Strange Symptoms- need help

I am a 27 year old male. I am not obeise and have no serious health issues. Last summer, I started experiencing intense abdominal pains and also had an intense fever (102+, severe aching all over, chills/shaking uncontrollably) which only lasted for a few hours. I already know that I have external hemorrhoids, which do bleed at times, and during this time I was also experiencing severe anal bleeding. At the time, I thought maybe it was appendicitis, so I rushed to the urgent care facility by my home. They ran several tests on me and advised me that they found thickening in the wall of my terminal ileum. They gave me painkillers, antibiotics, and prednisone. I took the meds and my abdominal pains cleared up in a couple of days. I went back for additional tests and I was advised that they thought I probably had Crohns or some other "inflammatory bowel disease". So, I followed up with a GI specialist who conducted a colonoscopy. He advised me that he saw no signs of Crohns disease and that my hemorrhoids should be fine with OTC medications and the correct diet. Later on, I read that eating raw oysters can cause an infection in your intestines which carried all of the same symptoms which I encountered... and I had just eaten raw oysters about 24 hours before the abdominal pain set in, so I chalked it up to that.

Ok, so fast forward to now- yesterday at work, I started feeling very fatigued out of nowhere and then the intense aching started. I recognized these symptoms and so immediately told my boss that I needed to go home. On the way out of the office, the chills and shaking started and I had to drive my 40 minute commute home while enduring severe chills and shaking. Anyways, I got home, took some tylenol and curled up under my blanket in a parka, beanie, pants, socks, etc and after about 30 minutes, the chills stopped. I had a fever for many hours after that, but it ended before I went to sleep. I woke back up and the fever had returned, so I took more tylenol and drank water, and after an hour or two, it had gone away again. I called in to work again today and slept half of the day. I feel mostly fine now except a little weak. I can think of no reason to explain this fever other than to associate it with the previous one that I had during the summer when I had my intestinal inflammation... however, I have not really experienced any abdominal pains this time. I am currently experiencing some very minor discomfort, but I may be able to chalk that up to the fact that when my fever broke yesterday, I ate a half a bag of potato chips, some pretzels, a bowl of mixed fruit, two bowls of frozen yogurt, and then my dinner of asparagus, macaroni, and roast beef.... (a really random combination of foods and this was over a course of probably 7 hours) probably not the best idea, I know, but when my fever broke, I was absolutely weak and starving so I just grabbed the closest and easiest thing to me to eat. I thought the frozen yogurt would cool me off. So, to the point....

Does anyone have any input on this? I can say that over the past week or so leading up to this, my hemorrhoids have been more inflamed and bleeding more than usual... I have not found anything to indicate that inflamed hemorrhoids can cause this severe of a reaction though and since the symptoms line up so well with my previous intestinal inflammation episode, I am concerned. Any advice, input, answers would be greatly appreciated... thank you in advance!

Hi and welcome,
first of i dont know if i have crohns or ibd as yet! going through the tests at the mo, I often get chills and abdominal pains and also have quite bad external hemeroids, my hemeriods get bad if i havent eaten the right food and i get backed up, and i feel really tired when i get backed up! have you noticed if you feel worse after eating certain foods?
i'm sure others here will be anle to answer your questions more

The only foods that I have noticed causing problems are your typical foods that cause constipation (cheese) and also when I "binge drink" alcohol because that causes me to use the bathroom more frequently the next day.

Does anyone else have any advice regarding my fever?

Hi there and welcome to the community. I'm sorry to hear you've been feeling so unwell

While the CT Scan with terminal ileum thickening is a bit concerning, I'm not convinced that you have Crohn's. When the GI doctor did the colonoscopy, did he take biopsies and if so, did those come back normal?

Have they performed any tests such as fecal calprotectin, CRP, ESR, ASCA, ANCA? If so, what were the results of those?

All my best to you.

I had the CT scan, then I came back a week later for what they called an "upper GI". Then I came back for the colonsocopy. No other tests were done to my knowledge. During the colonoscopy, he stated that he took no biopsies because everything looked healthy.

With your symptoms, a GI not taking biopsies is inexcusable and I'd absolutely seek out a second opinion from a new GI. My colon looked fine too, it was the biopsies that led to my diagnosis.

I can't stand it when no biopsies are taken during a scope. Granulomas and microscopic inflammation are found through biopsy. Plus your inflammation was in your terminal ileum and a scope can only look inside there but can't venture further. Its like looking into a doorway in someone's apartment seeing no one and assuming no one is home.

Was it an upper GI where you swallowed barium and then had some x-rays or the other upper GI where they do an endoscopy (much like a colonoscopy but goes down your throat instead)? What did those results say?

I'm concerned about the bleeding personally. Its very easy to blame bleeding on hemorrhoids yet the blood could be coming from somewhere else. I had bleeding from my terminal ileum that was bright red. I'd still want further testing done personally.

With IBD fevers can be common. I used to have them when I was younger as well but don't remember how long they lasted. If your symptoms keep up and you feel like your GI is brushing you off then I highly recommend seeking a second opinion from another GI.

Keep us posted.

Thank you so much for the help thus far and please excuse the length of my response.

It was an upper GI where I swallowed Barium and they did x-rays. The results confirmed thickening in the wall of the terminal ileum and I was advised at that time that it was consistent with IBD/Crohns and that I should get "worked up" for IBD/Crohns by a GI specialist. So, that's what I did and had the colonoscopy.

My fever was on Tuesday morning and Tuesday night and then I felt fine. I felt some recurring, mild abdominal discomfort yesterday (Friday). The discomfort has been very mild and not sharp enough for me to feel certain that it's the same issue I was having before. I made some changes in my diet since Tuesday so I'm not sure if that could be the culprit. I have had some similar discomfort today. I was thinking that I should just try and rest this weekend and then follow up with a new G.I. on Monday, if I still feel any discomfort. I am hesitant to go see another G.I. about this if my abdominal discomfort does not worsen- I know that my symptoms have been similar thus far, but I can't definitively connect this severe fever to an infection or inflammation in my intestines unless I feel some more significant pains there- atleast that's my feeling on the matter right now. However, I have never had that type of short severe fever before, to my knowledge, other than the last intestinal inflammation... but last time, my abdominal pain which followed was intense. Should I go to the doctor, or should I wait to see if I have any unmistakable, sharp abdominal pains? I just don't want to waste mine, and the physician's, time and money. If the pain gets significant then I will obviously go to urgent care and get the meds (prednisone, antibiotic, and vicodin) that I was given the last time it happened. The reason that I chose the G.I. that I did before was because he was one of the providers listed on my insurance website. I have GEHA (Federal Employees Insurance) and I just want to make certain that all my treatment is covered.

I am supposed to help my family move furniture all day tomorrow (Sunday). If my discomfort remains occasional and mild, or if it goes away, do you guys think it would be alright for me to help them still? I don't want to cause any further damage, but my family is in a bind and I would like to help them if possible.

I always find my doctors by searching my insurance website, but I seem to have bad results at times doing it that way. Any recommendations of how to find a "good" G.I. in my area who will accept my insurance? Probably a dumb question, but if the doctor accepts my insurance, does that automatically mean that the insurance will "accept" that doctor? I know there are certain treatments etc. that insurance will cover or not cover due to policy specifics, but I believe that the doctor or facility you use is up to you as long as the facility or doctor agrees to accept the insurance? Sorry if that question is out of the realm of this forum.

Thanks again so much for any information.