I have a follow-up with my GI next month. I'm still having some minor to moderate symptoms (diarrhea, cramping, nausea) daily and I feel like we'll be discussing adding another drug or switching drugs. Before I do that, I want to make sure it's the Crohn's we're dealing with and not IBS or something related to having my gallbladder out. However, I do not want another scope (just had one in January). What are the blood tests that could show inflammation? Sed rate I think is one of them. I never get blood work done, even in an obvious flare, so I'm not sure what to ask for.
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What blood tests indicate a flare?
- Thread starter chrisnsteph1022
- Start date
Hi there as stated above CPR is one of the main ones used to look for inflamation in the body BUT sometimes your CPR level can be quite normal and you can still be having a flare it isn't 100% in helping to diagnose a flare trust your instincts as you know when things are not right so trust this. You have to understand also that you may have some mild symtoms even when you are in remission but trust your body as I said you will come to know what is "normal" for yourself and what isn't Goodluck hope you get sorted soon
I had a 6-year remission with NO symptoms at all (and no meds for 4 years). I had one normal formed BM each day. It was heavenly. We even started questioning my diagnosis because I was so normal for so long. I'm just hoping to get back to that. I'm not sure if it's reasonable or not. I'm 80% better than I was earlier this year, but it's hard for me to call this remission, because I don't feel as well as I did those 6 years. I would think if it's IBS, that it wouldn't be a daily thing and would be affected by what I eat.
You may just have to accept that this is now your "NORM" and that you may never feel as you did before all this started , I am wondering as to why you are questioning if it's IBS ? as unfortunately there is NO cure for CD but you can have long periods of remission , but some also while in clinical remission can experience mild symptoms. x
The reason I think I also have IBS is because I've had some minor symptoms before and my scope was completely normal.
I see , My GI Surgeon told me that with CD you can get mild symptoms even as I said while in what is classed as clinical remission, however if these symptoms become more troublesome I would advise that you see your GP or GI rather than putting it down to IBS , before I was diagnosed (and it is NOT my intention to frighten you) I had a GP who said I had IBS and due to this and his unwillingness to consider it could be anything other than IBS , almost cost me my life. As I said before it maybe that this is your "Norm" now I was told the same thing by my GI Surgeon after my first surgery because I was still haveing symptoms like you describe but had just had surgery and there was no active CD present so she told me that I may have to accept that this is how I will be and that it was my new NORM . do you have an IBD nurse you can speak to ? if not I would ask your GP or GI for CRP test and depending on the results and how your symptoms are maybe an MRI ( as there is no radiation involed with a MRI) to rule out any active disease Good luck with this please let us know how you get on x