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Undiagnosed, could it be Crohn's?

Beginning a few months ago, I started getting some abdominal discomfort and minor bloating - this was after taking plan b, and subsequently going through some unparalleled, major pregnancy scare-related combined with final exams induced stress for a couple months. After ruling out pregnancy through blood tests, I began to notice that I was getting more trapped gas and bloating, even after just waking up in the morning. BMs were still pretty normal, then a month ago I began having on and off diarrhea and was suffering from a lot of anxiety as a result (Or maybe the D was caused by anxiety?). The bloating got worse, especially after eating, and in the evenings it was so bad I would look about 4 months pregnant.
I went to my GP for a CBC blood test, which showed that I was borderline anemic, although I have had it for a while now (and I don't know if it could be genetic, since my mom has it as well), and everything else was normal (thyroid, WBC, etc.). I was concerned about the symptoms not going away so I went to see a GI doc, who told me it was just diet and stress, and had me try a probiotic. I've been taking Align probiotic for about two weeks now and it's helped the bloating a bit, and my BM's are better than before, but I now occasionally get aches in my lower abdomen and in what feels like parts of my large intestine. The bloating is better, but still there and is only somewhat relieved after passing stool. The other day I noticed that there was a small amount of dark red blood on the side of a BM and freaked out that it could be crohn's or UC or cancer. I don't know what else could be causing the bleeding and I'm so concerned that it's more than just what the doctors are telling me. I haven't been losing a lot of weight or experiencing other symptoms but I feel like these are enough to point to crohn's. I had an abdominal and pelvic ultrasound, which was normal, and I'm still waiting on results of a blood test for inflammatory markers. I have a small bowel MRI scheduled for next week, but it's so nerve-wracking not knowing what's going on :confused2:
I feel like all these doctor's visits aren't helping much and I just want a diagnosis as soon as possible. I'm really scared for what it might be, and I know this isn't a doctor's office I'm just hoping for some advice or input on what this sounds like and what to be prepared for :eek2:
 
Bright red blood in your BM could be hemorrhoids. Good thing you are getting an MRI to get more conclusive answers. Could be IBD or just IBS. The tests will tell you more, don't let it stress you out too much.
 

Trysha

Moderator
Staff member
Blood in the stool is always a concern and should be reported to the GI right away.
You describe it as being dark red which may not quite fit with hemoroids
Best not to play at guessing games ...report it to your docs.without delay....if only for peace of mind.
Have you had a colonoscopy?
It is a valuable tool in the diagnosis of IBD.
You have been going through a very stressful time academically and this can produce symptoms of its own.many illnesses can be stress related.it can also exacerbate existing illness.it is for the docs to sort through it..and they have started with your investigations
This does not tell your whole story though
You should not be bleeding and there should be no delay in reporting this.
A person diagnosing oneself has a fool for a doctor...
A diagnosis of Crohns can be a lengthy one at times.
Hang in there and do keep in touch with your docs
As you may know we are all patients like you and can only relate our experiences with you
We are not doctors and cannot give advice....but we can relate according to our own experiences.
Feel better soon
Hugs
Trysha
 
Just thought I'd give an update, I went for a blood test including inflammatory markers and CBC as well as an MRE w/contrast, all of which came back completely normal. My doc says it's probably just stressed-induced IBS.
 
So it turns out after looking more comprehensively into my bloodwork, I had a positive result for gASCA -- 65 units, the cutoff was 50 units. I called in and they said the doc wanted to do a gastric emptying study, but now I'm just very confused. My MRE came back normal, and all other markers for blood came back normal. What are the chances of having crohn's with just one elevated marker for IGg?
 
I only got diagnosed with an endoscopy and colonoscopy and biopsies taken. Its really not as bad as you think it is. You pretty much feel nothing.
 

my little penguin

Moderator
Staff member
Gastroparesis is determined by a gastric emptying scan
The gastric emptying study is done to see how fast solid food or liquid food empties from the stomach
The typical standard is you should not have more than 10% of the meal left in your stomach after 4 hours
Tagging maya142
 

Maya142

Moderator
Staff member
Have you had an endoscopy and colonoscopy? It doesn't seem like you have from your post but maybe I missed it.

It could also be Gastroparesis. Gastroparesis or delayed gastric emptying tends to cause nausea, bloating, abdominal discomfort and abdominal pain after eating. Weight loss and fullness after eating just a little (a few bites) are common.

The test used to diagnose it is a gastric emptying scan. It's a fairly easy test - you eat a small meal (eggs usually) with a radioactive tracer in them and then they takes pictures of your belly every so often for four hours to see how it empties out of your stomach. If you have more than 10% of the meal left in your stomach, you have Gastroparesis.
 
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