Hi All,
I am looking for some advice from members who have crohns, Can you please help diagnose me, and let me know if my symptoms are most likely crohns.
here goes:
I am male, age 25, I have no previous medical history having never been in hospital for anything, no problems, fully healthy.
Just over 12 months ago, I started to lose weight, I was around 14 stone.
I am now down to 9 stone. during these 12 months I was going through the most challanging time in my career, and went through 3 different sets of redundancies @ work, luckily I kept my job, but the work load over this period was intense and stressfull due to lack of staff, I was constantley stressed out and could not relax, i was constantley thinking about work, I was having trouble sleeping, and even thinking about work in my sleep.
the weight loss has come gradually over 12 months, I put the weight loss down to stress at work, because I am a natuaral worrier, and in the past have not eaten well when I was under stress.
During this time my appitite went completley, I was never hungry, I would skip breakfast, not have time for lunch, then I would be so stressed later on that I didnt feel like tea, I was basically just coming home and going to bed.
Around 3 months in I started to get this pain in my stomach, it was a burning sensastion, that would come and go, and would wake me up at night.
I was never hungry and the sight and smell of certain foods made me feel sick.When I did eat food the pain in my stomach would start almost immediatley, I then started to need a bowel movment straight away after eating, I then ended up going the toilet sometimes 7 times a day, and it was always diareah
I was extremely tired and run down during this period with no energy.
I develpoed a hemmeroid about 12 months ago, this causes a bit of bright red blood, but this has now gone, and has not happended since.
looking back I now realise that I didnt pass much wind during these 12 months, I can hardly remember doing so, this became more clear when I started the medication I started passing lots of wind, and generally I pass a normal amount of wind everyday now, was this because I was blocked?
I ignored the stoamch pain for several months, until It started to get worse, I then ended up getting nausea after eating meals, and had a full feeling in my stomach, I ended up vomiting, this was involuntary and could not be helped, it was caused by the nausea, i always felt 100% better after vomiting becasue I didnt have the full feeling.
The vomiting started off being every now and again, but then ended up being nearly every day after food, I was getting acid, and nausea.
This is when I went to the Doctors because I thought it may be something serious.
They refered me to a gastro guy, they did the endoscopsy with revelaed a small hiatus hernia.
They could not get the scope through the pyloric valve, the doctor suspected this was because of a pyloric spasm.
I had a repeat endoscopy and the doctor could not get the scope through the pyloric valve again, he now suspected that I had pyloric stenosis secondary to peptic ulcer disease in my duodenum - although they could not get the scope in to diagnose 100% both doctors said they were confident it was pyloric stenosis secondary to peptic ulcer disease.
I was then sent for blood tests, this revealed the following
my CRP level was high @ 100mg/L - think this is imflamation in blood
my folate was slightly low
my platelet count was raised @ >500x10^9/L
the doctor noted that I was definatley managing to keep fluids down.
I was then sent for a barium meal, this revealed a distorted pylorus which was narrowed, it also revelaed a deformed duodenal cap with central ulcer crater, there was also a significant stricture of the distal pyloric canal, but it was mentioned that a mass lesion could not be excluded.
I then had ultrasound, this revealed nothing, all my organs were 100% with no problems.
I was put on nexium 40mg a day to heal the suspected ulcer, the start of the medication coincided with stress easing in my job, almost at the same time, I was told my job was safe, and the work load eased - the change in my was unbelieveable, although I am unsure how much was down to the stress going or the nexium medication.
on the 1st day of medication I fely 100 times better, the nausea and acid went away straight away and the stomach pain I was having daily went immediatley and I have not had it since. I did not vomit for the first 4 weeks on nexium and generally felt good with my energy levels and everything feeling 100%
After 4 weeks on the medication my appitite came back in a big way, I was hungry all the time, I started trying to eat everything, this then lead to vomiting again, but it was a totally different feeling to the previous vomiting, the previous vomiting was involuntary and i could not stop it due to the nausea. This time was different, I had no nausea, but had a very full feeling in my stomach, I therefore MADE myself sick, to ease the feeling. Straight away after making myself sick I felt 100%, but was always hungry again straight away and started eating again.
when i eat too much my stomach sort of sucks itself in, and only comes back out once I get rid of the food.
Since starting the nexium, my bowel movements have gone completely normal.
no more diareah ever, i have a normal solid healthy bowel movement once a day no problems, previously I was on the toilet 7 times a day.
I was then sent for a CT scan, this has reveled "some changes" in my large bowel, not sure what changes they are refering to because they have never looked their before.
anyway the doctor mentioned imflamation in my large bowel and said he is almost sure I have Crohns disease or Ulceritive colities
They are now sending me for a colonopsy to check for imflamation I think.
I have this next week.
Has anyone got any advise on the above based on their experiences?
can anyone answer the following questions:
1. on a scale of 1 to 10 - how likely is it that I have Cronhs?
2.what is a normal CRP level, how high is 100mlg? is this significant marker for imflamation in Crohns?
3. how reliable are CT scans @ revealing bowel imflamtion? does the fact that the CT scan showed imflamation basically mean I have crohns?
4. is it possible for the colonopsy to come back showing no imflamation even when the CT scan has seen imflamation? or is this rare?
5. are there any other causes/ natural causes of bowel imflamtion, or does it almost always mean crohns of some type when it shows up on a test???
6. how long do flare ups last generally? I find it hard to think I had a flare up for 12 months whilst feeling ill, but the flare up went the day i started nexium?
I am gernerally feeling back to my old self now, with no problems. Although I have been upset with the lack on info or answers from the doctors, they basically always rush me through for 2 mins when they see me and dont tell me much. I had my first camera in January 2010 and we are now in June.
Has anyone got any advice on the above, or can you recommend questions i should be asking my doctors, or tests you think i should be having?
Can anyone tell me what foods I should be eating, or certain lifestlye changes I should make.
I have recentley been getting cold hands when all my body is fine and warm is this significant? or down to a low immune system?
I am not anemic
Anyone any idea what is wrong with me based on the above??????????????????
please help
thank you
I am looking for some advice from members who have crohns, Can you please help diagnose me, and let me know if my symptoms are most likely crohns.
here goes:
I am male, age 25, I have no previous medical history having never been in hospital for anything, no problems, fully healthy.
Just over 12 months ago, I started to lose weight, I was around 14 stone.
I am now down to 9 stone. during these 12 months I was going through the most challanging time in my career, and went through 3 different sets of redundancies @ work, luckily I kept my job, but the work load over this period was intense and stressfull due to lack of staff, I was constantley stressed out and could not relax, i was constantley thinking about work, I was having trouble sleeping, and even thinking about work in my sleep.
the weight loss has come gradually over 12 months, I put the weight loss down to stress at work, because I am a natuaral worrier, and in the past have not eaten well when I was under stress.
During this time my appitite went completley, I was never hungry, I would skip breakfast, not have time for lunch, then I would be so stressed later on that I didnt feel like tea, I was basically just coming home and going to bed.
Around 3 months in I started to get this pain in my stomach, it was a burning sensastion, that would come and go, and would wake me up at night.
I was never hungry and the sight and smell of certain foods made me feel sick.When I did eat food the pain in my stomach would start almost immediatley, I then started to need a bowel movment straight away after eating, I then ended up going the toilet sometimes 7 times a day, and it was always diareah
I was extremely tired and run down during this period with no energy.
I develpoed a hemmeroid about 12 months ago, this causes a bit of bright red blood, but this has now gone, and has not happended since.
looking back I now realise that I didnt pass much wind during these 12 months, I can hardly remember doing so, this became more clear when I started the medication I started passing lots of wind, and generally I pass a normal amount of wind everyday now, was this because I was blocked?
I ignored the stoamch pain for several months, until It started to get worse, I then ended up getting nausea after eating meals, and had a full feeling in my stomach, I ended up vomiting, this was involuntary and could not be helped, it was caused by the nausea, i always felt 100% better after vomiting becasue I didnt have the full feeling.
The vomiting started off being every now and again, but then ended up being nearly every day after food, I was getting acid, and nausea.
This is when I went to the Doctors because I thought it may be something serious.
They refered me to a gastro guy, they did the endoscopsy with revelaed a small hiatus hernia.
They could not get the scope through the pyloric valve, the doctor suspected this was because of a pyloric spasm.
I had a repeat endoscopy and the doctor could not get the scope through the pyloric valve again, he now suspected that I had pyloric stenosis secondary to peptic ulcer disease in my duodenum - although they could not get the scope in to diagnose 100% both doctors said they were confident it was pyloric stenosis secondary to peptic ulcer disease.
I was then sent for blood tests, this revealed the following
my CRP level was high @ 100mg/L - think this is imflamation in blood
my folate was slightly low
my platelet count was raised @ >500x10^9/L
the doctor noted that I was definatley managing to keep fluids down.
I was then sent for a barium meal, this revealed a distorted pylorus which was narrowed, it also revelaed a deformed duodenal cap with central ulcer crater, there was also a significant stricture of the distal pyloric canal, but it was mentioned that a mass lesion could not be excluded.
I then had ultrasound, this revealed nothing, all my organs were 100% with no problems.
I was put on nexium 40mg a day to heal the suspected ulcer, the start of the medication coincided with stress easing in my job, almost at the same time, I was told my job was safe, and the work load eased - the change in my was unbelieveable, although I am unsure how much was down to the stress going or the nexium medication.
on the 1st day of medication I fely 100 times better, the nausea and acid went away straight away and the stomach pain I was having daily went immediatley and I have not had it since. I did not vomit for the first 4 weeks on nexium and generally felt good with my energy levels and everything feeling 100%
After 4 weeks on the medication my appitite came back in a big way, I was hungry all the time, I started trying to eat everything, this then lead to vomiting again, but it was a totally different feeling to the previous vomiting, the previous vomiting was involuntary and i could not stop it due to the nausea. This time was different, I had no nausea, but had a very full feeling in my stomach, I therefore MADE myself sick, to ease the feeling. Straight away after making myself sick I felt 100%, but was always hungry again straight away and started eating again.
when i eat too much my stomach sort of sucks itself in, and only comes back out once I get rid of the food.
Since starting the nexium, my bowel movements have gone completely normal.
no more diareah ever, i have a normal solid healthy bowel movement once a day no problems, previously I was on the toilet 7 times a day.
I was then sent for a CT scan, this has reveled "some changes" in my large bowel, not sure what changes they are refering to because they have never looked their before.
anyway the doctor mentioned imflamation in my large bowel and said he is almost sure I have Crohns disease or Ulceritive colities
They are now sending me for a colonopsy to check for imflamation I think.
I have this next week.
Has anyone got any advise on the above based on their experiences?
can anyone answer the following questions:
1. on a scale of 1 to 10 - how likely is it that I have Cronhs?
2.what is a normal CRP level, how high is 100mlg? is this significant marker for imflamation in Crohns?
3. how reliable are CT scans @ revealing bowel imflamtion? does the fact that the CT scan showed imflamation basically mean I have crohns?
4. is it possible for the colonopsy to come back showing no imflamation even when the CT scan has seen imflamation? or is this rare?
5. are there any other causes/ natural causes of bowel imflamtion, or does it almost always mean crohns of some type when it shows up on a test???
6. how long do flare ups last generally? I find it hard to think I had a flare up for 12 months whilst feeling ill, but the flare up went the day i started nexium?
I am gernerally feeling back to my old self now, with no problems. Although I have been upset with the lack on info or answers from the doctors, they basically always rush me through for 2 mins when they see me and dont tell me much. I had my first camera in January 2010 and we are now in June.
Has anyone got any advice on the above, or can you recommend questions i should be asking my doctors, or tests you think i should be having?
Can anyone tell me what foods I should be eating, or certain lifestlye changes I should make.
I have recentley been getting cold hands when all my body is fine and warm is this significant? or down to a low immune system?
I am not anemic
Anyone any idea what is wrong with me based on the above??????????????????
please help
thank you
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