Please can you help?

Hi, I have been reading the forums and although I have been diagnosed with IBS and diverticulitis my symptoms seem to be more online with Crohn's, almost daily I get up and my symptoms start. Urgency to pass stools, multiple times, ending up with diarrhea. In the meantime the cramping is enough to double me up and almost scream with pain, nausea comes with it and sometimes I do vomit. Aching pain that feels like eating glass and also a stabbing pain where the diverticulitis is. The stools are narrow and almost flat in shape and finally end up like water. I cannot eat until all this is passed, usually between 3 to 5 hours and then I am exhausted and still have the constant pain in the stomach. I take Prilosec daily and also Tramadol to relieve the pain, which does help a bit. My doctor is great but when I had the colonoscopy they just found the diverticulitis and nothing more. I am almost at my wits end. Have tried taking fiber and all that does is make things worse, I tried cutting back on certain food, that again does not help. Oh and in between this I get constipated as well and then cause bleeding from straining so much.

I am wondering if I should see a specialist as this has been happening over a lot of years, I am 50 and it all started when I was 18. I hope that someone here can help with some advice please....

Have you had an MRI of your small intestines? All of my crohn's inflammation is located in my small intestine, a small amount was visable at the terminal ileum in my colonoscopy but there was more in other places that showed on the MRI.

If you are not already seeing a GI, then I would definitely recommend getting a referal and letting them know your history (how long you've had symptoms, etc).

My son was dxed with colonoscopy but his CD is located at the ileo cecal valve in the terminal ileum at the place where the colon and small bowel connect. Sometimes, you need a CT scan, MRI or MRE(magnetic resonance enterography) to determine if the inflammation is further up. A pill cam is another test that can give visualization of the small bowel.

Hope you find answers soon.

Sorry to hear that you are having such a rotten time. Crohns can be difficult to diagnose as others have stated, severe pain needs to be investigated rather than managed with pain meds. I don't find Tramadol very effective and they can also have a constipating effect which can make pain worse. I cannot eat fibre at the moment and am on a low residue diet which helps with the pain, so it might be worth considering. If it helps then it would suggest that there is something other than diverticulitis going on. I get severe stabbing pains but these are associated with a narrowing. You should go and see a GI as this needs to be investigated.