Capsule Endoscopy redo?!

[miaxochi]

Hi all,

I have been going through the Crohn’s/IBS differentiation process with my GI since March. The only inflammation that has appeared was on an MRI (ileitis) and according to my doc, it was very minor. I also have significant weight loss and malabsorption. She ordered a capsule endoscopy and the whole prep was utterly miserable for me. Before I took the magnesium citrate I was already having cramps and diarrhea. I was up the entire night, waking up in pain and running to the toilet I was exhausted the whole next day and ached everywhere, it was challenging not to say “screw it” and go to bed. But I did it, only to get a call from my doc a few days later telling me the test was incomplete because the camera was stuck in my stomach for 4 hours and never reached my ileum. Since the test, I have had an elevated temperature, some blood in my stool I think (not superficial bright red blood but darker red that is mixed in), and fleeting tenderness in my tum. I am currently dealing with rectal cramps that make it hard for me to go or pass gas. I’m scared of doing this test again and having it not go right a second time. The docs never mentioned that the test could be incomplete and acted as if it was just bad luck. Has anyone here reacted to the capsule endoscopy this way?? I’m so tired of feeling the way I do and not getting any answers.

 

[my little penguin]

Have you had a upper and lower endoscopy to check for crohns ?
Lower endoscopy is also known as a colonoscopy .
If you get an upper and lower scope they can place the pill cam in the duodenum during the upper endoscopy so the pill cam won’t bounce around in your stomach for hours
Instead it will already be in your intestine taking images.
The colonoscopy can get a better look at the terminal ileum as well as the rest of the colon
The prep is pretty much the same

We did this for ds twice to prevent the pill cam from getting stuck in the stomach too long

Good luck

 

[miaxochi]

Have you had a upper and lower endoscopy to check for crohns ?
Lower endoscopy is also known as a colonoscopy .
If you get an upper and lower scope they can place the pill cam in the duodenum during the upper endoscopy so the pill cam won’t bounce around in your stomach for hours
Instead it will already be in your intestine taking images.
The colonoscopy can get a better look at the terminal ileum as well as the rest of the colon
The prep is pretty much the same

We did this for ds twice to prevent the pill cam from getting stuck in the stomach too long

Good luck

Thanks. Yes I have done both endoscopy and colonoscopy. Both came back normal. We are going to move ahead with the placement of the pill capsule so we don’t run into the same problem. I just found this test very exhausting, but I’m probably feeling a bit impatient too. Since the MRI showed active inflammation, I’ve felt pretty confident I have Crohn’s but my GI said MRI results could be wrong and we still might be looking at IBS, etc. It is hard to still be at square one.

 

[suemac]

This is my first post... I just spent 10 days in the hospital. I had a pill cam endoscopy and 48 hours later was having severe cramping. I was diagnosed with Crohns 27 years ago but have had terrible gerds and anemia. At the emergency room they brought me to cat scan and saw the pill cam in my terminal illeium. I was put on prednisone and morphene for the pain. The next day, the gastro performed a colonoscopy to fish the cam out but it did not work. 4 days later I was brought to the operating room to retrieve the capsule and a 6 inch stricture in my illeum was found and removed along with my appendix. I am now recovering and following up with the surgeon and gastro. I wish I had been given the dissolvable dummy capsule first but am glad they removed this stricture. Now the docs are talking about Humira.... Doesn't thrill me with side effects.