I know most of you are not medical professionals but since many of you have at least one form of IBD I just wanted your opinion if you could give it to me.
For about the last 6 years or so I have been experiencing these symptoms:
1.) First week of March 2007 (when I was 26 years old) I had a very bloody bowel movement after eating Brussels sprouts, which I used to eat all the time with no problem. And when I say "bloody" I mean the bowl was FULL of blood. My stools were still quite solid but all blood red. Immediately following in the days ahead I started losing a lot of weight, turning pale, and just feeling overall sick and tired. I eventually went to the Dr. and he did a sigmoidoscopy but said he only found hemorrhoids. I decided to stop eating Brussels sprouts and I have not an attack like that since. However.....
2.) I get frequent bouts of diarrhea. Not like everyday, but especially after eating really greasy/fatty foods...foods that I used to tolerate very well before that initial attack. I really have to pay attention to my diet now or I will be sick.
3.) My abdomen is bloated and it became that way after the first attack. It has never subsided. I also get frequent but tolerable pains. Also my stomach makes a lot of strange and ominous noises that were few and far between before that first attack.
4.) And this one really makes me think it is Crohn's - my anus is really swollen. I can tell when I use the bathroom.
Extraintestinal symptoms:
1.) Every now and then one or two of my knuckles will become red and inflamed. That has been happening to me since I was 18. Also every now and then one of my knees will be very stiff and painful to move. That has been happening to me since I was a little kid.
2.) Kidney stones - I've passed a few of them right around and just before the first attack and one more since. I have some urinary issues too like suddenly having to go urgently and/or frequently.
3.) It seems like since that first attack my blood does not circulate the way it used to. My ears used to get very red from the blood but since that first attack they no longer get like that unless I am in a really hot temperature. Also when I used to let my arms hang down the blood seemed to circulate to them very well. But now when I do that my veins no longer bulge and my arms don't get the "heavy" feeling they did before that first attack.
4.) Fatigue. Ever since that first attack I no longer am the outgoing person I was. It just seems like I am tired a lot and get tired a lot easier.
5.) Brain fog/memory problems. I have a hard time thinking things through the way I used to, as well as concentrating and remembering things. I really have to force myself to do that and the rest of my body gets stressed as a result.
6.) Lack of appetite. Not that I am never hungry. I'm just a lot less hungry than I used to be.
7.) Frequent heartburn, some palpations, dysphagia, and migraines.
8.) Depression. But that could be a result of dealing with what I have so far.
That's about all I can think of at the moment but I do have more symptoms. And they seem to come in waves. When I'm not feeling good in the stomach, that's when some or all of the other extraintestinal symptoms show up too. I've been doing a lot of research and the whole picture looks to me like I have Crohn's, although maybe not as bad as many people. Whatever this is, it never really subsides. I just have bad days and not-so-bad days. And it all started pretty much after that first attack in March of '07.
***One thing I will say - hopefully I'm not violating forum rules as I have seen some posts on this - but my symptoms seem to all but disappear when I am high from smoking cannabis. That's pretty much the only time I get relief.
I can't really afford at the moment to go to the Dr. and all the tests they will no doubt want to do, so I just wanted an opinion from people who have IBD. And maybe on a scale of 1-10 (1 being the least likely I have IBD and 10 being the most likely) you could tell me what you think. Again, I know most of you are not Dr.'s but I would greatly appreciate your opinions. Thanks!
For about the last 6 years or so I have been experiencing these symptoms:
1.) First week of March 2007 (when I was 26 years old) I had a very bloody bowel movement after eating Brussels sprouts, which I used to eat all the time with no problem. And when I say "bloody" I mean the bowl was FULL of blood. My stools were still quite solid but all blood red. Immediately following in the days ahead I started losing a lot of weight, turning pale, and just feeling overall sick and tired. I eventually went to the Dr. and he did a sigmoidoscopy but said he only found hemorrhoids. I decided to stop eating Brussels sprouts and I have not an attack like that since. However.....
2.) I get frequent bouts of diarrhea. Not like everyday, but especially after eating really greasy/fatty foods...foods that I used to tolerate very well before that initial attack. I really have to pay attention to my diet now or I will be sick.
3.) My abdomen is bloated and it became that way after the first attack. It has never subsided. I also get frequent but tolerable pains. Also my stomach makes a lot of strange and ominous noises that were few and far between before that first attack.
4.) And this one really makes me think it is Crohn's - my anus is really swollen. I can tell when I use the bathroom.
Extraintestinal symptoms:
1.) Every now and then one or two of my knuckles will become red and inflamed. That has been happening to me since I was 18. Also every now and then one of my knees will be very stiff and painful to move. That has been happening to me since I was a little kid.
2.) Kidney stones - I've passed a few of them right around and just before the first attack and one more since. I have some urinary issues too like suddenly having to go urgently and/or frequently.
3.) It seems like since that first attack my blood does not circulate the way it used to. My ears used to get very red from the blood but since that first attack they no longer get like that unless I am in a really hot temperature. Also when I used to let my arms hang down the blood seemed to circulate to them very well. But now when I do that my veins no longer bulge and my arms don't get the "heavy" feeling they did before that first attack.
4.) Fatigue. Ever since that first attack I no longer am the outgoing person I was. It just seems like I am tired a lot and get tired a lot easier.
5.) Brain fog/memory problems. I have a hard time thinking things through the way I used to, as well as concentrating and remembering things. I really have to force myself to do that and the rest of my body gets stressed as a result.
6.) Lack of appetite. Not that I am never hungry. I'm just a lot less hungry than I used to be.
7.) Frequent heartburn, some palpations, dysphagia, and migraines.
8.) Depression. But that could be a result of dealing with what I have so far.
That's about all I can think of at the moment but I do have more symptoms. And they seem to come in waves. When I'm not feeling good in the stomach, that's when some or all of the other extraintestinal symptoms show up too. I've been doing a lot of research and the whole picture looks to me like I have Crohn's, although maybe not as bad as many people. Whatever this is, it never really subsides. I just have bad days and not-so-bad days. And it all started pretty much after that first attack in March of '07.
***One thing I will say - hopefully I'm not violating forum rules as I have seen some posts on this - but my symptoms seem to all but disappear when I am high from smoking cannabis. That's pretty much the only time I get relief.
I can't really afford at the moment to go to the Dr. and all the tests they will no doubt want to do, so I just wanted an opinion from people who have IBD. And maybe on a scale of 1-10 (1 being the least likely I have IBD and 10 being the most likely) you could tell me what you think. Again, I know most of you are not Dr.'s but I would greatly appreciate your opinions. Thanks!