Urgent referral for ct scan

[skittle]

Hey guys. I'm in the process of getting diagnosed. I finally saw the gastroenterologist last week and he's ordered an urgent ct scan of my pelvis, abdomen and chest which I'm having in 2 days. He's also ordered a colonoscopy which is booked for Dec 30th.
As well as those, he's ordered a barium swallow.

Is this routine if they're looking for IBD or more for suspected cancer? Everything I've read points me to bowel cancer. I'm worried naturally, but will deal with whatever it is so please be straight up with your knowledge and experience and don't sugar coat your answer! Lol

Thank you.

FYI, I'm 32 year old female. I have celiac but adhere to a strict gf diet. For the past year I've had altered bowel habits and I habe been having episodes of severe pain in my abdomen but cannot pinpoint where. I often vomit with the pain. I have drenching night sweats every night. My bloods are fine except my iron and my calprotectin came back at 472. No bleeding. I have brain fog and headaches, lack of appetite, lost weight without trying. Extremely tired.

 

[Jabee]

Please don't worry to much about what your GI will find. Twice in my life my physicians have themselves suspected I had cancer, once in my throat and then intestinal lymphoma. In both cases they kept their suspicions to themselves and only told me after biopsies were negative. In some ways the internet can be a curse; we can find so much but often don't have the knowledge or experience to give ourselves an actual diagnosis.

Your symptoms sound like you could have an IBD, but you could also have refractory celiac disease as well as some other enteropathy. I also have celiac disease, and when my symptoms first appeared my doctors rushed me into an upper GI series, a CT scan, and an endoscopy. When my crohn's is active I get severe pain and similar awful night sweats (as well as other unpleasant symptoms). It's good that you are having all the tests; sometimes it takes lots of imaging to diagnose intestinal diseases. Your doctor is being really thorough. I'm sorry you have to go through all this.

 

[ronroush7]

I don't know for sure but you could have IBD.

 

[skittle]

Please don't worry to much about what your GI will find. Twice in my life my physicians have themselves suspected I had cancer, once in my throats and then intestinal lymphoma. In both cases they kept their suspicions to themselves and only told me after biopsies were negative. In some ways the internet can be a curse; we can find so much but often don't have the knowledge or experience to give ourselves an actual diagnosis.

Your symptoms sound like you could have an IBD, but you could also have refractory celiac disease as well as some other enteropathy. I also have celiac disease, and when my symptoms first appeared my doctors rushed me into an upper GI series, a CT scan, and an endoscopy. When my crohn's is active I get severe pain and similar awful night sweats (as well as other unpleasant symptoms). It's good that you are having all the tests; sometimes it takes lots of imaging to diagnose intestinal diseases. Your doctor is being really thorough. I'm sorry you have to go through all this.

Thank you.I'm a 'mind wanderer' so I always think the worst lol but I also want to be prepared so I'm not shocked if they DO tell me the worst!

 

[Lizzie]

In the UK an urgent referral within two weeks would almost definitely be for suspected cancer, but I have no idea about New Zealand. Yes, it is incredibly scary, and I've experienced the sheer terror myself (especially on being told there was a "mass" in my abdomen, as well as bleeding, a classic sign of cancer of course). However, my diagnosis turned out to be ulcerative colitis. More recently, I had to have a CT scan due to violent abdominal pain, nausea and weight loss. The nurse told me they suspected cancer, but thankfully it turned out to be Crohns, well not thankfully, but you know what I mean. So you do have to be realistic and nobody can tell you it's not cancer at this stage, but hopefully it won't be. I'm trying to remember some statistics regarding urgent bowel cancer referral outcomes that I read at the time of my cancer scare - I think it was something like one in five turned out to have it, meaning the majority didn't. I no longer remember the precise details, I'm afraid. Best wishes for the least bad outcome.

 

[skittle]

Thank you for your replies.

Well I had the ct scan, the report says the doctor suspected lymphoma. Thankfully it isn't. I do however have inflammation of the terminal ileum and intense thickening of the mucosal wall.
I'm booked to have a colonoscopy and gastroscopy on Dec 30th so guess we will see.

 

[ronroush7]

Thank you for your replies.

Well I had the ct scan, the report says the doctor suspected lymphoma. Thankfully it isn't. I do however have inflammation of the terminal ileum and intense thickening of the mucosal wall.
I'm booked to have a colonoscopy and gastroscopy on Dec 30th so guess we will see.

Wish you the best.

 

[DEmberton]

Thank you for your replies.

Well I had the ct scan, the report says the doctor suspected lymphoma. Thankfully it isn't. I do however have inflammation of the terminal ileum and intense thickening of the mucosal wall.

I was also referred as suspected cancer, but the ultrasound and colonoscopy didn't show any signs and so they reverted to their more normal leisurely pace and eventually diagnosed me after a CT scan, which showed exactly the same as above.

Good luck.

 

[Jabee]

I'm glad to hear you don't have lymphoma; crohn's isn't pleasant, but it isn't cancer. Good luck with the colonoscopy and gastroscopy.

 

[skittle]

Thank you for all your replies.do my results sound indicative of crohns or could it still be something else?

 

[ronroush7]

It is hard to say but I would say maybe some form of IBD. Let us know what the doctor says.

 

[skittle]

Thanks. I will. If it isn't IBD, what else could it be?

 

[Jabee]

Very broadly speaking, the differential diagnosis for enterocolitis is infectious or inflammatory, and I emphasize the "broadly" part.