Hoping for the answer

Hi! Im a 23 year old female from the UK and I have suffered with my bowels for 10 years (if not more). I was that embarrassed teenager who denied what was happening and I accepted it as my normal and avoided telling my GP.

In 2012 I tested negative for Coeliac and then freaked when my GP wanted to refer me for a colonoscopy. I left the room and never mentioned my bowels to the Dr again until Dec 2014. I had spent 8 years trying to treat it like it was IBS so I could avoid the dr's but that didnt work.

I also suffer from chronic urticaria and to try treat that I take 300mg ciclosporin daily (immunesuppression) which I began in September 2012. To my surprise, my bowels reacted very well to this medication which immediately got me thinking - ciclosporin is a treatment for IBD. So in December 2014 I decided to stop been embarrassed and get this sorted out. Around this time I found out my Uncle and Grandad and 2 Great aunties (all on my mums side of the family) have crohns too along with fistulas and lots of other problems.

My main issues are diarrhea and abdo pain - constantly feeling uncomfortable and then feeling pain after meals especially when it flares up. During the bad times I can drop 10-14lbs easily but then when it calms down I gain it back plus more which made me so overweight! The joint pain is crippling at times to the point I can't walk or straighten my arm or wrist. And the fatigue is just killing me slowly Im sure. I spend the majority of my time in bed or laying down resting once I get home from work (where I sit on my bum all day). The diarrhea is 'normal' for me as well as very loose unformed stools. A normal healthy and formed BM leaves me feeling delighted and this is very rare unfortunately. There have been occasions where I have blood in my stools and times where I have had extremely dark /verging on black stools. My poor mouth gets around 2 ulcers per month and has been like that since I was 6 years old, thankfully I loved bonjella!

My wonderfully kind GP referred me in December 14 to see a GI and I was fortunate and lucky enough to get offered Private treatment via the NHS. My GI is amazing and he booked me in for the colonoscopy. Last Wednesday, after 8 attempts to get the IV into a vein, I went to the land of nod whilst he stuck his camera into my colon. I have no recollection and woke up demanding toast.

Tonight after the longest 6 days I finally get my answers but I have this gut feeling (pun intended) that he will say he found nothing and I will be left feeling defeated. However, I have written a list detailing all my symptoms so I don't forget to mention anything and I am going to request he does an endoscopy and even pill cam because I need answers. He was the one who told me I need the answers so Im crossing my fingers he doesn't dismiss me and tell me it's IBS. I know for certain its not IBS.

I apologise for how badly written this is, I don't know why but i typed as it came to me without thinking of how it would flow.

If anything I want the diagnosis of an IBD - then I can begin trying treatments and have an answer as to why my bowels have dominated half of my life.

I will update tonight once I find out my results!!

H x

Good luck! Keep us updated!

So I saw my GI last night and he said the scope and the 9 biopsies of my colon were clear which was good news the in the sense I don't have colitis or crohns
Colitis but that doesn't mean he's ruling our Crohns so in 3 weeks I'm having he endoscopy done...awake! My friends think I'm mad but I really want to see my insides. I'm shocked he didn't see anything because I feel particular pain in my lower abdomen.

He really liked my list of the symptoms I suffer and he kept it and put it in my notes for future reference. It was nice that for once my symptoms were been looked at as a whole rather than individual conditions.

So the waiting game continues...

So good that you have a consultant who is listening to you! Fingers crossed for you!

The first time I had a gastroscopy (or endoscopy as people seem to say here) I wimped out and had the sedative. But the second time, a year or so ago, I was determined to do it awake. It's not so bad; it doesn't take that long, but having the tube down your throat is pretty unpleasant and I think I did well only panicking the once.

The colonoscopy and gastroscopy can only look into the ends of the small bowel (which is 7 metres long), so they can't rule out Crohns. In my case they then sent me for a CT Scan, and that made things clear.

Good luck with it. Unfortunately the process takes time, but you need to go through the process.