D, but the bulkers don't really do much to me.

@Izzie - I was wondering where you had been - I was about to tag you in a post to make sure everything was alright.

I'm really sorry to hear that has happened. Sending big hugs to you. You're stronger than you think, so you'll get through this. You're not alone.

Ugh. On a side note, I thought that if I saw my colon was clean, the pain would stop. I was thinking maybe it was psychological, but how wrong have I been. Argh.
 
meganwilson1991 said:
Kelleh, why didnt they offer you a colonoscopy instead? Crohns is notorious for hiding in the terminal ileum which the sig cant reach, if im correct?
Click to expand...

Sorry for double post, but the thing is the GI was certain that any pain I had was in my large intestine, rather than my small, because of where I showed him where the pain was. Maybe it's the part of small intestine that sits very close to the colon, and maybe that's why my colon was clean.

At least this has ruled out any kind of ulcerative colitis/proctitis. (Well, I think so, but I'm pretty sure the biopsies are going to come back completely clean).
 
Hi GiraffeJen, welcome to the forum. I'm with CatLady, wondering if you've seen a GI yet or have had any tests done?

Izzie, so sorry to hear it, that's awful. Make sure to take care of yourself during this time. Big hugs to you!

Wildmtn, I don't know anything about benefiber specifically. I take psyllium husks (which are the main ingredient in metamucil - metamucil has additives that can cause cramping though, so I take 100% organic psyllium with no additives). Psyllium works pretty well for me and seems to normalize the amount of bowel movements I have per day. Without it I tend to go 4-10+ times per day. With psyllium I go more like 2-3 times per day. It's often still diarrhea, but it's much more predictable, usually once in the morning and once or twice just before bedtime.

CatLady, I think if it's a small fistula then the CT might have missed it. It's definitely something to talk to your GI about, though! And if stool is coming through your vagina and/or bladder then that could be the cause of your UTI. If it is a fistula, that could be the smoking gun that leads you to a Crohn's diagnosis. Good luck, let us know what your doctor says!

Kelleh, the last part of the small intestine (the terminal ileum) is the area where Crohn's is most likely to manifest. So if you think that spot is the culprit, it's definitely worth getting checked out. A colonoscopy is probably your best bet, as they both visualize and take biopsies of the TI.

Did I respond to everybody? How's everyone today? I'm okay. I have my infusion at 3 PM today (it's currently almost 11:30 so a few hours to go) and I'm nervous! Like, butterflies in the stomach nervous. I just really don't want to have a bad reaction, I want it to go well. Apparently bad reactions are not uncommon so that makes me nervous because I often seem to get bad/rare side effects. I just want to feel better. This anemia is affecting my memory, my energy levels, just my entire ability to live my life. I want to feel better and get back to the gym. So wish me luck! I'll update you guys on the infusion once I've had it. In the meantime, though, these butterflies are having a mosh pit in my stomach I think. Ugh, so nervous!
 
Cat, I'm not entirely sure that it is in my ileum, but we shall see. I cannot stop the pain at all today. Tried every trick in the book. All pain-killers and natural remedies. Nothing. No gym for me today. Just get home, curl up and watch some Netflix with my hot water bottle. Stupid stomach.

About the colonoscopy, I wonder if my GI will request for me to have one or not. The lady that did my report recorded that I had stool proximally. Is it normal for them to write that on the report? Surely an hour and half after an enema, I shouldn't have had anything anyway! Also, cannot find anything at all about low blood pressure after a sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy WITHOUT sedation. Such a weird thing to have happened really!

How was your Halloween? Good luck with your infusion, it won't be anything to worry about, and also you will have to look forward to those cycle rides with your Mom in Japan with all that extra energy! You'll be up and running hopefully in no time at all! Just make sure you keep us updated. Please don't be nervous! :)
 
Kelleh, my Halloween was pretty good. We just had a few friends over and just hung out, we played Mario Kart and watched dumb Youtube videos, stuff like that. Didn't go out (it was pouring rain anyway so didn't want to go out). My costume turned out pretty well! I've got photos on my facebook and as soon as I have the chance, I'll put the photos on here as well for you guys to see (or if anybody wants to add me on facebook, send me a PM). How was your Halloween?

As for the enema - an hour and a half is a pretty long time between having the enema and having the scope. They did my enemas in the GI clinic, then right away afterwards they wheeled me back to the procedure room to do the scope. It was probably 15 minutes at most between my enemas and my scope. Given that yours was 90 minutes between the enemas and scope, stool could have moved along into the sigmoid in that timeframe (especially if you were having diarrhea that day).

And as for the low blood pressure, it could be that the enemas made you "go" enough that you lost some sodium? If I'm having diarrhea, that definitely causes me to lose sodium which in turn causes my (already low) BP to drop. My BP is about 100/60 these days (normal is 120/80) so if it drops any lower than my usual BP, I definitely feel symptoms - usually light-headedness & dizziness and just generally not feeling well.

I know I shouldn't be nervous but I am! I just want to get the infusion started already so that I can show myself that everything is going to be okay. I still have about 3 hours to go until my appointment time and I'm just trying not to think about it too much. Yeah, I can't wait until the infusions are over with and I can have my energy back and do proper workouts in the gym and walk and bicycle all over Japan! At any rate, I think once I get this infusion over with, the second two infusions will be much easier because I'll know what to expect. I just need to get through today! I wish it were 3 PM already, it's only noon here. I'm sure once I get the infusion started then I'll be totally bored (it'll be 3.5 hours of just sitting there) but for the time being I am still nervous.
 
Oh, I do look forward to seeing your costume! That sounds like a fun evening. I ended up hiding in my boyfriend's room and curled up because of the physical and mental pain that alcohol was putting me through - and I only drank 2 drinks, and a few vodka shots! He just carried on and got drunk without realising I was actually in pain, until I dragged him to bed when I heard he was falling asleep downstairs. :p But it wasn't too bad.

Well, I hadn't eaten anything so I didn't think anything would have come through! I guess it was slightly more than 90 minutes, but I guess at least it proves my bowels are moving along!

No idea, I didn't really get diarrhoea, just got rid of loads of what obviously had been there for a while. Mine is normally 100, sometimes less, but 85 was kind of ridiculous. :p

I couldn't get rid of the pain yesterday. I found no effective pain relief whatsoever. It sucked, pretty hard. I now have back pain today, and concerned that my stomach ache is coming back, because as soon as I ate.. ouch.

How did your infusion go?! When is your next one?
 
The infusion went okay. :) No bad reaction or anything like that. It did make my stomach pretty unsettled though (gurgles and diarrhea) - the nurse warned me that sometimes happens, apparently the infusion can have a similar effect on the stomach that the iron tablets have. So I'm feeling fairly unwell tummy-wise and as a result I didn't sleep well, so I haven't noticed any increase in energy levels yet as I'm tired today from not sleeping well. Hopefully things will settle down soon and then I'll feel noticeably better, but for now I feel about the same energy-wise and the guts aren't so happy.

The next infusion is next week Monday (the 9th) and the final infusion is the Monday after that (the 16th). After that, I should likely have my iron levels back up into the normal range - either my GP or GI will re-test my iron and ferritin to make sure. Right now I just want my stomach to settle down before Friday - it's my birthday on Friday and I want to go eat some sushi! Yum!

The pain that you couldn't get rid of, is it from drinking? I have a hard time with alcohol as well, I've mentioned my bladder issues and I barely drink at all because of that. Sometimes alcohol will really mess up my guts as well, it's just not my friend at all. So these days I tend to have one small glass of wine once every 2-3 months or so and that's it. That's about all my body can handle!
 
As I read that first part, I came to the conclusion that they'd probably do the same as iron tablets. Just make sure you have lots of sodium and keep yourself hydrated, but I'm pretty sure you already know that. What did you do to keep yourself occupied? Did it drag as much as you thought it would? Ah, that's cool that it's every Monday. Just 2 more to go. :) Happy early birthday! Sushi is good!

Nope, I never have a stomach ache really with alcohol. The only time I did, I passed a blood clot from vodka. I drank very little for it to even bother my stomach, so it's confusing. It's slowly coming back today, but it's nowhere near as bad. Stabbing pain left and right sides, and also in my back too! Passing just mucus, but it's like brown >.> I had this before my sigmoidoscopy, and I thought because I was cleared out after the enema, it'd have gone away. Unless I have any kind of inflammation in my colon (maybe higher up, rather than the left-side), then I can't explain it, and the only thing that does is 'IBS' and we all know how we all feel about that.
 
The infusion didn't take as long as I thought it would - over the phone when I made the appointments, they said it'd take about 3.5 hours for each infusion. But yesterday it only took 2 hours - I got there at 3 PM and was done at 5 PM. I had brought noise-canceling headphones to drown out the hospital sounds, so I listened to music, finished the book I was reading, and played a video game on my nintendo DS. It didn't seem like it took long at all, especially since I was anticipating it'd take 3.5 hours.

Your back pain is concerning to me - is it like muscular pain, or joint/bone pain? Lower back or upper or the whole back? It could be anything from arthritis to referred pain from your guts to kidney stone pain. If it keeps up, do go and get it checked out. My hubby had kidney stone which started out as abdominal pain, then the pain moved to his back. Since you were drinking and that's what seemed to bring this pain on, that makes me a bit concerned for your kidneys - drinking makes you need to urinate and if you're having kidney issues then that could exacerbate those issues. My hubby had tried to flush out his stones by drinking some alcohol but it just made him feel way worse and put him in tons of pain, and it sounds like your symptoms are somewhat similar right now.
 
That sounds quite relaxing. Well, as far as hospital visits go! What game were you playing? Knowing me, I'd just have sat and played stupid games on my iPad.

I don't know. It's lower, like, bottom of spine. I'm guessing that's joint/bone pain. I have now developed pain my left shoulder in the course of the last hour or so. It's mainly when I move it, but when I'm not moving it, it feels muscular. But as I move my shoulder, you can clearly feel it's in the joint. I tried taking ibuprofen yesterday, and it didn't really help, which is annoying because that generally helps me when I do get back pain.

He drank alcohol to get rid of kidney stones? I thought that would have made it worse in the first place! I would have thought I'd have flushed out the horridness of the alcohol by now as I have drank over 20 pints of water in the course of a day in a half. I've just taken some paracetamol, because been hoping to go to the gym tonight. I'd expect these pains to be here if I had been the gym, but I haven't been since Wednesday.
 
I was just playing Zoo Keeper (basically a clone of Bejeweled/candy crush) on my nintendo DS. Just a brainless puzzle game as I didn't want to have to concentrate too hard on anything, just wanted to pass the time.

Ah, okay. Lower spine pain could be arthritis - ankylosing spondylitis comes to mind. Do you frequently have back pain? AS usually manifests in the lower back and/or hips. I have inflammatory arthritis in both my hips although I don't seem to have AS. I sometimes have shoulder pain as well although that seems to be a pinched nerve, not arthritis and probably not related to the IBD.

Yeah, my hubby likes to drink alcohol to cure whatever ailment he has. :p Once about 15 years ago, back when we were dating, he got the flu just before xmas. He had a thought - alcohol is used to sterilize medical equipment, therefore alcohol kills germs. So he decided to get drunk in the hope that the alcohol would kill the flu germs. It didn't actually cure his flu, but he did end up feeling somewhat better. :p So yeah, if there's a way he can sort of force the logic and come up with a halfway plausible excuse for drinking while ill, he'll do it. Obviously not the smartest move ever! And of course it didn't help his kidney stones at all, it just made him feel way worse - more pain and a lot of vomiting.

I hope you're able to make it to the gym soon. I'm hoping to go to the gym soon myself as well! My guts seem to have somewhat settled - I was able to eat a little bit just now and it seems like it's staying put and not just going straight through me nor causing more gurgles. I'm going to have some oatmeal in a little over an hour for my mid-morning snack, and if that goes okay then I might go to the gym on my lunch break. I'm just going to play it by ear and see how the oatmeal goes and how I'm feeling over the next couple of hours. I'm feeling optimistic, though. How I'm feeling now is an improvement over a couple hours ago so this is a good thing!
 
That's fair enough. I quite like brainless games like that too. Mainly the games on my iPad are things like the Simpsons game and then the Candy crush games. :p

I haven't had backache for a long time. Last time I did, it was sorted out by Naproxen. Perhaps I just am not sitting properly at work, or slept weird at the same time. No idea. It felt good to press down on my back though and massage it. It now feels all weird and tingly. :p I think my pain is slowly dying down in my shoulder, but the pain in the back is definitely still there. Always seems to be a connection with my shoulder and stomach for some reason. It usually indicates my stomach is going to give me one hell of a time, but so far, it's not really hurting me.

Haha, your husband has some crazy ideas. To drink alcohol to kill the flu virus is BRILLIANT. I get his logic, but it just doesn't work that way. Haha. It's surprising he continues despite knowing it makes him ill - when he's already ill! Men never do learn do they? :p

I am going to try my hardest to get there tonight. I feel OK at the moment, and it's almost snack time, so I'm sure I'll make it through. May just have to be a light session, but I know how stubborn I am, so we shall how my 'light' session stays 'light'. Haha.

That's brilliant to hear! :) Hope you get to go to the gym. Sounds like you're already reaping some benefits!
 
I think I am already reaping some benefits, yes! Sometimes I test myself - I work on the 3rd (top) floor of the building, so sometimes I'll walk down the stairs to the basement and back up, to see how winded I get or if I have any other symptoms from it. I did that just now, walked to the basement and back up. And, although I got completely winded and out of breath from it, I still feel okay if that makes sense. Like, when I tried doing that late last week, I was not only winded but also felt awful afterwards and had a moment of being worried I might pass out - I had to grab onto something to keep myself upright. This time I had no such issue, I was winded but didn't have any weakness nor dizziness nor feeling of passing out. So I know I have a ways to go and work to do in the gym - it's been awhile since I've had a proper workout and clearly my fitness still isn't all there if I still get completely winded from walking up 3 flights of stairs, but I'm no longer in the danger zone either. A workout will be tough, but not dangerous - that's what I'm thinking anyway. So yeah, baby steps but I think I am already doing better! :D It's amazing what 300 mg of iron put directly into your bloodstream will do, ha ha. And hopefully I'll just get better and better after my 2nd and 3rd infusions.

Yeah, the brainless games are the best especially when you're not feeling well and can't concentrate very hard on a game. Do you play the Sims? That's probably my favorite "brainless" game. I only have it on my laptop though, and I didn't bring that with me to the hospital, I only had my phone and my DS as they're smaller and much more portable. I am getting a chromebook for my birthday from my parents so that'll be more portable than my laptop - my parents are coming down on Sunday to take me out to a birthday lunch, so I think I'll be receiving my chromebook on that day. Which means I could take it with me on Monday to my 2nd infusion! So I might see what games I can get on it, if I can get the Sims on it that would be really fun.
 
speaking of urinary issues, I think I may have a urinary infection :(. I never pee in the middle of the night, unless I'm also having tummy issues, but last night I was up three times, and today it seems I'm always going. So I"m off to see my GP in 2 hours.

In thyroid news, the #s hadn't really changed since my last blood draw, except to go down a bit in both TSH and free T4(which is odd, normally when one of those goes down, the other goes up). So now I have to wait until my endo appt on the 12th.

In tummy trouble land, after that random bit of C, it's been back to D, just like "normal".
 
OH! AND, my new GI just called to reschedule AGAIN!! ARG! I know things come up, I do, but 2 weeks in a row? I asked to see a different GI than the one I was assigned (since clearly that one keeps having trouble!) and I should, hopefully, see this new new one next Weds.
 
Just imagine how you'll feel after the next 2 infusions! You'll be super woman! ;) Just wait until you've had them all, then return to the gym. Or even after your 2nd if you're feeling up to it. I'm really happy for you! I know how much exercise means to you!

I used to play the Sims a lot on my PC. I loved creating people I knew from there, and making houses. Eventually I'd get bored of a family though and make them adulterous or keep getting the woman pregnant and just popping out a horrible amount of children.

Wildmtnhoney, I really hope you find out the reason when you go to the GP. Let us know how you get on. Sending you lots of luck!
 
Wildmtn, is there any burning or cloudiness when you urinate? That's usually how I can tell I have a bladder infection/UTI. Fortunately (or not), I've had so many infections that I can tell what it is right from the start, and my GP's office allows me to just answer a few questions over the phone. As long as I don't have any red flags (no blood in urine, no back pain which could indicate a kidney infection, etc) then they'll prescribe the antibiotics right over the phone without having me come in and pee in a cup. My last UTI, I felt it coming on on a Sunday morning. Called my GP's office and got to speak to the on-call doctor who prescribed the antibiotics, and I got the antibiotics and was feeling better by that same afternoon - I was amazed that I didn't have to wait until Monday, that was great. Anyway, good luck at your GP, I hope they can get you feeling better right away too!

Kelleh, maybe not superwoman, I'd just settle for being reasonably healthy woman. :p As long as I can hit the gym regularly again, that's all I want. When my iron gets back up to a normal level then hopefully I'll be able to work out as often as I'd like. (Ideally I'd love to work out 4-6 times per week! Although anything would be better than the zero times per week that it's been recently.) I find it slightly frustrating that I'm only finally getting my iron levels up as bicycling season is just about over - I'd love to do one more bike ride before winter hits, but I'm guessing that won't happen. Still, I have to look to the future - winter coming means that ice skating and snowshoeing season are on the way! ;)
 
Was 4-6 times your original amount of times to work out anyway? I'm sure you'll make up for it when you do get your energy back. Do you know how often you'll need iron infusions if it does happen again? How bad are your winters for you not to cycle? Here it's a little difficult because everything just gets wet, and when you try and ride down the canal path - by the time you get to work, you'll be covered in mud. ;) Showers here aren't all that great. The women's ones are definitely used by men, unless the women have started to use male shower gels.

Those winter sports sound so awesome. I am so jealous! I've been watching Sweden's temperatures, and they're currently a maximum of 10 degrees under us. I so want snow this year over there! Here, I like it too, but it's definitely not enough to keep me too happy.
 
Kelleh, we tend to have quite snowy and cold winters here, so bicycling is just plain not happening during the winter months. The roads are too icy/snowy to bicycle on. We get proper winters, more than just rain/mud. So yeah, I can do other outdoor activities like snowshoeing, skiing, and ice skating, but I cannot do anything like bicycling for awhile. I don't bicycle to work as it's just a bit too far (it's about 10-12 miles each way and I just cannot ride 20-24 miles in one day, my max is about 8 miles in a day). I do bicycle to the gym sometimes as it's about 3.25 miles each way from my house, so it's about 6.5 miles total there and back.

Wait, what?! Men use the women's showers? That doesn't happen here! That's icky, I wonder why they do that! Both at the little gym in the basement of my workplace, and in the big paid membership gym I belong to, only women use the women's changing room and showers. I would be horrified if a man walked in!

4-6 workouts per week is something I have done in the past, when I was in remission and felt really well. If I get back to that point again I'd surely be much more on the 4 side of things rather than 6. But still, I'd be happy with 4 workouts per week, that'd still be satisfying. 3 weight sessions and 1 cardio session per week, right there that's 4. If I added an extra cardio session then I'd be quite good. That's the goal! It'll be a challenge to get back to that point but I really want to get back to that.

I ate my oatmeal and it seems to be sitting okay in my stomach - there's no gurgliness, no cramps. If things continue to go well then I'm going to see what I can do in the gym in a couple hours. Wish me luck!
 
I'm new here so please tell me if I'm posting or asking questions in wrong section ...my son 15 has been sick with multitude of symptoms his whole life , but no real answer , there's discussion of Crohn's on the table he just had egd/ colonoscopy & ph impedance probe test done a week ago , we had to go back to hospital for swallow study today & when picking up other records I got reports from biopsys with the phrase "the cecal biopsy demonstrates focal minimal acute cryptitis in a single fragment, clinical correlation recommended" this was from the cecum biopsy. I was told if there was a issue I would receive call before next appointment, but dr said he showed no evidence of disease in day of testing would have to wait for biopsy results ...in just afraid it's going to be another test that says he's fine when he's not & clearly suffers in pain daily , symptoms to follow if asked ..any thoughts from other parents going thru this any thoughts appreciated!! ☺
 
Jmom13,
So sorry to hear that you and your family are dealing with such difficult problems. I suggest that you post again in the Parents Section for Undiagnosed kids here: http://www.crohnsforum.com/showthread.php?t=18372&page=40

The parents are very friendly and many have struggled with getting a diagnosis for their children. They will have tips for communicating with the health professionals. Try reading through some of the threads in the Parent's section--they have a lot of info.

You are also most welcome to continue to post in this section as well.

Good Luck.
 
Cat, I'm ever so slightly jealous. I am more a cold person, mainly because you can keep layering up and you can get some cute winter wear! But I bet you have some awfully hot summers too! I can see that's why you wouldn't want to cycle though - and I'm hear worrying about a little bit of mud!

That's at work anyway. There's a bottle of Lynx shower gel in one of them (I know you have it over in the U.S, but I can't remember what it's called. It's similar to the name change of Walker's and Lay's. :p) I'd be happy with 4 workouts a week too. Maybe that's something you just need to work towards, and that'll make it happy days for you, I bet!

Did the oatmeal behave itself? I love porridge (as we call it!), I especially love putting peanut butter in it! I'm not weird, honest!

Last night I woke up with the burning in my mid abdomen again, not sure what it is. I remember on my pilot thread, somebody suggested I had stomach ulcers, which is not the case, as far as the doctors can tell. It just feels like I am hungry or extremely thirsty. It's gone again this morning though.

Last night I felt pretty down with my stomach. It suddenly kicked into pain mode again and I went to the toilet and it's still like the pellets (even though I'm eating like 40g of fibre, drinking AT LEAST 8 pints of water + about 8 glasses!) but I am passing the most mucus I have ever seen. I am actually passing massive chunks. Some brown, some clear. I have no idea what it is, but it's painful and just looks awful.

Did read my report again last night and I got it wrong the first time. It actually says - 'To distal colon everything looks clear, however solid stool seen MORE proximally'. So, not really sure what to take from that, but I think if that was wrong, then they'd have told me. We shall see. I think proximally stool SHOULDN'T be more solid than in the distal, but maybe not so much. I don't know.

@jmom13 - Really sorry to hear your little one is going through this. As happy said, there is a forum for parents that have kids with or with potential IBD. But feel free to join in on this board too as we can offer our input too with our process of diagnosis. Sending you both lots of hugs. Must be extremely hard as a parent to go through this and see their little ones in pain!
 
First off, I'm sorry for not keeping up with anyone else.

Second, I'm super confused!

I do NOT have a UTI. But, I noticed as I was driving my son to school yesterday, that my vision was really blurry. Like, couldn't read street signs blurry. So I had dh take me to the GP appt. She said my urine looked fine, but drew blood for a metabolic panel, an A1C and sent me off to an opthamologist. There, he started to put pieces together and is concerned I'm developing diabetes!! It fits - the tiredness, the peeing non-stop, and the sudden blurry vision (he called it a myopic shift). So now I'm waiting for a call from my GP again. Gah!
 
Kelleh, yes, we get hot & humid summers here. I am not really a fan of hot nor cold weather. The heat & humidity of summer tends to make my guts cramp up, and the cold and snow of winter makes my arthritic hips hurt. So no matter what the weather is doing, I feel it in some way! Right now we're having mild fall weather and it's just about perfect. Not too warm, not humid, cool but not cold. Jacket weather. It doesn't make my guts nor my joints upset so I'm enjoying it while it lasts!

I actually did go to the gym yesterday, but I probably shouldn't have. My stomach has been pretty upset from the iron infusion. I figured I could maybe do a workout anyway and just not do any abdominal work. So I did. It was tough for sure - I had enough energy to make it through a workout, but my tummy was very unhappy. Afterwards, all yesterday evening I sat on the couch with my heating pad on and only had toast for dinner. I watched some TV shows to make myself feel better. I'm probably a terrible person for doing this, but you know those shows like Intervention, and Hoarders? I like watching those when I'm feeling sorry for myself. Seeing people whose lives are far more messed up than mine, it makes me feel better about my situation. It's total schadenfreude (or however you spell that!). So yesterday evening, I sat and watched 3 episodes of this show called "My 600 lb life" about people who weigh 600 lbs and are trying to lose some weight. I'm terrible, but it made me feel a bit better to sit there and think, well I feel like crap but at least I'm not 600 lbs!

Peanut butter in oatmeal can be yummy! I usually add chia seeds and frozen fruit to mine and soak it overnight in cashew milk. I have powdered peanut butter which I tend to add to smoothies, but it's good in oatmeal as well. I like the powdered PB a lot because it has far less calories than regular PB (they take all the oil out to powder it and the oil is where most of the calories are), and you can rehydrate it in water or milk or whatever you like. It still has the protein of regular PB so it's quite healthy. I've made my dog some healthy treats out of it as well, she loves PB but she's a bit fat so I try to give her lower-calorie treats.
 
Wildmtn, that sucks that it might be diabetes! :( That would explain the excessive urination, though. I had a friend who got pregnant so she thought nothing of it when she was peeing constantly, but it turned out she had type 2 diabetes (she is slightly overweight but not huge by any means). It seems like it can just sneak up on people sometimes!

I don't know much about diabetes, but there's a support group for IBD and diabetes here:
http://www.crohnsforum.com/showthread.php?t=49117
Hopefully that thread will be enlightening and give you some good info.
 
@Wildmtnhoney - Did they test your urine for sugar? That usually gives a diagnosis pretty much straight away.

@Cat - that'll explain the reason why you prefer the autumn and spring! That, and they're pretty seasons.

Sounds like it was too early for a workout, but at least you managed to rest. I think anything to know that you're not weighing 600lbs is probably the nicest thing to know. Let's just hope the next infusions don't make your stomach so crap, but at least they'll get your energy up. Always look for the positives!

Also, a dog that loves PB? You sure they're not my dog? :p I'm addicted to PB.

My stomach and back hurts.. Wahh. The back pain is like in the lumbar region. Stomach is just being an absolute git. Gurgling/bubbling/weird noises come from upper. Pain is all over. ARGH. I just want it to stop.
 
Kelleh, sounds similar to what my stomach's been doing since the infusion. :( I had the gurgles so bad, for a little while the gurgles wouldn't let me sleep! And there was crampy pain and nausea and just generally a very unsettled, unpleasant feeling. I think it's finally getting better now. I hope you start feeling better soon too!

I think, for me, all this leftover Halloween candy is not doing me any favors. If I get a slight bit of appetite, I don't want to cook anything for myself, but it's easy to reach for a piece of candy. Ugh, I need to stop eating all this candy!

My dog loooooves PB. Her two favorite things in the world are snow and PB. :p When we get the first snow of the year, she goes running all around in it like crazy and won't stop until she's run over every inch of snow. And she'll do anything for a PB treat - when I show her the treat, her pupils get huge and she starts shaking, it's a bit scary but that's how much she loves PB.

Yeah, I know the next infusions will help my energy and the icky belly feeling will be temporary but the energy boost should be much more longer-lasting. I just have to get through the yuckiness of the next couple weeks and then I'll hopefully be good for awhile. And there are good things to look forward to as well - my birthday is Friday and my hubby is going to buy me sushi (YUM!), and on Sunday my parents are taking me out to lunch as well, so there will be some yummy food before my next infusion which is on Monday.
 
Thanks, I just feel rotten at the moment. It may be something to do with my time of the month due this weekend, but I've never had it this bad + back ache. I may visit my doctor if my period passes and it's still this way.

Candy! I didn't get any Halloween candy. I'm pretty jealous. Also, does she eat them together? Haha, she sounds so lovely. My parrot likes... Wotsits, which are just cheese puffs. :p

Yay for birthday! Just hopefully your stomach won't stop you from celebrating too much. Always need a bit of cake and sushi!
 
My corgi will eat snow, yes. :p Sometimes she'll run through the snow at top speed, and open her mouth and lower her head so that she scoops up big mouthfuls of snow as she's running. It's ridiculous, ha ha.

We had bought a bunch of Halloween candy to hand out to trick-or-treaters, but it was raining on Halloween so we didn't get a lot of kids coming to the house to get candy and we ended up with a lot left over. Then hubby had the brilliant idea to buy even more candy on sale after Halloween, so yeah, we've got a LOT of candy right now and I've been scarfing it down. Not such a good thing especially when my stomach is already a mess!

Hah, maybe not so much yay for birthday - I'll be turning 36 which means I'm getting a bit too close to 40 and I just do not like that at all. :p But yes, yay for presents and sushi and cake, definitely. :) It's my mom's birthday soon as well so I'm going to buy her some presents too. So there will also be shopping involved, should be a good weekend!
 
Hey again and thanks for your well-wishes!

Things have calmed somewhat now, and my stomach is a mess. Mostly I think because I switched medication brands accidentally and the new one is just not working as well. It's very clear to me though that whatever it is I have, it's helped by PPIs. If I miss a dose, or I switch brands or change something else about my meds, or eat poorly? Every symptom comes back with a vengeance. So I'm pretty sure that what I have is GERD.

Anyway, I was supposed to have a pill cam but in light of the recent family situation I've postponed it and am wondering whether I should bother having it at all. We'll see, I suppose.

I'm also moving to a new city (again) next year so I'm thinking I'll try and manage on my own until then and just find a new GI there. It'll be an even bigger city and I'll have more of a choice there, probably. My old GI I just have no desire to even argue with, especially if I would argue with him about something I could fix myself in just a few months' time.

Still, the belching and the pain has gotten way way worse this week so far, probably because of the meds and the stress and my resulting horrible eating habits. Will try to get back on track.

ETA: I also have to figure out what triggers my bad periods. Because in September I remember having a sore throat CONSTANTLY and feeling absolutely awful and then that went away in October - strangely enough when I was stressed and working a lot it went away (probably because I was moving around a lot and NEVER overeating even a little bit). And now it's coming back (had a week off, maybe that's it?). Starting to think that sitting still and having time off I eat more and it screws everything up.
 
hey
I'm currently waiting for a GI referral and have had some blood tests done but they didn't really show a lot. Actually when I went to get my most recent results the GP I saw wasn't my usual GP and she seemed really bored by the whole thing and accused me of starving myself as an explanation for my weight loss. It actually really annoys me when I think about that. I'll never be having an appointment with her again!

Can I join in with the 'my stomach is making gurgling noises' group? I don't sit in the staff room at work as I don't want to have to explain to people why my stomach is having a conversation with itself.

Izzie - sorry to hear about your family situation, hope things (including your stomach!) all calm down properly soon. Is it the omeprazole that you switched brands on? I work in a hospital pharmacy and we're constantly getting different brands of it in. I always find it confusing when all of a sudden the box looks different due to it being a different brand but it must be a million times worse for people who are taking it!
 
giraffejen said:
hey
I'm currently waiting for a GI referral and have had some blood tests done but they didn't really show a lot. Actually when I went to get my most recent results the GP I saw wasn't my usual GP and she seemed really bored by the whole thing and accused me of starving myself as an explanation for my weight loss. It actually really annoys me when I think about that. I'll never be having an appointment with her again!

Can I join in with the 'my stomach is making gurgling noises' group? I don't sit in the staff room at work as I don't want to have to explain to people why my stomach is having a conversation with itself.

Izzie - sorry to hear about your family situation, hope things (including your stomach!) all calm down properly soon. Is it the omeprazole that you switched brands on? I work in a hospital pharmacy and we're constantly getting different brands of it in. I always find it confusing when all of a sudden the box looks different due to it being a different brand but it must be a million times worse for people who are taking it!
Click to expand...

Yes.

And I know people say it shouldn't make a difference, that it's the exact same thing etc. but that has not been the case for me at all.
 
That's a shame that it does make a difference. A lot of people I've worked with are dismissive about different brands not working as well for some people but I've met a few people who have said they need to stick to the same brand.
 
Jen, so sorry the GP treated you that way! Hope you get to see a GI soon.

Izzie, I am sure with everything going on "outside" of your stomach, what is going on "inside" of it is a mess as well, wishing you well thoughts and the correct brand of meds!

I am totally stumped by my own not-stomach related issues. In good news, I'm NOT diabetic! My A1C came back at 4.9, perfect. But my eyes feel even worse than yesterday, and I've got a raging headache, so after a sushi lunch (I needed it!) I saw another eye dr. this time they gave me an Rx for what my eyes need NOW, even though it may change again, simply because not being able to see is giving me headaches! I'm waiting right now for a one-hour place to finish my glasses.

In tummy news...it's all confused. Pain - check. Noises - check. Ugh. I just feel like I can't think about that when my eyes are freaking out on me, if that makes sense.
 
I was able to see GI today about possible fistula, but we agreed to not do anything just yet because the CT scan was normal. She gave me some instructions for the colonoscopy next month, as well as for hopefully remedying the severe constipation I have going on.

Slightly frustrating, though, that she isn't really telling me WHY I might be so constipated the past few months. She said that since I'm young, it's probably just a slow colon. Until a few months ago, I never had constipation in my life, so I'm not sure it's just that. Diarrhea, yes, that's often been a problem. Constipation, that's entirely new. But my GI is really nice and is running all of these tests, so I know I'm lucky compared to a lot of people here.

Jen, good luck with seeing a GI soon.
 
Cat, birthdays are always yay, no matter what age you are! Although, I am starting to forget my age and when my birthday actually is. :p I'll be joining you on the shopping front. I need to buy some warm clothing in preparation for my Sweden trip in 2 weeks time.

Izzie - If you have the appointment, then you go have it done. You never know what the new hospital will be like. A year could make a lot of difference in symptoms and you may get worse. So, I think it's in your best interests to go and have the pill cam while you can. Sorry to hear you're not feeling good still. :(
 
giraffejen said:
hey
I'm currently waiting for a GI referral and have had some blood tests done but they didn't really show a lot. Actually when I went to get my most recent results the GP I saw wasn't my usual GP and she seemed really bored by the whole thing and accused me of starving myself as an explanation for my weight loss. It actually really annoys me when I think about that. I'll never be having an appointment with her again!

Can I join in with the 'my stomach is making gurgling noises' group? I don't sit in the staff room at work as I don't want to have to explain to people why my stomach is having a conversation with itself.

Izzie - sorry to hear about your family situation, hope things (including your stomach!) all calm down properly soon. Is it the omeprazole that you switched brands on? I work in a hospital pharmacy and we're constantly getting different brands of it in. I always find it confusing when all of a sudden the box looks different due to it being a different brand but it must be a million times worse for people who are taking it!
Click to expand...

My blood work shows nothing either. Not even my inflammation. My GP says that bloodwork can lie for inflammation, but a CT scan does not. Hope you get answers soon!
 
Izzie and GiraffeJen, that's a really interesting point about the Omeprazole. Back when I was on it, I was taking the tablets for awhile, but then I got switched to capsules. And like you guys said, I was told it's the same med and same dosage, just in a different form & from a different manufacturer. But, that was around the time that I started failing Omeprazole and eventually switched to Nexium (esomeprazole). And actually just this month I've switched from name-brand to generic esomeprazole, so I'm going to pay close attention to my GERD and see if my symptoms change at all. Definitely food for thought! Now I'm wondering if I never really failed Omeprazole in the first place, it was just that the capsules failed me and what I really needed was to stay on the tablets. Hmmm!

Wildmtn, I'm glad to hear it's not diabetes, but that's frustrating that your eyes still aren't doing so well. Is it just blurriness or is there pain? I know that certain eye conditions, like iritis or uveitis (basically inflammation of the eye) can happen with IBD. But I haven't heard of blurriness by itself coming on so quickly like that in correlation to IBD. I hope you can get it figured out and I hope the new glasses are helping! Keep us posted.

CatLady, I hope you can get things figured out - I'm sure you know this already, but make sure they take lots of biopsies when they do the colonoscopy. I'm glad it sounds like you've got a good GI, that makes such a world of difference. When is your scope?

Kelleh, I'm just dreading 40, and every year that gets me closer to that is not a good thing so I'm not super jazzed about turning 36. And honestly it's not even so much about getting older. My health seems to take a nosedive when I start a new decade of life. The year that I was 20, I spontaneously developed motion sickness, lactose intolerance, and allergies - I never had any of those until I was 20, then they all hit me out of nowhere. And when I was 30, that's when this lovely IBD came along and it brought its friends GERD and arthritis to the party. So that seems to be the pattern with me and if it continues, then I'm guessing when I turn 40 my skeleton will spontaneously dissolve into dust and my brain will mysteriously disappear and my eyeballs will explode and all my blood will turn into cheese. :p Possibly I'm being over-dramatic but honestly, I'm slightly terrified of what my health might do at 40, based on the pattern I've observed with 20 and 30. So yeah, I have a hard time being excited about birthdays when there's a new decade looming on the not too distant horizon!
 
Kero, that's interesting! I've never been told that! Will MRI be the same as CT at spotting inflammation? Should I be asking for a CT rather than an MRI? I'm not actually sure what a CT is or what the difference is... lol!

@Cat - Oh, I don't blame you to be dreading it. Time is a scary thing. It's very scary when ill-health dropkicks you in the face at an age where you've had very little problems all of your life. But you shouldn't be so pessimistic that it seems to have on the decade dot! Maybe 40 will be life-changing and every illness disappears? :D

I had a psychiatrist call me today to ask me if I was OK, because I hadn't been in contact with anybody since August. She had a brief chat with me, but I am going to be going to my first appointment in 4-6 weeks. Tbh, my mental health hasn't been too bad - until today. I've been extremely stressed due to work and things on my mind (I have a sugar hangover, this usually happens after one!) and I've realised my stomach isn't even hurting - so stress is not playing a role in my stomach problems! Therefore, nothing can be wrong with me because my stomach isn't that bad today! Although, it's a nice piece of feedback to feed back to my GI that stress is NOT a factor.

Haha, that was a bit rambly. Of course I know something is wrong with my stomach, it's just my 'black-and-white' mind processes going on.
 
Yuppp I'm going to have to call the shitty GI next week and reschedule the pill cam. *sigh*

I DID have an appointment but then the death happened and everything was chaos and honestly, I forgot. So I've had the appointment twice and cancelled once and forgot once. Go me! They hate me at that place I can feel it.

The weird pain in my side is back and I feel it when I press it and that can't be normal, so I'd feel calmer if I have the pill cam done. Even if it ends up just being GERD and IBS or whatever. Hopefully they'll be understanding about a family disaster...

Or I can do the whole "I DEMAND A TRANSFER!" thing but that will be temporary, too, even if it works. Since I'm moving AGAIN in a month. Oy vey, things are chaotic right now.
 
So, 6 days on the "wrong" brand of meds and I'm a MESS again. I have pain, the belching has reached absurd levels of noise and frequency. Lost 3 lbs because eating makes me so uncomfortable.

I haven't done anything differently except for the meds. So yeah, for me this makes a difference. Will have to wait until Monday to get my hands on the right stuff again...
 
Izzie, I honestly don't know what to say to you, but I really do hope you feel better soon. This shouldn't be going on for so long, so hopefully today you will get the help you need. :( Sorry I don't have much of an input.

I have a pain near my belly button now and I can't even sleep it off. It's so uncomfortable. I hate it. My GP offered me more painkillers, but the next step up is morphine and something I really didn't want to touch. I appreciated he was trying to help, but definitely don't want that. Had to get more of my Venlafaxine today, so that's why I was there. Stupid stomach. However, on the plus side, there is no evidence of any form of colitis, so that's UC and MC ruled out. Now to check my small bowel out. Although, my doctor does seem to think that you can't have stuff just affecting your small bowel without your large bowel. *shrugs*

Hope everybody else is OK, and hope you had a good birthday Cat!
 
Izzie, I hope you were able to get the right meds today and are starting to feel better. Hang in there! And, honestly, who cares if your GI's office thinks you're a pain? I'm sure my GI thinks I'm a pain but I don't care, what matters is that I get the care I need. He's annoyed by me but he's also a pretty good GI and is willing to work with me or at least compromise with me on things - long story short, I get what I need, whether it be tests or meds or whatever. Obviously your GI is not a good GI, but in the end, I think it's better to be a pain and to get what you need, than to stay silent. If you can get the pill cam, probably worth it to just stay with this GI and let them think you're a pain.

Kelleh, any chance of having an upper endoscopy (scope down the throat)? Pain near the belly button is likely in or near the stomach. I've had that as well and mine was gastritis - inflamed lining of the stomach. If it is gastritis, they should really figure out why you have gastritis, as it doesn't just happen for no reason.

I had a good birthday, thanks! We went to Ikea and did some shopping. Also had sushi - salmon and avocado rolls, super yum! And my tummy was happy with that. My tummy has been surprisingly quiet lately, like suspiciously quiet for the past few days. It's nice but I don't trust it! I am having my 2nd iron infusion this afternoon, so it'll be interesting to see how that affects me - from what I was told on the forum, the first infusion is often pretty rough on the stomach, but after that, subsequent infusions are relatively easy. So hopefully things will stay quiet in my belly, we'll see. I'll keep you guys posted.
 
Yeah I'm taking an extra Omeprazole a day for a couple days. Shouldn't, probably, but it's the only thing that helps. I just need to get through this one (very stressful) week and then I'll have time to nag the hospital again.

This time I've gotten the D along with the rest of these lovely symptoms as well, so that's... new and annoying.
 
Hello All!,:sign0144:
My name is Erica! Just came across this site googling some info about Crohn's. So here is my story:

I am currently 23 years old. Almost 3 years ago (December 2012), I randomly started getting awful stomach aches, sulfur burps and awful vomiting. I went to an urgent care center and, of course, they didn't say much and referred me to a GI dr. It was hard for me to get off of work so never made an appointment but it seemed like late January-Februaryish 2013, I got better so didn't think anymore of it. Between June 2013-May 2014, I had a lot of really weird things happen to me pretty much back to back such as severe vertigo and unexplained rashes on my arms that burned like crazy. Went to my PCP because I was concerned with all this weird stuff happening to me back to back and I had just turned 22 and felt like someone my age should not be having this many issues. He said and I quote "Well, when stuff stops happening to you, that means your dead"...really? That was the last time I saw him and that was the start of doctor's acting like it was all in my head (not sure how I conjure up in my head a weird rash that was VERY visible on my arms :yrolleyes:).

August 2014- GI issues started back up again with the awful sulfur burps, horrible nausea and couldn't really keep anything down. I dropped about 10-15 lbs and people started saying I looked like a skeleton.
September 2014-I went to a new PCP doctor who started off by ordering blood tests. I had elevated liver enzymes and few other things that weren't quite right but not as bad as the liver enzymes. The PCP then ordered an abdominal ultrasound which came back normal and she then referred me to a GI doctor.
October 2014-Went and saw the GI doctor for my initial visit, he ordered more bloodwork and put me on omeprazole.
November 2014 (beginning)-I ended up in the hospital because I woke up in the middle of the night with excruciating pain in my LUQ and could not stop throwing up. Emergency basically said they couldn't do anything for me except treat the symptoms but would consult with my GI doctor who, luckily, said to proceed with a CT of the abdomen...but it came back normal as well as the bloodwork that was done (my liver enzymes were back to normal).
November 2014 (end)-I had a follow up with GI dr he ordered more bloodwork :eek:, ordered a HIDA and switched me to Dexilant. Unfortunately, due to unforeseen circumstances, I lost my insurance coverage shortly after and never had a chance to get the new bloodwork done but was able to fill a RX for the Dexilant before losing my coverage.
December 2014- I was able to get the HIDA done (thank you to where I work) which, of course, came back normal. I started to feel better and chalked it up to the Dexilant but without insurance it was like $300+ for a month, no way I could afford that :-/ I stopped taking it once I ran out of what I had and continued to feel better so thought that was the end of whatever was going on. NOPE!
March 2015-I woke up again in the middle of the night with the same excruciating pain and vomiting but didn't want to go to the hospital because a.) I couldnt afford it without insurance and b.) I knew they wouldn't really do anything like the last time. Took some Tramadol and Zofran (which the hospital had prescribed for me during my visit in November) and was finally able to get some relief. But the symptoms were back from there forward...I was able to keep the symptoms at bay somewhat with the Tramadol and Zofran
June 2015- Luckily I got new insurance in May and scheduled an appointment with a new GI doctor (right next to work so thought it would be more convenient and easier to get off work to go...yeah right) but couldn't get in until the end of June. Told that doctor what was going on and she just treated me like I had an eating disorder and was bulimic or something and acted like I was a complete joke. She did, however, end up ordering an endoscope and prescribed pantoprazole. I didn't schedule the EGD since I was pretty put off by her bedside manner but filled the RX to give it a shot, however, it just made me worse.
August 2015-Went back to the other doctor I had seen, where he reordered the blood tests I wasn't able to get done in November 2014, scheduled me for an endoscopy and prescribed Nexium. Blood tests, of course, came back normal again.
September 2015 (beginning)- I had my EGD and right after it was done, he came out and informed me there was some slight inflammation and diagnosed me with slight gastritis but the test was essentially normal but he did take a biopsy just to be sure.
September 2015 (end)- Had my follow-up to EGD (at this point had started getting pretty severe lower abdominal pain, especially after eating), he asked how everything had been and I said that the week prior was pretty rough and about the new abdominal pain. All he said to that was my biopsy came back normal and everything was normal and to stop the Nexium and just try some Zantac and if I have anymore issues to just follow up with a PCP...umm, clearly everything is not normal if I am nauseous all the time, am throwing up/dry heaving, and now have worsening abdominal pain. So, of course after that, I was pretty down in the dumps and just felt like giving up. I can tell I am getting progressively worse. I'm exhausted all the time, get awful pains and nausea after eating but force myself to eat. If I don't eat, I still get nausea but then start getting dizzy. I've started getting what I guess is acid reflux (which I guess the Nexium and all the medications before that was keeping it at bay). I know diarrhea is a big symptom of crohns but I have quite the opposite problem. I have read this does happen on occasion but please correct me if I am wrong! I have to call out of work all the time and just can't function properly anymore.
October 2015-I believe by a miracle, the radiologist I used to work for texted me and I told her about everything and all the tests I've had. She recommended some GI doctors to try and that it sounds like I really need an MR Enterography. So, I scheduled an appointment with one of the doctors and am anxiously awaiting November 19th!

I have some good days but more often than not, I have bad days. I own 3 horses (as you can probably tell from my username), which have been kind of put on the back burner because of whatever this is going on. Of course I feed them and what not, but I couldn't tell you the last time I was able to actually ride one of them :-/ I'm sure they are enjoying their "vacation" but it makes me even more miserable than I already am not being able to do what I love most!
Sorry for the long story! I know I have not been dealing with this nearly as long as some other people on here but I certainly feel everyone's pain and frustration and wish you all the best luck!

I have a few questions if someone doesn't mind answering:
1.) Should the CT I had done in November 2014 shown signs of Crohns if that is what is going on? They only did the Abdomen (W & W/O contrast) and only included part of the small bowel...and only part of something else but I forget what it was...whoops!
2.) I also get a lot of UTI-like symptoms. I kept getting what I thought were UTIs, would go to get the tests done to get the antibiotics and would initially come back positive. However, once they sent them out to an actual lab to "grow", they would come back negative. I went to see a urologist and he diagnosed me overactive bladder...really? At 23? I read somewhere else that UTIs/UTI-like symptoms can be associated with Crohns? Is that correct? And if so, would that explain the false-positive tests?
 
Hi, horsemom. I'm mostly in the same boat, waiting to be diagnosed. I also had a normal CT scan and UTI-like symptoms. I actually took antibiotics for a presumed UTI, but am now wondering if I have some kind of urinary or vaginal fistula. So you may want to look into seeing if you have symptoms of that. You also probably want to see if you can get a colonoscopy, because that's the best way for the doctor to look directly in your colon.

I saw my GI last week about fistula symptoms. We agreed that since my recent CT scan was normal we'll wait and see if I have further symptoms before more invasive testing. I think I have had a few more signs, including the weird feeling that I'm peeing from my butt. But I am really not enthusiastic about more testing, especially tests that involve poking into my privates.

I'll probably go back and ask for the tests, though. I'm just nervous about it. If they do come back normal, I hope my GI doesn't think I'm a hypochondriac. The thought of having a fistula never entered my mind until I started googling weird symptoms and that's what came up.
 
Cat, I'd have thought belly button pain would be too low for stomach? Do you think that an MRI or a CT scan would pick up inflammation from gastritis? What even causes gastritis? I don't even really have acid reflux any more, or any sort of GERD issues, not since I found the oral suspension fluid, which works for me when I feel even the slightest bit sick. Been okay today though, not feeling at all in pain, which is good.

Asked my doctor about what it meant about them writing about the solid stool proximally and he just said that it probably indicates that I am just a bit constipated. (And boy, do I know about it! 9 times a day, but all 'rabbit poop'! I wouldn't have thought gastritis would have caused that. Who knows. Roll on January 14th when I actually get seen again!

Glad you had a good birthday! I love IKEA. Did you manage to go and have lunch there? Love their meals, and on the plus side, they're really cheap too! What did you buy?

A quiet stomach is always cause for suspicion. Mine goes quiet then kills me worse than it ever does. Which is why I'm slightly concerned it's deadly silent today (apart from the frequent toilet visits), even after exercise last night! Usually it's worse!

Welcome to the forum, Horsemom514! I am not yet diagnosed, but I too have the opposite problem. I am constipated, but sometimes I alternate. I have yet to have more tests to check my small bowel. Fingers crossed you get the answers you are looking for soon. We will be here to chat if you need us in the undiagnosed forum! Don't be scared to ask questions!
 
Hi horsemom, welcome to the forum. There does seem to be a link between bladder issues and IBD, but it's my understanding that they don't really know why just yet. As CatLady said, things like fistulas can definitely cause problems between the bladder and bowels, but many of us also have bladder & bowel issues without having fistulas and nobody seems to know why that is. I'm in that boat myself, I have recurrent UTIs (kept mostly under control with cranberry tablets) and I have some form of IBD as well. I have no idea if my bladder & bowel issues are related or not. I realize that's pretty unhelpful, but you're definitely not alone with having issues with both bladder & bowels.

Kelleh, when I have gastritis pain it's just above the belly button, like an inch or two above. So maybe you're right, maybe the belly button itself is too low. Still, an upper endoscopy can see not only the stomach but also the first part of the small intestine, so it's still possible it could visualize the source of that particular pain.

We ate breakfast at Ikea (my hubby eats a LOT but even so it was only like $8 for both of us to have breakfast there, so cheap!). That's what we usually like to do - get there early just as the cafe opens, have a nice breakfast, then do our shopping just as the store opens, before there are huge crowds there. As for what we bought - we got hubby a new pillow as he really needed one, and also pillows for our guest bedroom. And we bought a few random things - on or around Thanksgiving, we often go to my aunt's house, and she always hosts a family bingo game. So we bought some small items to use as bingo prizes. Stuff like cookie cutters, a fleece blanket, etc. Whoever wins a round of bingo gets to pick a prize - they're all wrapped up like gifts so nobody knows what's inside each package - and it's a lot of fun to see what weird/fun things people have won. In the past we've done crazy/random items but more recently my aunt recommended that we all bring bingo prizes that are more practical, so I find that Ikea has a good mix of fun/practical cheap items to give away as bingo prizes. (Last year my cousin took the "practical items" recommendation super seriously and she brought stuff like toilet paper and cotton ear swabs as prizes, which was also pretty ridiculous! :p) So yeah, we had fun searching Ikea for the best things to buy for bingo prizes. I'm excited about the family bingo game now!

Quick update on me - had my 2nd iron infusion yesterday. My stomach acted up a little bit afterwards, mainly just some reflux symptoms, but nothing that an extra esomeprazole couldn't handle. I'm doing pretty okay today which is very good. I had like 2 smallish episodes of d yesterday, but today my stools seem to have gone back to soft-solid which is very encouraging! I kind of want to go back to the gym today, but I'm going to make myself rest just to be extra safe. My stomach doesn't feel quite right today, but it doesn't actually feel bad either. Just slightly iffy I guess, which I can totally deal with. So yeah, rest today and hopefully gym tomorrow. Have my final iron infusion next week Monday and then I'm done! (For awhile at least - going to have to monitor my iron levels more regularly especially if I have any more bleeding.) I'm really looking forward to just having this process over with and feeling better and having the energy I need. My energy levels have already improved so much, I'm really encouraged.
 
Two days on the right brand of meds - and I'm pretty much back to normal. Phew!

So, big tip to those of you with GERD - experiment with different brands, it might make a difference.
 
Wow, Izzie, what a difference! I'm glad you were able to get back on the right brand. So far I'm doing okay with the generic esomeprazole. It's hard to tell for sure because the iron infusions seem to rile up my GERD a little bit, so it's hard to tell if it's the infusions or if it's the generic meds, or both.

How are you doing otherwise? I know firsthand that grief can put all sorts of crazy stress on the body, so I hope you're feeling reasonably okay with everything that's been going on. Take care of yourself!

As for me - I'm doing oddly well. Suspiciously well. My guts got a bit riled up with iron infusion #2 this past Monday, but after about 24 hours I was fine. I had like maybe 2 mild episodes of d, and a bit of reflux, and then nothing. My stools have gone back to solid, everything has quieted down. So, apparently after the initial shock of the infusion, my body really really likes having enough iron. :p I can't believe what a difference this is! Not just in my energy levels but in how I feel guts-wise too. I didn't think having enough iron would make my guts so calm! I feel almost normal, seriously. This is like how I felt back when I was in remission for 2 years from 2011 - 2013. I don't trust it, yet, but this is wonderful. I feel like a person again when I've been feeling like a sick zombie for so long. I don't want to push things, like I'm not going to eat any risky foods and I'm going to make an effort to eat high-iron foods every day so that I can keep this going as long as possible. But, wow! If anybody reading this is dealing with iron deficiency and exhaustion and IBD-like symptoms - I highly recommend getting some iron infusions. It's made a world of difference for me in such a short time and I'm not even done yet! I have one more infusion to go, next week! Seriously, I feel almost amazing.
 
Cat-a-Tonic said:
Wow, Izzie, what a difference! I'm glad you were able to get back on the right brand. So far I'm doing okay with the generic esomeprazole. It's hard to tell for sure because the iron infusions seem to rile up my GERD a little bit, so it's hard to tell if it's the infusions or if it's the generic meds, or both.

How are you doing otherwise? I know firsthand that grief can put all sorts of crazy stress on the body, so I hope you're feeling reasonably okay with everything that's been going on. Take care of yourself!

As for me - I'm doing oddly well. Suspiciously well. My guts got a bit riled up with iron infusion #2 this past Monday, but after about 24 hours I was fine. I had like maybe 2 mild episodes of d, and a bit of reflux, and then nothing. My stools have gone back to solid, everything has quieted down. So, apparently after the initial shock of the infusion, my body really really likes having enough iron. :p I can't believe what a difference this is! Not just in my energy levels but in how I feel guts-wise too. I didn't think having enough iron would make my guts so calm! I feel almost normal, seriously. This is like how I felt back when I was in remission for 2 years from 2011 - 2013. I don't trust it, yet, but this is wonderful. I feel like a person again when I've been feeling like a sick zombie for so long. I don't want to push things, like I'm not going to eat any risky foods and I'm going to make an effort to eat high-iron foods every day so that I can keep this going as long as possible. But, wow! If anybody reading this is dealing with iron deficiency and exhaustion and IBD-like symptoms - I highly recommend getting some iron infusions. It's made a world of difference for me in such a short time and I'm not even done yet! I have one more infusion to go, next week! Seriously, I feel almost amazing.
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Congrats on the almost amazing. I envy you and am happy for you all at once!

Honestly I've kind of buried myself in work. Probably to an unhealthy extent. In high pressure situations I feel a little panicky and it's been a long time since I did that, so it's probably always there even if I've not really let myself deal with it yet. I hope the funeral will bring some closure.

On the topic of meds though - those of you on PPIs - what are your thoughts on being on them long term? I feel like something new pops up about them every day. Higher risk of osteoporosis, heart disease, I think the latest thing I read was kidney failure?

And diet has limited effect on my GERD symptoms. I think mine is most likely caused by the small hiatus hernia they found on my scope. So it's obviously a mechanical problem. Other than losing more weight I don't really see how anything but meds could help, so I feel like I'll be on them... kind of permanently, and I'm not too fond of the risks involved. Especially considering I'm so young and will have to be on them for (hopefully) many years.

I've looked into the LINX implant, and while it sounds interesting it's a fairly new thing, and I'm always concerned with long-term effects. Having metal as a part of your soft-tissue digestive system seems a little scary? Maybe I'm just being overtly cautious. I don't even know if I'd be a candidate but as far as I've heard, you can't have one if your hernia is large so sometimes I think I should just go for it NOW before (if) my hernia gets larger later on...

Curious to know how you try to prevent side effects (supplements? lifestyle stuff?) and what your views are on long-term PPI usage?
 
Izzie, my main concern with my long-term PPI usage is bone loss/osteoporosis. I do weight-bearing exercise and I also take supplements - calcium, vitamin D3 and magnesium - to try to avoid bone loss. My mother has early-onset osteoporosis (she's in her early 60s) so that's the only thing I really have a family history of that concerns me, but with exercise and supplements I think I'll be okay.

As for the other risks, my GI checks on my kidney function with bloodwork every so often anyway, because I'm on Lialda/mesalamine (which can in rare cases affect the kidneys), and so far I'm fine there. My heart seems to be fine as well - and I also do cardio exercise which hopefully helps my heart.

So yeah, I think with some periodic checking to make sure everything's okay, and some exercise if you're able to and/or supplements if need be, things should be fine. :) There are risks with every medication, but as long as you keep on top of things reasonably well then I don't think there's much need to worry.

(***Technically I do have a family history of both heart issues and kidney failure - but, I don't think those issues will happen to me. My grandpa has diabetes due to being overweight, and his diabetes medication apparently caused his kidneys to fail - apparently that's a not uncommon side effect of certain medications for diabetes. So he's been on dialysis for 9 years now due to kidney failure. He also has a bad heart. His heart issues also seem to be related to his weight and diet, though - actually, both of my living grandparents have heart issues, but they both have terrible diets too. Seriously, they eat at KFC all the time, it's horrible. So yeah, my diet is a lot better and I don't have diabetes and I'm not overweight, so I think I'm okay even with my grandpa's history of those issues.)
 
Cat-a-Tonic said:
Izzie, my main concern with my long-term PPI usage is bone loss/osteoporosis. I do weight-bearing exercise and I also take supplements - calcium, vitamin D3 and magnesium - to try to avoid bone loss. My mother has early-onset osteoporosis (she's in her early 60s) so that's the only thing I really have a family history of that concerns me, but with exercise and supplements I think I'll be okay.

As for the other risks, my GI checks on my kidney function with bloodwork every so often anyway, because I'm on Lialda/mesalamine (which can in rare cases affect the kidneys), and so far I'm fine there. My heart seems to be fine as well - and I also do cardio exercise which hopefully helps my heart.

So yeah, I think with some periodic checking to make sure everything's okay, and some exercise if you're able to and/or supplements if need be, things should be fine. :) There are risks with every medication, but as long as you keep on top of things reasonably well then I don't think there's much need to worry.

(***Technically I do have a family history of both heart issues and kidney failure - but, I don't think those issues will happen to me. My grandpa has diabetes due to being overweight, and his diabetes medication apparently caused his kidneys to fail - apparently that's a not uncommon side effect of certain medications for diabetes. So he's been on dialysis for 9 years now due to kidney failure. He also has a bad heart. His heart issues also seem to be related to his weight and diet, though - actually, both of my living grandparents have heart issues, but they both have terrible diets too. Seriously, they eat at KFC all the time, it's horrible. So yeah, my diet is a lot better and I don't have diabetes and I'm not overweight, so I think I'm okay even with my grandpa's history of those issues.)
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I'm not VERY anxious about it but I've had odd bone/joint pain my whole life already so I'm a little worried about that. I want a doctor to actually want to treat me and not be so suspicious of everything, I'd feel calmer if everything was monitored and I had a doctor to ask. Considering starting supplements though, I haven't done that yet.

Have some heart issues in the family too (the family death was a heart attack) but in those cases I think a lot can be attributed to diet and a sedentary lifestyle etc. I'm trying to make healthier choices but it's a slow process and I need to do better.
 
I can certainly understand you wanting a doctor who actually monitors you and treats you properly. When are you moving to the new city? Hopefully you can get a new, much better doctor right away when you move. At least a GP to start with - if you're concerned about your bones or joints, they could do a bone scan or take x-rays of joints that seem to have recurrent pains. And a GP could also check your vitamin levels to see where your calcium, vitamin d, and magnesium are at and if supplementation is needed (it's not great to just blindly supplement).

A slow process is much better than no process. :) And I think a slow process means you're more likely to stick to the changes you're making. If you changed everything at once or very quickly, that would be extremely stressful and probably not last very long. But if you change one little thing at a time, over time you'll likely stick to those little individual changes. So, one thing at a time and listen to your body as you're making these gradual changes. Like, if you start to exercise more, pay attention to if anything hurts or feels uncomfortable (like for me, jogging/running hurts my hip joints too much so I stopped trying to be a runner - I bicycle for cardio instead as that doesn't hurt my joints).
 
Cat-a-Tonic said:
I can certainly understand you wanting a doctor who actually monitors you and treats you properly. When are you moving to the new city? Hopefully you can get a new, much better doctor right away when you move. At least a GP to start with - if you're concerned about your bones or joints, they could do a bone scan or take x-rays of joints that seem to have recurrent pains. And a GP could also check your vitamin levels to see where your calcium, vitamin d, and magnesium are at and if supplementation is needed (it's not great to just blindly supplement).

A slow process is much better than no process. :) And I think a slow process means you're more likely to stick to the changes you're making. If you changed everything at once or very quickly, that would be extremely stressful and probably not last very long. But if you change one little thing at a time, over time you'll likely stick to those little individual changes. So, one thing at a time and listen to your body as you're making these gradual changes. Like, if you start to exercise more, pay attention to if anything hurts or feels uncomfortable (like for me, jogging/running hurts my hip joints too much so I stopped trying to be a runner - I bicycle for cardio instead as that doesn't hurt my joints).
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I think once I move and don't have to commute anymore - a lot of things will be much easier to deal with. I'm going to try and get a good GP right away and then go from there. Honestly so far my good GP has done me more good than my shitty GI, so :tongue:

These days, I spend 2,5-3 hours a day commuting and just getting to where I need to be. It's an unnecessary stress. Especially with my stomach situation being what it is, trains are not the best places to be, sometimes. Just the NOISE my stomach makes sometimes is enough to draw the attention of pretty much everyone. Awkward. And having to eat out pretty much constantly isn't helping either.
 
Had my new new GI visit today. My GP had sent the referral over as a "second opinion for IBS-D". Lovely. So there was already the "understanding" that I have IBS with diarrhea. Sigh. On the bright side, they asked lots of questions, went over everything, and said, basically, that, yes, it might be IBS, and I've already had a LOT of testing done this year, so why not try a different treatment that treats IBS w/D than I've tried before? This Dr's suggestion is Xifaxan. An antibiotic that I had to look up. It's just recently been approved to treat IBS in the US. It works mainly in the intestines, so that's good. And he's pretty sure that with my history of having both diverticulitis and c-diff that it's likely that my bacteria are "off", so this has a good chance of working. I sure hope it does, because it cost a fortune! It's $1500 for 14 days w/out insurance, and my insurance doesn't cover it! I did get a card from the maker of the drug that brought it down enough to be affordable for the 2 weeks, but geeze!

I think I had more to say, but my eyeball is hurting again. Ugh. I'm dissolving a Maxalt now. Last time it took 2, hopefully 1 will do the trick this time.

Hope everyone is doing well, and well wishes to any who aren't.
 
Wildmtn, there was a girl on the forum a couple years ago who took Xifaxan with good results (she never did get diagnosed and I believe she's just accepted that for her it is IBS, so take that with a grain of salt). If it's affordable, it could be worth a try. I've read a few articles on Xifaxan and Rifamixin, and they sound promising not just for IBS but potentially for other digestive illnesses as well. So in my opinion, if you can afford it, I think it's worth trying.

Izzie, that's a lot of commuting! I presume that the commute time will be cut down once you've moved? I'm sure the stress of that amount of time spent commuting each day isn't doing you any favors either. It sounds like everything is potentially going to improve once you move. I also agree that eating out is generally not so tummy friendly! I try to pack my lunch every day and I can tell that my body likes that much better than when I have to run out and pick something up to eat. This is dumb, but one of my favorite things to do is grocery shopping. :p I just love buying nice ingredients so that I can pack a really good lunch. Sometimes I'll splurge on expensive things like smoked salmon - yum! I actually just bought some yesterday and have some smoked salmon packed in my lunch today. Very excited about that. Anyway, yes, packing a lunch is far easier on the tummy than going out to eat. Easier on the pocketbook, too.

I'm still doing okay today. Had one episode of d last night but not too bad. As long as I can prevent myself from bleeding, I'm okay. Usually it takes multiple episodes of d to cause me a new bleeding hemmie, so with just one d episode I'm still good. I slept really poorly last night and the weather here is very grey and gloomy and windy and cold, so all that is making me sleepy, but I'm still doing okay all things considered. I'm still doing well enough that I can exercise today and that's the important thing. :) Although with this weather I kind of just want to hibernate. Brr!
 
horsemom514 said:
Hello All!,:sign0144:

2.) I also get a lot of UTI-like symptoms. I kept getting what I thought were UTIs, would go to get the tests done to get the antibiotics and would initially come back positive. However, once they sent them out to an actual lab to "grow", they would come back negative. I went to see a urologist and he diagnosed me overactive bladder...really? At 23? I read somewhere else that UTIs/UTI-like symptoms can be associated with Crohns? Is that correct? And if so, would that explain the false-positive tests?
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Hi horsemom
I'm sorry you have having such a rough ride without being in the saddle.

You mention UTI-like symptoms - do you mean just peeing alot, or do you have a deep pain a bit like period pain too?

Whenever I was flaring I needed to pee alot, like 6 times in 2 hours often between episodes of diarrhea. And for about a year I thought I was having UTIs because of having pain and feeling slightly ill, but now I think it was coming from inflammation in the rectum/sigmoid end of the intestines. That has stopped since I have been taking suppositories.

Anyway, I really hope you can find someone who can help - don't give up looking.
 
Hey guys, sorry I haven't been around much, I decided to have a long weekend to try and relax this weekend, and I am going to Sweden next weekend for a week. I have tried to read everybody's posts, but possibly going to be impossible to reply to everything.

So, hope everybody is doing well. :)
 
Hey Kelleh, welcome back! I hope you get lots of snow for your Sweden trip. :) We might actually get snow here next weekend too! I'm not looking forward to that at all though, I have to go to a football game (American football) on Saturday and sit in the cold, open-air stadium in the cold weather. Yuck! Fortunately, it's two teams I like (the home team versus the team that my cousin used to play for) so it'll be a fun game to watch - it'll just be really cold!

How are you doing? Did your long weekend off help you feel better? As for me, I'm doing so-so. My guts got really calmed down and quiet for a few days, I felt almost normal and it was great. Then, I caught a cold on Friday and my guts got riled up again (they always act up when I catch any type of cold or virus). So I'm getting over the cold thankfully but my guts still haven't totally calmed down yet. I have my final iron infusion today, too, so that'll rile up my guts a bit as well. Oh well! I'm looking forward to being done with the infusions. I did actually go to the gym twice last week! That was very exciting. Have you been working out or just relaxing?
 
Already seen on a weather app that it's already colder this time round than what it was when I went later in December last year! Threats of snow on Saturday, so may be a nice thing to fly into. :) But I have to make my way from Stockholm all the way to my friends house - which wouldn't be a problem if the fast train ran more times than every 5 hours. I may have to see if I can put my luggage somewhere in Stockholm train station and then go for a look around! I am just so excited for my holiday right now. But so tired at the same time!

I'm alright. Having some down and funny moments because of my tapering up with my antidepressants, but apart from that, just stupid frequent toilet trips with constipated like BM and also managed to rip myself a new fissure which bled. Ugh, but apart from that, pain has been extremely quiet, so that's always a plus. I have a sore throat now though, courtesy of my boyfriend who has been suffering with a cold. I ate so much crap over the weekend, so I'm surprised I feel surprisingly normal.

I just remembered, it's your last infusion today isn't it? How have your energy levels been doing since your second infusion? I'm guessing pretty well if you made it to the gym!
 
Kelleh, yes, today's the final infusion! :) I'm very excited to have the infusions over with. My appointment isn't until 3 PM (it's currently about 10:45 AM here) so I'm getting impatient, ha ha. My energy levels have been really good, with the exception of me having this cold. I went to the gym last week Wed & Thurs, but then I came down with a cold on Friday which made me feel run-down so I ended up resting for a few days. The plan is, have my infusion today, rest tomorrow to recover from the infusion, then hopefully hit the gym again on Wednesday. Hopefully by then the cold will be totally gone from my system too. I'm still a bit sniffly today and my guts aren't stellar, but I don't feel too bad otherwise. I just need to get through today, recover tomorrow, and then hopefully I'll be good for awhile.

I hope you have a great trip! Stay warm! And take lots of photos!
 
Good luck with it! I can imagine the last one will be the easiest, but also the most exciting because you know you won't have to have some for a long time and not eating into your day!

Let me know how you get on and also if you do go to the gym in the end! :) Just take it easy. Having a cold can definitely knock you for 2 bells. I'm sure you'll soldier on through today! :)

Thank you! I will do. You'll probably see many photos on facebook from my friend taking photos of me, usually stuffing my face with food or being stupidly hyper. Although, I do tend to take so many scenic photos, but I end up just uploading that to my computer for personal storage. But you may see some!
 
Hi - I am new here as of today...

I'm pretty sure I have Crohn's, although I have never received a diagnosis. I don't have medical insurance so I haven't seen a doctor about my issues in about 6 years...I should have insurance beginning on January 1, 2016 and I can't wait to see someone.

I guess I'm hoping that someone here can relate to what I am going through and help me. Maybe I don't have Crohn's, although after years of research and attempts at homeopathic remedies to fix the multitude of symptoms I experience on a daily basis I am pretty convinced that this is what I have.

As long as I can remember I have had stomach problems. As a kid, I would get stomach aches all the time, especially after I ate. For a while my family thought I was bulimic because I was always in the bathroom after every single meal. After a while my mom took me to the doctor and he said it was acid reflux and put me on some OTC medication which never worked. But back then, my symptoms didn't really affect me like they do now so when the OTC medicine didn't work, it just became the running joke in my family that "she is so sensitive she can feel her food digest".

When I was 22 I delivered my first child via c-section. It was after he was born that my symptoms really started to progress. I couldn't keep anything in my stomach. Within 15 minutes of eating I was in the bathroom. I had insane stomach cramps and everything was water. I went to the doctor and he told me he thought it was a parasite and put me on antibiotics and tested me. My test didn't show that I had a parasite, but my doctor was pretty dismissive and said it's just part of the healing process. But here's the thing, it never went away.

Over the next 5 years I would go through what I like to refer to as "episodes". I would be fine. Able to eat, normal bowel movements and I would feel normal. Then one day I would wake up and I would feel sick. I would have watery stools and stomach cramps that hurt unbelievably bad. These episodes would last a few weeks, then go away. Sometimes 6 months could go by without me experiencing an episode, sometimes it was only a few weeks between episodes.

In August of 2014 I began having another episode. Except this time it didn't go away. Over the past year I have struggled on a daily basis. I am constantly in pain and every morning when I wake up I am anxious because I don't know how I will feel that day. I am nauseated, my legs hurt, my head hurts, I'm freezing, my stool is all water and food (undigested food), my stomach gurgles, I have intense stomach cramps, the list could go on forever. This is on a daily basis for me. Some days are better, some days are worse, but every single day I experience these symptoms and I can't live my life normally because of it. I have to constantly make sure that I am near a bathroom because I can't hold it if I have to go. I have lost 30 pounds over the last year and I'm now 105. I don't know whats wrong with me...I don't know what to do and I am anxious and depressed because of it.

Anyways, that is a little of what I am going through. I am sorry if some of my descriptions are a little graphic in nature and apologize if I have offended anyone. I am desperate to get answers to my issues. I hate living like this. I figured maybe someone out there might be able to help me figure out if I do indeed have Crohn's or if it might be something else.

Thanks so much in advance!

Cat
 
Izzie, I am flying to Stockholm. I will (eventually) be in Karlstad. Not sure if you have heard of it? It has quite a big university, so chances are that you have. :) I am just stressed about the trains. I may just have to take a long bus ride. I need to look it up again, but I am REALLY going to have to brush up on some more Swedish before I head out. Or at least recap some on the plane. I'm not horrific at Swedish and I know you are all very good at English - but sometimes it's just nice to know the native language. Seeing as I pick up language very quickly, it's quite a good thing to do. Plus, I enjoy learning new languages. :)

Hi KitKatt, welcome to the forum! I'm very sorry to hear what you have gone through. It sounds to me you may need a colonoscopy. Although nobody's symptoms are the same, the watery diarrhoea is usually a sign of microscopic colitis. But, you need to get yourself to the doctor ASAP because you are losing a lot of weight, and you could get a lot worse, and make yourself more ill. I'm sending you big hugs, and fingers crossed for getting an appointment with a GI or doctor once your medical insurance comes through. Please let us know how you get on, and feel free to chat with us here! We are all mostly in the same boat as you!
 
Kelleh, I am with you on anxiety about trains - when I go to Japan, we'll be travelling around on the trains, and it looks so confusing to me. Seriously, my mom bought a book just for navigating the train system in Japan! Eek! You know it's bad when you need a guidebook just for trains! We'll be going from Tokyo to the Mt. Fuji area to Kyoto and then back to Tokyo, so we'll need to figure out the trains for all those areas. It sounds really daunting! I get lost really easily (I have a terrible sense of direction) and I just know I'm going to get on the wrong train. When my family went to Germany years ago, we got on the wrong train there, and my parents both speak some German so it wasn't even like it was a language barrier thing! I don't speak and don't read Japanese so this is going to be challenging for sure as there will definitely be a language barrier. Still, I'd rather take trains than drive in Japan. Now THAT looks scary!

My infusion went well and I'm so glad to be done! My stomach is a little bit unhappy today so I'm resting for now but I'm still planning to go to the gym tomorrow. It was pretty easy to get through - honestly, they've all been pretty easy, just sit in a chair for 2 - 2.5 hours and wait. :p I've been using the time to watch movies on my chromebook (thank goodness for free WiFi). I do get impatient about the time it takes, and the IV machine faked me out yesterday. It beeps when it's finished, but yesterday it beeped too early and I wasn't quite done yet. They had to turn it back on, ugh. I was so ready to get out of there and I had to sit there for 5 minutes longer! But yeah, other than that, it was fine. And I'm just glad it's over with! Now hopefully I can work out like I want to and as often as I want to.

Hi KitKatt, welcome to the forum. One word of advice for you - make a doctor appointment now! Many doctors are booked up for months already, so if you wait until January to make an appointment, you might not get seen until March or April. Seriously, last month I booked both a GP and a GI appointment. At that time, in October, my GP was booking out into January and my GI was booking into February. So do some research into which doctors get good reviews and will accept the insurance that you'll soon have, and make an appointment ASAP!

Also, you don't need to apologize for graphic descriptions. Nothing on the forum is ever TMI and we all go through similar "gross" symptoms. We can talk freely on here about our experiences and symptoms, I promise. :)

Anxiety and depression are both really common with IBD (Crohn's/colitis) so it's completely understandable that you're feeling this way. You mentioned leg pains as well - is it joint pain? Arthritis and/or joint pains are also really common with IBD - I have inflammatory arthritis in both my hips which seems to have been caused by my presumed IBD. Weight loss is also really common. You have a lot of the "red flag" symptoms of IBD and I'm glad you'll be seeing a new doctor soon. Make sure to tell the doctor about all of these symptoms - even the symptoms that aren't directly happening in your digestive tract, they can still be related. If it were me, I'd write down every symptom and show the doctor that list.
 
I generally have a good sense of direction. However, I will be pulling along a silly, big suitcase. Fine, it's on wheels, but I am very ill-tempered when it comes to people and bags/shopping trolleys. :p I have never seen what the Japanese drive like! I know the Swedish are quite unusual to us too. Like, the speed limits are lower. However, if a police car is doing over the speed limit, there will be a long line of cars behind it, doing exactly the same! Now, that was a sight to see!

How dare it fake you out! :p Well, I'm glad you're feeling a bit better! Hopefully your stomach won't give you such a hard time and you will be able to resume your gym journey's tomorrow night! I went last night, and it was a good work out. Bit achy today, but going to play golf tonight, if these gale force winds hold off for a bit longer.
 
The driving in Japan, for one thing it's on the wrong side of the road for me. They drive on the left like you guys in the UK do, but I'm in the US and we drive on the right side. So that by itself sounds daunting, plus the roads all look really narrow and of course driving in Tokyo is probably just insane with traffic, and people seem to drive really fast and kind of crazy in Japan as well. (I read an article saying that the Japanese think that Americans have "really good manners" behind the wheel - um, no, we don't, but if they think that of us then they must be even crazier drivers than we are!) All of that combined means I'm not getting behind the wheel over there! It'll be trains and buses and maybe the occasional taxi for me. And walking and bicycling of course too!

We've got really high winds here lately too! And a lot of rain also. No snow so far, but now they're saying maybe snow on Friday night here. Brr! I wish the weather would stay reasonably warm for a bit longer! I'm not ready for snow yet!
 
Oh, that would be awesome for me then. I wouldn't mind driving on the left side. The right side seems daunting to me. When I was in Belgium, I tried sitting behind my cousin and imagining I was driving myself. Didn't work. Also, nobody else seems to have roundabouts like us - which I guess is a plus! If I was on the right side going around one, I'd end up going round the wrong way! Cycling sounds the safest option - and train of course. Just don't use their underground/metro/whatever they call it. ;)

Snow is meant to hit some parts of the UK on Saturday, but probably not a lot. There's some in Sweden on Saturday too. Excited is an understatement. :)
 
Ugh, we've gotten more and more roundabouts here in the US (or at least in my state we have) and I seriously dislike them. Sometimes I'll be like, I want to go to the good chocolate shop... but I have to drive through 3 roundabouts to get there. Ugh, nevermind, I'll stay home and not have chocolate. :p (Okay, so I never do that because chocolate always wins, but the roundabouts are seriously annoying!)

Ha ha, you can't drive on the right and I can't drive on the left - together we'd make a good team on a road trip! ;) I'm sure if I tried, I'd eventually get used to driving on the left, unless it was a stick shift. I don't think I could get my brain to wrap around manually shifting in essentially the opposite way from what I'm used to! That just sounds too confusing for me.
 
kellehbeans said:
Izzie, I am flying to Stockholm. I will (eventually) be in Karlstad. Not sure if you have heard of it? It has quite a big university, so chances are that you have. :) I am just stressed about the trains. I may just have to take a long bus ride. I need to look it up again, but I am REALLY going to have to brush up on some more Swedish before I head out. Or at least recap some on the plane. I'm not horrific at Swedish and I know you are all very good at English - but sometimes it's just nice to know the native language. Seeing as I pick up language very quickly, it's quite a good thing to do. Plus, I enjoy learning new languages. :)

Hi KitKatt, welcome to the forum! I'm very sorry to hear what you have gone through. It sounds to me you may need a colonoscopy. Although nobody's symptoms are the same, the watery diarrhoea is usually a sign of microscopic colitis. But, you need to get yourself to the doctor ASAP because you are losing a lot of weight, and you could get a lot worse, and make yourself more ill. I'm sending you big hugs, and fingers crossed for getting an appointment with a GI or doctor once your medical insurance comes through. Please let us know how you get on, and feel free to chat with us here! We are all mostly in the same boat as you!
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Not only have I heard of it, but I've been there! It's nice for a small town.

I'm soooo stoked to be moving in a few weeks. I feel like I have a greater awareness of my symptoms and triggers now which means a) I can keep everything under some kind of control myself and b) I'll be able to better describe it to a new doctor.

It's funny, if I take too long between pills - forget my evening dose or just delay it for some reason, I start belching like craaazy. It's strange that the belching is my primary symptom at first. I don't feel much of a burning sensation in my chest/throat, just the belching, and then if I don't do anything about it in time, the pain in my rib area starts, and then the burning/sore throat follows...

I feel fairly calm about everything now since it so obviously is being helped by PPIs (even if I don't think it's helping enough).
 
Cat - At least they keep the traffic flowing! Unless you're English. People seem to forget who they give way to. Sometimes you have stand-offs where everybody just sits there like 'is it my right of way?' and you end up yelling 'SOMEBODY JUST GO!!'. At least if we had a road trip together, we could swap driver to the appropriate side of the road driving. ;) Do you drive a manual or automatic? I know American's are very big of producing automatic cars.

Izzie - It is a lovely place! The lakes hadn't quite frozen over when I got there last year, so no ice-skating. Only in one park, where I watched some kid fall over while my friend got a photo of me standing next to it.. I do love Karlstad. I need to stop procrastinating and actually find my route and work out what on earth I am doing. Otherwise I am going to be standing in Stockholm like, 'huh?', scratching my head like a monkey...

That's great to know you've learned your triggers! I think the burping may be a warning, so maybe not such a weird thing? When do you move again?
 
Izzie, belching is my first symptom as well! Particularly when I'm in the gym. My GERD just hates it when I exercise, and often I'll start belching halfway through or towards the end of my workout. I know when the belching starts that the vurps aren't far behind, so that's my early warning signal to wrap up my workout soon.

On the plus side, particularly when I go to the big paid membership gym, I sometimes get unwanted attention from guys. Letting a few belches fly in their direction is usually enough to get them to stop, ha ha! So I don't always mind having the burps because at least it makes the creeps leave me alone. :p

Kelleh, my current car is an automatic, but my previous car was manual so I know how to drive manual. It's true that a large majority of cars here in the US are automatic, and it seems like a big percentage of the population here can't drive a manual - you sort of have to seek out a manual car if that's what you want. Sometimes people here are really impressed that I am a girl who can drive a manual, as apparently that's not common! I found it pretty easy to learn. I was in college when I learned to drive a manual transmission car - I was looking to buy a car, and my dad's co-worker was selling one that I was interested in. It was a manual, and my dad's co-worker said she'd teach me to drive it. So she taught me and I bought it.

Oh, Kelleh, you're going to be so jealous of me. I just checked the weather forecast, and now it's saying that we're going to get 5 to 8 inches of snow here on Friday night! And another 1 to 3 inches on Saturday! Eek! I'm not super happy about that. I think I mentioned, I have to go and watch a football game and sit in an open-air stadium on Saturday. It's going to be so cold! And seriously, if it snows that much, the roads are going to be dangerous. The first significant snowfall of the year, it's like everyone has forgotten how to drive on snow and there is always a ton of car accidents. So I'm really not looking forward to it. I would love to stay home and curl up in a blanket all weekend, but I already promised I'd go to the football game, and it is going to be a good game. Just ugh, though. I wish I could send all the snow over to you!

How's everybody doing today? I'm good, I think I'm mostly recovered from my iron infusion so hopefully things should be okay for awhile. I seem to be mostly over the cold I caught last week, too. I'm going to go to the gym today, looking forward to that. Still working on my efforts to eat healthier, too. We're having spaghetti squash for dinner tonight, hubby is trying to cut carbs to lose a bit of weight so we've been doing spaghetti squash in place of pasta and tortillas in place of bread. So far so good! :) I'm trying to eat more iron-rich foods as well, to try to keep my iron levels from dropping again. We had some chicken livers with dinner last night (not delicious, but full of iron) and I've got a few leftover livers packed in my lunch today too.
 
I dislike driving automatics, I keep forgetting to basically chop my left foot off, and I end up braking harshly. But, I pick it up soon enough, but just not comfortable. I prefer my manual, it's so much more fun! That is quite weird that you find it weird to not know somebody that drives a manual - especially a female! I'm not surprised that not many people in the U.S know how to drive a manual though. Even the American import cars we get here, like the Mustang, are all automatic.

I am not jealous, only because there is a massive warning for the West of Sweden and snowfall (when I'm over there!). In fact, I am extremely excited to just jump in it and then send a photo to everybody from my workplace in the UK to make them jealous as all we seem to have is rain and wind at the moment (and usually!) I'm sure you'll have fun at the football game!

That sounds good. Let us know if you get to the gym! Sounds the iron was a massive downer on your energy levels! Chicken livers does sound absolutely awful though. Not going to lie. Yuck! I don't envy you there! So glad you're feeling better. I'm feeling a little low today, as well as stressed. My antidepressants seem to make me binge, and of course sends me into a spiral of self-hatred and ugh, the list could go on. On the stomach side, I can report I have barely had any pain for quite some time now. Just the toilet issues I say about almost every day. I am upping the packs of Laxido and Fybogel to 2 a day now, at least until Saturday! I just want it to form and stop making me go so much, and hopefully these will aid this!
 
Driving a manual is more fun for sure. And yeah, it seems to be mostly Japanese cars here that are manual! My brother has been through 2 manual Hondas. There are, or at least were, American brands that were still making manuals for awhile - my college car was a Dodge, which is an American brand, and it was a manual. Although that car was I think a 1991 model year so this was a long time ago, and I don't know if any modern American cars still come with manual transmissions! I've been driving my current car, my 2001 Toyota, for quite awhile now. It's an automatic and I've gotten used to it, but sometimes I do miss driving a manual.

It's currently windy and rainy here as well. I hate when it's rainy, because then I can't walk my dog nor do any yard work. My yard is full of leaves that need to be raked up, and my poor dog is getting cabin fever. So even snow would be preferable to this! Because at least I can walk the dog in snow (she loves snow but hates rain).

Do you think the bingeing is affecting your toilet issues? I know that when I over-eat, it definitely makes my guts unhappy. I'm really trying to eat smaller portions - both to help myself lose a few lbs and to keep my guts happier. I'm not doing so well with that, though. I eat a small portion, then an hour later I scarf down some snacks because I'm starving. :p Oops. No wonder I haven't lost any weight! Ugh.
 
Do any of you have ideas/tips for quitting caffeine. I had coffee this evening and now everything is a burning hell. I usually do avoid coffee, but I still drink 5+ cups of black caffeinated tea every day which cannot be healthy for the GERD either, I think.

I've tried replacing it with chamomille but that gives me even worse reflux, to be honest. If I could find a replacement hot drink I think I could manage but so far no luck. Are there any herbal teas that are good for reflux?
 
Izzie, honestly, I don't know of any herbal teas that are good for reflux. Peppermint is horrible and will contribute to reflux, and ginger & chamomile teas always just make me feel rather bloated. My hubby got another kidney stone recently and he stopped drinking tea as he felt like that might have been a contributing factor, so I stopped drinking tea as well out of solidarity. And I felt better not drinking tea, I'm noticeably less bloated. So, in my experience, it's been best to just cut out all tea.

And as for quitting caffeine, I had to go cold turkey. When this IBD or whatever first came along, I started getting migraines, and caffeine is definitely a migraine trigger for me. So I quit - no soda, no coffee, I was only doing herbal tea and now I don't even do those anymore. I mainly just have water. If I need a warm drink on a cold day, I'll have a hot chocolate, but yesterday I had one of those and it seemed to set off my reflux too. Sooo, yeah. I guess I'll be having soup broth if I need to drink something warm now. I realize that's not an ideal answer at all, but that's what my experience has been.
 
Cat-a-Tonic said:
Izzie, honestly, I don't know of any herbal teas that are good for reflux. Peppermint is horrible and will contribute to reflux, and ginger & chamomile teas always just make me feel rather bloated. My hubby got another kidney stone recently and he stopped drinking tea as he felt like that might have been a contributing factor, so I stopped drinking tea as well out of solidarity. And I felt better not drinking tea, I'm noticeably less bloated. So, in my experience, it's been best to just cut out all tea.

And as for quitting caffeine, I had to go cold turkey. When this IBD or whatever first came along, I started getting migraines, and caffeine is definitely a migraine trigger for me. So I quit - no soda, no coffee, I was only doing herbal tea and now I don't even do those anymore. I mainly just have water. If I need a warm drink on a cold day, I'll have a hot chocolate, but yesterday I had one of those and it seemed to set off my reflux too. Sooo, yeah. I guess I'll be having soup broth if I need to drink something warm now. I realize that's not an ideal answer at all, but that's what my experience has been.
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Honesty is the best policy. The only thing I can think of that MIGHT not set everything off is like... honey water or something. I should probably try and just quit, or at least cut waaaaay down. I do think actually that my tea consumption is part of the reason my iron levels are still bad. I haven't noticed any bleeding in over a month, and I don't think I've had any - everything is still the same, no sudden drops or anything.

But drinking tea after pretty much every meal is probably not doing my iron intake any favors. It's my one vice that I actually think I'll have real trouble letting go of.
 
Honey water or maybe fruit water - I've read some things lately about people "infusing" their water with fruit (basically, you put some fruit in water and then drink the water :p ). It might just be a trendy thing, but it could be helpful in theory - some of the vitamins from the fruit, plus the nice flavor, could make the water more beneficial and tasty.

How bad are your iron levels? Are you experiencing a lot of fatigue/exhaustion? I was definitely exhausted when my iron was down, before I had the iron infusions recently. My iron was at 43 when it was tested in June, and I was still able to exercise regularly then, but by October it had dropped down to 30 and at that point I was not able to exercise. I don't know what my level is now - have to wait at least a month for the full effect of the infusions. I see my GP in January anyway, so I'll have him test it then and see where I'm at. But anyway, if you are having a lot of issues with keeping your iron levels up and are experiencing anything like exhaustion or dizziness/light-headedness, you might want to see about having iron infusions too. They've made a huuuuuge difference for me! I feel like a human again and not like a zombie.

Speaking of working out, I made it to the gym today and felt really good. I only had one belch, right at the end as I was stretching, and no other reflux issues. Definitely a successful workout. :)
 
KitKatt welcome to the forum. Please post on any of the sections if you have specific questions, even if you are undiagnosed.

I really support Cat-a-Tonics advice to you about researching a suitable doctor, booking an appointment, and writing everything down.

Your story sounds so similar to mine. Please keep your head up and fight through! I understand that to be ill every day is very hard work, especially if you are losing so much weight that you probably do not have the strength to do things even if you wanted to. When my weight went down so much I was also cold all the time (even though I had a fever), and I was also bruising alot. I also got the joint pains and to this day I don't know if it was connected with the intestinal problems or with the weight loss.

I am interested to know if you think that any particular foods or drinks make you feel worse?

One thing that really helped me - before I started getting medicines, although I am not officially diagnosed yet - was changes in my diet. On this forum you can see the diet is different for everyone so it takes a long time to work out was is good for you and what is not good for you. In my case cutting out gluten/wheat products, dairy, sugar, high fibre, caffeine and taking a probiotic helped me to start feeling better. It might seem radical but my doctor now has advised me to stick to it because she thinks that in about half of Crohns cases the right diet is very important.

I think the general idea is that if your intestines are inflamed or irritated, then they need a rest. Fibre can act as sandpaper and rub the areas that are already sensitive. Keep to simple foods that are easy to digest. If you can. People say rice or potatoes, fish or chicken (but not greasy or oily), perhaps some simple root vegetables.

Try not to put too much pressure on yourself and also try to conserve your energy. Someone has put a link to the spoon theory on this site, and you will probably recognise yourself in that story - and it helps explain how you are feeling to other people too.

Which reminds me, I hope you have some emotional and practical support where you live? Otherwise, and in addition, this forum is here to help you too.

Good luch and keep in touch.
 
Cat-a-Tonic and kellehbeans I am enjoying your conversations! Sweden and Japan, sounds fantastic. Two countries that like their raw fish.

The conversation about roundabouts: Cat-a-Tonic, look up the magic roundabout in Swindon and imagine doing your driving test there.

Right, it's bed time for me, my favourite part of the day (night)!
 
buttER, yes, I'm going to Japan in the spring and it's going to be wonderful! I'm going to see the cherry blossoms! And I love sushi, it's very easy on my tummy, so I'm very excited about the food in Japan as well. Also, I've heard that the toilets there are amazing - heated bidets and air dryers for "down there" and all sorts of fancy technological stuff that we don't have on toilets here. I think it'll be an amazing trip. I can't wait!

And Kelleh is going to Sweden this weekend, right? And she's going to play in the snow there, and I'll be here grumbling in the snow that we're supposed to get. :p The forecast is crazy, we're definitely getting snow Friday night/Saturday, but they have no idea how much. It depends on which way the storm tracks and they just can't seem to tell which way it's going to go. So current forecasts have us getting anywhere from 0.5 inch to 12 inches of snow! It'll be interesting to see how much we get, I hope it's a little and not a lot! Or I'll have to add shoveling to my list of weekend chores, eek!

I will look up that roundabout when I get home to my other computer! I'm just wrapping up my workday (it's just past 5 PM here) and I don't have access to youtube on this computer, but I'll look for that on my home computer. I'm guessing it's pretty crazy! I actually did my drivers test during a snowstorm and the driving conditions were horrible, but I still managed to pass on the first try, but then again I didn't have to go through any roundabouts during my drivers test! ;)
 
Welcome, KitKatt. There seem to be a lot of us with cat-based screennames around here. :)

Update on my situation: I will be undergoing tests to see if I have any fistulas, since I keep having symptoms. The past few weeks have been a little rough. My constipation remains pretty severe--tonight I'm actually going to have to take some colonoscopy prep just to get cleared out. (Yuck.)

Kind of a gross question: It's not normal to find urine when you wipe your butt, right? I've been experiencing that for a while, and I really can't recall whether that ever happened before I got sick. I never paid all that much attention to my bodily functions before.
 
@Cat - No, I probably am not binging enough to cause my stomach to be so irritating. I have to admit, I only had a twinge yesterday, and I can't remember the last time I actually had a stomach ache. Probably about a week and a half ago now? Maybe the Venlafaxine is actually doing something. I know that causes constipation, but seriously? I'm eating prunes daily, I'm taking 2 x Fybogel and 2 x Laxido and 35-50g of fibre a day! The going is not an issue, it's just the hard, pellet-stool. It's pretty annoying. I'm obviously eating something that doesn't agree with me. I really need these food intolerances ruled out. I may have to just do the elimination diet completely after Christmas. Retry it, as I struggled before.

I have a Japanese car! I prefer my German, but I am in love with my Honda. So he has a good choice there! I am surprised at the Dodge being manual though! I'm guessing newer cars are just made automatic.

Butter - THAT MAGIC ROUNDABOUT IS HELL! It looks so funny on the road signs too. It's like, woah, how on earth.. and what on earth do I give way to! Seeing as you are from the Netherlands, I can imagine you have come over to visit and one of the places was Swindon? That's only 2 motorway junctions away from me. It has a fab designer outlet!

EDIT: Sweden on Saturday - eek! I've kinda worked out what I am doing when I am waiting for the fast train too! Luggage lockers it is, and a little wander around Stockholm it is. :)
 
CatLady, no, definitely not normal. I have poo'ed very watery stools that felt sort of like peeing out my butt, but never actual urine. And it sounds like you're so constipated that watery stools are not something that you're experiencing! I'm glad you're getting checked out. What tests will you be having done? Keep us posted!

Kelleh, yeah, Japanese cars are the best! My Toyota was built in Japan and it's the best little car (many Toyotas in the US are built in either California or Canada, it's hard to find one that was actually built in Japan, but from what I've read, the ones built in Japan are superior quality to the ones built over here). My car is about 15 years old, 190,000 miles on the odometer, and still going strong. My brother's 1998 Honda was basically held together with duct tape but still running when he got rid of it recently, and he just bought a 1999 Honda to replace it. :p He says he's saving for a Tesla, so he's just going to have cheap older Hondas until he can get his Tesla. It's funny, when I was younger, everyone in my family was driving Chrysler and Dodge vehicles. Then we all sort of realized at once that Japanese cars are much better, and now we all drive Toyotas and Hondas. :p My dad was the last holdout, he just bought my grandpa's 2010 Toyota and got rid of his Chrysler van.

Doing an elimination diet is really tough! If you try it, I wish you a lot of luck and I hope you can figure out some food triggers or sensitivities. You've been diagnosed with fructose sensitivity, right? That's got to be a really tricky one since fructose is in so many foods (pretty much every processed food ever, right?). Have fun in Sweden! We have a winter storm watch in effect for here now as well, so I'll be interested to see how much snow you get in Sweden and how much snow we get here! Current forecast for here is saying 4 to 7 inches of snow expected, yuck.

How's everyone today? I'm okay - guts are ever so slightly unhappy. It's only noticeable if I move or flex my abdominal muscles in certain ways. Hopefully there's either just a tiny patch of unhappiness in there or maybe my guts are working through a chunk of food they don't like? I don't know. I'm okay other than that one bit of weirdness going on inside.
 
Wow, that's quite good going on the old mileage! I bought mine at 25k. It's now at 42k. I've had it 18 months. :p The joys of my boyfriend living so far away, and my friends all over the place! Plus, I absolutely driving, so it doesn't actually matter to me! My dad has a Volvo, Swedish! It's a lovely car, but the Swede's really do love them! When I first arrived in Sweden last year, that's all I could see. I was chuckling because the stereotype was so real. That, and Saab.

I only managed it 2 weeks, and then I failed at it. I think my eating disorder had got a hold of me again, or at least stopped me from doing it. This time I am serious. Well, they say I have a fructose malabsorption problem, but I haven't had the breath test, so I really want that done.

It's still snowing in Sweden! My friend sent me some photos. It looks like English snow at the moment, but it'll be better come Saturday I reckon! SO excited. Expect some photos of me in the snow over Facebook! Haha! I heard Colorado got about 7 inches snow last night. But, good luck! I hope it holds off for you for the football match!

I'm alright. I actually had KFC today. :p Still the same old with the toilet trips and same consistency. But, other than that, no pain, so I can't complain really. Have you eaten anything odd recently that may have caused you that pain?
 
It's funny how you see a large concentration of a particular type of car in certain areas, like you said with the Volvos in Sweden. When I was a teenager, my family went on a trip up to Alasaka. At least 50% of the cars on the road up there (at least at that time) were Subarus! Which makes sense, since all Subarus have all-wheel drive. They need all-wheel drive with that much snow! But it was weird, I've never seen that many Subarus in one place. It was literally just Subaru after Subaru. :p

The only thing I can think of that I've eaten that might have set me off was, I had spaghetti squash for dinner yesterday and I added some sauteed mushrooms and onions to it. It was the 2nd day in a row that I had onions, and sometimes that gets to me a little bit when I have onion multiple days in a row. And sometimes mushrooms don't break down very well, although it seems to depend on the type of mushroom. This was a type of mushroom that's usually safe, so who knows. Maybe it was the combo of onions and mushrooms. Other than that, I didn't eat anything iffy. Hopefully it's just my body working through the mushrooms and onions.
 
There's quite a lot of 4-wheel drive Volvo's, so that also makes sense. What I find weird is they all have estate cars in Sweden. That or saloons. Not large 4x4's, which would make sense. People in England have those and things like Range Rover's to do school runs. We barely get any snow. It makes no sense. It's like a fashion statement. Stupidly big cars with people behind the wheel that have no idea how to drive.

I think onions may be your culprit! Looks like you may need to do a small elimination diet in terms of vegetables! Vegetables can be evil. I find fruit more evil though. Good thing I'm not a big fan. Vegetables however, love them.

Let's hope you feel better soon!
 
People do the same thing here in the US, drive monstrously gigantic vehicles when they don't really need to. Yes, we get a fair amount of snow here in the winters, but I drive a very small car (Toyota Echo) and it's been fine in the snow. It's not the best car for snow perhaps, but I can get to work and home again in the snow without issue. I certainly don't need nor want a gigantic vehicle - I really like my tiny car, it's zippy and very maneuverable and I can park it even in the tightest of parking spaces.

It's funny, the people who I know who drive really huge vehicles, they're all very tiny people. :p My friend just bought a big Chevy SUV to haul her kids around in, but she only has 3 kids so really a regular car would be fine. And my friend is only 4'10" so she looks a bit silly being so tiny and driving such a huge car! My mother-in-law is another one, she's something like 5'1" so also very tiny and she also drives a large SUV (for absolutely no reason since her kids are grown, she's not hauling anything and she's usually alone in her vehicle). I don't get it!
 
Just a quick me update -- a different body part has taken up front stage over the bowels!

For the past week I've had a racing heart, chest pain, and shortness of breath when ever I do pretty much anything other than sit around. Been to ED twice and heart looks fine then. Been to endo, and my thyroid is normal. Been to GP who decided I have anxiety, but the Ativan she gave me isn't slowing anything down. So now I'm off to my Cardiologist to get fitted with a 24hr Holter monitor. Fun times!
 
Oh my goodness, Wildmtn, I hope you're okay! Good luck with the 24 hour monitor, let us know how it goes. Hopefully it's something relatively minor and easily treated.
 
When I had B vitamin deficiency (B12 +?), I had a racing, pounding heartbeat along with anxiety, fatigue and some shakiness. You could try a sublingual (under-the-tongue) liquid B complex vitamin formulation. You know within an hour if it makes a difference.
 
SN8888, I had a vitamin B6 and maybe B12 deficiency for a little while, but fortunately I didn't get heart symptoms. My main symptom was that my lips went crazy - all morning long they'd be swollen and painful, then in the afternoons the skin on my lips would peel but fortunately the pain would go down so I'd just be gross instead of in pain. :p Every day was like that for a little while, it was odd and not fun. After some consulting of the forum, I started supplementing B6 which helped a lot, and I added B12 just to be safe - haven't had any lip issues since and my B vitamin levels are good on my latest bloodwork.

I agree that it'd be good for Wildmtn to get her vitamin levels checked, though. Vitamin deficiencies can cause some weird and unpleasant or even scary symptoms. And if the answer is a deficiency, it should be easily treated with supplementing.
 
kellehbeans said:
Butter - THAT MAGIC ROUNDABOUT IS HELL! It looks so funny on the road signs too. It's like, woah, how on earth.. and what on earth do I give way to! Seeing as you are from the Netherlands, I can imagine you have come over to visit and one of the places was Swindon? That's only 2 motorway junctions away from me. It has a fab designer outlet!
Click to expand...

Kellehbeans I grew up in Gloucestershire, took my driving test in Swindon, hence my initimate knowledge of the magic roundabout. I'd be in trouble now though, I havent lived in the UK for 15 years and get very confused with the driving on the left. I get stressed just crossing the road.
 
So I googled that "magic" roundabout. Um, yikes! Definitely nothing magic about that, it looks horrible! Also, why are people in the roundabout yielding to others? We just have "basic" (not magic) roundabouts here, but once you're in the roundabout then you have the right of way and people waiting to enter the roundabout have to yield to you. Is that not how it works in the UK?

How's everybody today? I'm okay. Fortunately I didn't end up going to the football game, which is a good thing. We got I think about 6 inches of snow Friday night/Sat morning and the roads were terrible, very slippery. I was supposed to go to the game with my boss, but she lives about an hour south of here, and in her area they got 12 inches of snow! So she was not driving up in that and I don't blame her. It was just a very yucky day and I was glad to stay in. I did go to the gym on Sunday (the roads were cleared off by then, fortunately). Had a good workout. My appetite has been a bit low lately, which is odd. Up until recently I'd been starving all the time, but I think it was because of the iron deficiency - I was so exhausted from low iron that my body apparently wanted to try to make up the difference in food energy, or something like that? Now that I have enough iron, I really am finding I don't need to eat so much. I forgot to eat dinner last night! It just never occurred to me, I just wasn't hungry. I'm hoping this is okay - having a low appetite is a flare symptom for me so it's a bit disconcerting, but I think it's okay. I don't feel like I'm flaring, I feel like I'm in remission. So it's just a bit weird! Today though I'm starving (probably because I didn't eat dinner last night!). Guess I just have to pay a bit more attention to not only what I'm eating, but how much and when I'm eating.
 
My friend used to live near that roundabout but I refused to ever visit him. There's no way I'm going to attempt that! In the UK I'm sure it's the same in terms of yielding. Unless you're the guy who decided to just drive through the side of my car as I was going round a roundabout last year.

But we have the politeness issue where if you have various people arriving at the roundabout at the same time then you get the whole "After you my dear" "Oh no, after you" and then I come along and just go "MOVE IT!" (obviously in a completely safe way and always giving way to any cars on the right).
 

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