I have always been tagged with "IBS". Symptoms started in my early 20's(pain, sometimes severe, constipation, bloating gas etc...) but late 20's to early 30's I had a lot of relief from symptoms while having my three children. (all c sections because of PIH/preeclampsia in my first...which led to a crash c-section.)
Here I am two years out from having my third and last child and the last year has been miserable. I started having diarrhea about 8 months ago, almost daily. Lots of abdominal pain and cramping. Weight fluctuates...sometimes I lose 10 lbs in a short amount of time without trying, but then again, I just recently gained about that amount back in a short amount of time...with no change to diet etc...I'm still on the average to small side as far as my size goes. I had a rectal/anal fistula that I finally had diagnosed (after months of symptoms) last fall, and fistulectomy about three months ago...still healing from it. (it started to form a secondary abcess during healing, so I had a second smaller procedure in the office to stop the infection) The colo-rectal surgeon only dealt with that, there was no discussion of underlining issues/disease causing it. I have mouth ulcers in my mouth in cycles every 1-2 months...one time i had more than a dozen in there. But usually it's anywhere from 1-3 at a time, always accompanied by low grade fever and swollen glands. I went to the ER 2 weeks ago for sharp lower right abdominal pain (was thinking it was female related because they found an ovarian cyst.) But the follow up with the OB/GYN says he doesn't think it's related to the female organs at all (he re-examined everything and felt no cyst on the ovary etc..) The severe pain lasted about a week.
Anyway, these are the kind of things I have been dealing with for the last year, more often than not...just miserable...and my body just hurts all over too. (MRI a little over a year ago on my back shows degenerative changes in the lumbar area) So I found a new doc today. Internal medicine doctor. I shared with him all my symptoms and (oh i also have white spots forming on my skin, like I am turning albino or something...and something else on my skin they couldn't identify so they are sending me to a dermatologist.) anyway, he brought up Crohn's disease as being what he is most concerned about right now. So he referred me to GI doc, but also to a Rheumatologist and Dermatologist and he also did a ton of blood work today.
To those of you who suffer with Crohn's does this sound to you like it could be that?? I thought no one better to ask then someone who actually has it.