Hello, everyone.
I'm glad to have found all of you. I've been reading a lot of your posts, and there's a great deal of activity here. I'm hoping you experts can help me.
I've been having GI issues for years: pain, alternating diarrhea / constipation, weight loss. Not much bleeding, though. When this all started back in 2006, I would have to run to the bathroom every time after eating, with severe diarrhea and pain. I lost 20 pounds in less than 6 months. I had a colonoscopy then that showed nothing but some polyps. My colon looked fine. I had a capsule test, as well, that came back normal. I was told I was fine. My symptoms didn't go away for years, and during that time, I'd been worked up all over the country. I've been told it's anxiety, depression, anorexia, irritable bowel, and a lot of other stuff, lastly being Addison's disease pain (which I do have adrenal failure, nearly died last May from it, and was put on hydrocortisone). Since being put on steroids, my diarrhea is better, but the pain and inflammation aren't.
I've been through two ERCP's for pancreatic sphincter dysfunction, have had pancreatitis, had my gallbladder removed, and my latest colonoscopy shows inflammation in my entire colon. I was constipated for nine days previously to the scope.
The gastro who is following me now did some blood work, and it was found that I have the saccharomyces cerevisiae antibodies, both IgA and IgG, although the IgA one is higher (45.5 when above 25 is positive) while the IgG one is right in the middle (23) (equivocal, not positive or negative).
My questions are, I've read a lot about these antibodies, and a gastro at Cleveland Clinic, whom I was sent to a couple of days ago for an opinion about my liver, says these antibodies don't really mean much, so he dismissed them and said I don't have crohn's based on my colonoscopy which showed waxing and waning inflammation, no ulcers, no bleeding, etc.
This gastro's more concerned that my liver enzymes are up. That's my second question. I've read that crohn's can cause liver problems. Do many of you have elevated liver enzymes? Just my ALT is high--pretty high, too, at 145, sometimes up to around 170.
I am very confused about all of this. I know, from what my regular GI told me and what I've read, that crohn's can be hard to diagnose. I don't want to have it, but at least I'd know what's causing my pain!
Like I said, I've had many, many scopes over the years: 2 ERCP's, a balloon enteroscopy, 3 colonoscopies, around 6 EGD's, and none have come back saying crohn's. My last colonscopy, as I said, showed inflammation, but the biopsies said that the inflammation was not consistent with any IBD.
UGH! Oh, one more question. I'm on HC, not prednisone. Is there a difference in these two steroids with regard to crohn's? I only know how they're used in Addison's.
Thanks. I'm sorry to be so ignorant. I've read the basics on crohn's, but my questions aren't readily answered in the literature.
Lindajoy
I'm glad to have found all of you. I've been reading a lot of your posts, and there's a great deal of activity here. I'm hoping you experts can help me.
I've been having GI issues for years: pain, alternating diarrhea / constipation, weight loss. Not much bleeding, though. When this all started back in 2006, I would have to run to the bathroom every time after eating, with severe diarrhea and pain. I lost 20 pounds in less than 6 months. I had a colonoscopy then that showed nothing but some polyps. My colon looked fine. I had a capsule test, as well, that came back normal. I was told I was fine. My symptoms didn't go away for years, and during that time, I'd been worked up all over the country. I've been told it's anxiety, depression, anorexia, irritable bowel, and a lot of other stuff, lastly being Addison's disease pain (which I do have adrenal failure, nearly died last May from it, and was put on hydrocortisone). Since being put on steroids, my diarrhea is better, but the pain and inflammation aren't.
I've been through two ERCP's for pancreatic sphincter dysfunction, have had pancreatitis, had my gallbladder removed, and my latest colonoscopy shows inflammation in my entire colon. I was constipated for nine days previously to the scope.
The gastro who is following me now did some blood work, and it was found that I have the saccharomyces cerevisiae antibodies, both IgA and IgG, although the IgA one is higher (45.5 when above 25 is positive) while the IgG one is right in the middle (23) (equivocal, not positive or negative).
My questions are, I've read a lot about these antibodies, and a gastro at Cleveland Clinic, whom I was sent to a couple of days ago for an opinion about my liver, says these antibodies don't really mean much, so he dismissed them and said I don't have crohn's based on my colonoscopy which showed waxing and waning inflammation, no ulcers, no bleeding, etc.
This gastro's more concerned that my liver enzymes are up. That's my second question. I've read that crohn's can cause liver problems. Do many of you have elevated liver enzymes? Just my ALT is high--pretty high, too, at 145, sometimes up to around 170.
I am very confused about all of this. I know, from what my regular GI told me and what I've read, that crohn's can be hard to diagnose. I don't want to have it, but at least I'd know what's causing my pain!
Like I said, I've had many, many scopes over the years: 2 ERCP's, a balloon enteroscopy, 3 colonoscopies, around 6 EGD's, and none have come back saying crohn's. My last colonscopy, as I said, showed inflammation, but the biopsies said that the inflammation was not consistent with any IBD.
UGH! Oh, one more question. I'm on HC, not prednisone. Is there a difference in these two steroids with regard to crohn's? I only know how they're used in Addison's.
Thanks. I'm sorry to be so ignorant. I've read the basics on crohn's, but my questions aren't readily answered in the literature.
Lindajoy
