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Crohn's disease or not?

I have been struggling with severe abdominal pain since January of 2016, I have made 4 emergency room trips, 3 CT scans, multiple ultrasounds, and still seem to leave undiagnosed to just DEAL with whatever it is, or survive on the narcotics I keep getting prescribed. So, I see a gyno (I had endometriosis in the past, popular opinion it had come back.) Went through a laparoscopic surgery in July 2016 to remove said endo, turns out no endo but polycystic ovarian syndrome was present. A month or so after surgery, once I had come off the pain killers completely the pain in my abdomen started up right where it left off. Then I was sent to a GI who expressed concerns for Crohn's disease, and scheduled a colonoscopy. I had that colonoscopy today and there was nothing found, he sent some specimens to be tested but he seems completely sure it's not Crohn's disease. He is now sending me to get an MRI to review my small intestine to make sure the Crohn's disease is not in that organ instead. Now, if the MRI shows nothing he literally told me, "if the MRI shows nothing, it's probably IBS and you're experiencing cramping." Like is this a joke, is my life a joke? I have missed MONTHS of work, I can barely get out of bed I am in so much pain ALL the time. I am not cramping on and off, or being constipated so I'm having discomfort. Doe anyone have this sound familiar to them, or their experiences OR have any idea what other condition this could be. I know that it is NOT my PCOS, pain is in completely different location and completely different type of pain. I am experiencing a pain on my left side from hip to rib cage all day every day, when I lay back and you press on the lower right quadrant I then begin to cry from the pain (pain in that spot initiated the search from Crohn's disease). I am really at a loss at this point, but i feel if this MRI shows nothing my doctor is just going to give up with a lazy IBS diagnosis or send be back to a gyno to look at my ovaries again. ANY HELP WOULD BE SO GREAT!!
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Avatar universal
I am 41 been having Crohn's since I was 17.  Never had constipation with Crohn's

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19285528 tn?1475208764
Unfortunately, I am very familiar with your predicament. I spent the better part of a year in pain. I was initially diagnosed with colitis. More specifically inflammation of my sigmoid colon which was evident following an abdominal ct scan with iodinated contrast. I was prescribed ciprofloxacin and metronidazole. This did not help. I eventually sought the help of a gastroenterologist who immediately ordered a colonoscopy to rule out ulcerative colitis. The colonoscopy was unremarkable. I know because I declined sedation and watched the entire procedure. So i was back to square one. At this point I decided that I would attempt lifestyle modifications. Trial and error. I soon found that cutting out all dairy products as well as beans and sodas greatly reduced my symptoms. See, our bodies require an enzyme called lactase in order to metabolize the sugar called lactose. It is not uncommon for this to occur as most mammals only produce this enzyme during infancy in order to metabolize the lactose in breast milk. In similar fashion, an enzyme called alpha-galactosidase is required to digest beans. Without these enzymes bacteria in our digestive tract digest these substances through fermentation which produces an excess amount of gas that can cause bloating and excruciating pain. Sodas can cause abdominal pain due to the excessive carbonation. Once again we see that an increase in gas can cause pain. Like i stated previously, this was all trial and error for me but i am now pain free. I am not saying it could simply be due to bloating but since the colonoscopy ruled out anything more sinister i would say give it a try. Please keep in mind that there are a myriad of conditions that can cause abdominal pain. Did the gastroenterologist perform an EGD to rule out peptic or duodenal ulcers? Did they mention celiac disease? Also, you did not mention if they had tested your pancreatic enzymes in order to rule out pancreatitis. In short try lifestyle modifications and I also suggest trying simethicone which is Gas-X. I also recommend drinking only water. No soda, fruit juices, coffee or alcohol.
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