Suspected Crohn's

Hi all,

I've been having symptoms for about a year that I can remember but have got increasingly worse recently. Been seeing the Doctor regularly within the last few weeks and had various tests done now Doctor and I are in agreement that it is Crohn's looking at my symptoms, just waiting for one more test to confirm this.

I'm also a student studying at university and feel like the increasing pain has affected my work towards the end of the year, including my exams (which I'm currently sitting), the pain is so bad that I have to stop what I am doing and find some position that can minimise my pain and much as I can. I don't have many meds as I'm not fully diagnosed but have been prescribed omeprazole (20mg) twice a day which seems to be working.

My pain scares me and reading peoples stories on here and in other places on the internet I am worried for the future on how this condition would affect my life. :sign0085: My doctor has told me to go into A & E if it gets too bad but I'm not sure what would count as too bad!

Have you let your university know about your problems? When I was at uni, there was a disability centre, and I saw a disability adviser there. They said that if my health affected my work, they could take that into consideration when determining my results. I never had to take them up on that offer, but it was nice to know that help was there. What I did take them up on was the guarantee of en-suite university housing, and I even got a grant to cover the cost (the grant paid the difference between the university's cheapest housing and the en-suite that I lived in). I was also given extra long bathroom breaks during exams.

What pain meds have you tried? Omeprazole helps with reflux, but painkillers might help more, or antispasmodics depending on the type of pain you have. If diarrhoea is a problem there are meds like loperamide to slow things down. You shouldn't need a diagnosis to be prescribed those kind of meds, they manage Crohn's symptoms but they don't directly treat Crohn's, they are used for many different medical conditions and they don't have the side effects of some of the more intense meds used for Crohn's.

Don't worry too much, the vast majority of people on this forum have careers, families and social lives. Crohn's does make things harder, and there may be times where it dominates your life, but if you do have Crohn's, you can still expect to live a normal life.

Some symptoms that you may need to look out for that may warrant going to A&E include severe diarrhoea or vomitting to the point of dehydration, passing a large amount of blood, abdominal pain that is severe and constant (as opposed to crampy) and which occurs at the same time you have a fever, or abdominal pain associated with an inability to have a bowel movement at all. Those are the main signs of a potential Crohn's emergency. But you can also go to A&E if you need more pain relief that can't wait until you can get to see a doctor.

What tests are you due to have? You may well feel better mentally once you have a diagnosis and know what you are dealing with. Having good doctors is essential too.

If you can, use your studying as a way to stop you worrying about your future health. Report any new symptoms you may experience to a doctor, see if they can give you anything more to help you feel better while you're waiting for tests, then try and concentrate on your uni work. Good luck with your exams and I hope you feel better soon.