Does anyone else have Crohn's with these symptoms?

[Pixie1969]

Hi,

I am currently awaiting results of a small bowel series to see if I have Crohn's.  I'm figuring that the results will be normal which will really frustrate me (I know that sounds stupid, but at least it would be an answer - which would be quite a switch from this past year of hell).  My problem is that I have mostly inflammation, alternating constipation and diarrhea, and a gassy/mucusy/bloating/yucky problem after I eat.  This inflammation is from my esophagus (I have Barretts Esophagus) through to my colon and I just had my gall bladder removed (which the pathologist noted was "inflamed" - no stones).  Could this be Crohn's?  I don't have blood in my stool, no weight loss (how I wish..) and no lack of appetite nor fevers.  Besides a small bowel series, what other tests did you have done to dx Crohn's?  And if this isn't Crohn's, what the heck could it be?!

I also was wondering if anyone has any experience with Aloe Juice.  Will this soothe any of my intestines, or does it mostly get broken down in my stomach?

Thanks for your help!

[Pixie1969]

Thank you all so much for all this information.  My gastro gave me a script for some liver function bloodwork; I think I will call him and ask him if he can add some tests for Celiac and talk to him about this Prometheus labs deal.  

Lor - no, I had this stuff going on before my gall bladder was removed but after I had it removed I was MISERABLE!  I swear, I regretted it every day for about 3 weeks (just had it out 2 months ago); it's much better now.  I had soooo much burning and pain in my gut and could hardly eat anything.  How long has it been since your surgery?  I would definitely make a call to the gastro to discuss the pain with him or her.  To figure my pain out my gastro decided to do the EGD (upper endoscopy) and that's how he found the Barretts Esophagus (but that wasn't what was causing my pain; he said that was caused by inflammation in my intestines - I think it was just the continuous flow of bile that my intestines weren't used to).  There could be several reasons for your pain, I actually found alot of info about the after-effects of gallbladder surgery here on this site:  http://www.medhelp.org/HealthTopics/Cholecystectomy.html.  Check it out and see if anything clicks with you.  Hope you feel better soon!

Again, thanks everyone for replying - you gave me great info!  Now I will undoubtedly be spending all my waking moments looking this stuff up - hopefully I will get somewhere!

[Wilson]

Hello. I'm assuming your inflammation from esophagus to colon was diagnosed by endoscopy and biopsy of the affected area(s). I'm wondering why the dx of Crohn's wouldn't have been either established or ruled out at that time. Have you heard about the tiny diagnostic camera inside a capsule you swallow that takes pictures inside your intestines as it goes through? It's another tool they use to look for signs of Crohn's, but unfortunately it's not too widely available yet.

If it's not IBD it's possible your inflammation is food-related, as in allergic gastroenteritis. Your symptoms also sound a little bit like celiac disease, with the Barrett's and gall bladder possibly being unrelated. There's a simple blood test for celiac if you wanted to pursue that.

I don't whether I've been very helpful, but I just thought I'd throw my .02 in.

[Lor]

I'm curious if this started after your gallbladder was removed? I have similar symptoms along with severe pain when my stomach is empty. Everything has been ruled out.

[JBenjamin82]

Hi,

Well, it is possible that you have Crohn's.  In many cases, an Upper GI with a small bowel follow through is one of the most common tests used to diagnose Crohn's.  Like many tests, the SBFT can be inconclusive from a diagnostic stand-point.  Usually, however, intestinal inflammation due to IBD shows up quite well in the SBFT. The only 100% accurate test for Crohn's is a biopsy of the affected area.  This can be done with a colonoscopy (or endoscopy if the problem is higher up).  Unfortunately, this won't be of much help if your Crohn's is in your small intestines.  You could also ask your doctor about Crohn's blood-work from Prometheus labs.  It tests specifically for IBD, and can differentiate between Crohn's and UC.  Although it has been approved by the FDA, it's still in its testing phases.  Have you had any blood work lately?  Usually, with IBD, blood-counts are slightly off, and there is evidence of inflammation in the body showing in the blood.

With any inflammation process, fever is usually present.  Not always, but usually.  If all the tests for IBD come back negative, it is possible that you have IBS.  IBS is more of a functional problem.

As for aloe juice, I've never tried it, but I've heard it coats the stomach, and helps relieve discomfort.

Good luck - and I hope they find out what's going on with you ASAP.  I myself know how frustrating it can be not knowing the cause of all one's troubles.

Jennifer Benjamin