So confused...biopsies normal?

[Mamabear0811]

Hi!
Back story:
I have been dealing with symptoms of diarrhea since I was 14/15 years old. I would eat and immediately need the bathroom. Sometimes, dinner wasn't even over yet. It was off and on and honestly don't remember pain. Always had a problem with my B12 levels and Iron levels. They claimed IBS and did no testing and sent me on my young path.
I seemed to get better with the pregnancy of my first son and only had a couple instances that lasted for a month or two, so I thought it was just stress or what have you.
After the birth of my second child this summer, I started having issues all too familiar come the end of this past July. However, the pain almost felt like I was having appendix issues. I called the dr they did blood tests, stool cultures and sent me for a CT.
The CT showed more than half of my colon was inflammed. Starting at the hepatic flexure to the rectum. A referral to the GI was finally given. The GI did a history on me and sent me in for an ultrasound. The ultrasound didn't show anything significant so they ordered a colonoscopy for last week.
I get a phone call today. The 3 biopsies they did all came back normal. However there was still significant inflammation in my rectum and in other spots as well. I see him Friday 11/18. He said the inflammation is not to be ignored, so I guess thats good that he isn't just going to slap an IBS diagnosis on me. Maybe??

So why am I here posting a question you may wonder...well, what gives, anyone have ANY sort of idea? I feel like I am back to square one and more frustrated than ever. I am upset that there is still no explanation to my right sided pain and my 5-7+ bathroom trips a day not to mention the fatigue and dizziness from time to time. I realize I could just wait until Friday but the impatient mother in me needs some sort of thought on this now.

Can anyone shed some light on this?

Thank you in advance!

[kimhg]

went through the same thing in my 20's.  they claimed it was ibs but turns out that it is cd.  only took them 8 years to figure that out.  hope you get the answers you need.  it is so frustrating not knowing what is going on.  you sound like you have the same symptoms i did.  

[hava]

Have pomegranate juice (not cold), or chew the fruit and discard the hard seeds. This will control the colon inflammation. Chew and eat one cm of the pomegranate  flesh(yellow), to control the trips to the bathroom.

Avoid sugar,milk and fried food.

Follow this breathing technique for 30 minutes, twice a day, to heal the colon.
Build up your timing gradually.If you feel tired or dizzy, stop and resume after one minute.
Kapalbhati pranayam -(Do it before eating) Push air forcefully out through the nose about once per second. Stomach will itself go in(contract in). The breathing in(through the nose) will happen automatically. Establish a rhythm and do for 20 to 30 minutes twice a day. Children under 15 years – do 5 to 10 minutes twice a day.
Not for pregnant women. Seriously ill people do it gently.
November 18 ,2011

[rally1987]

I went for a colonoscopy 3 weeks ago and the doctor diagnosed me with IBD, colitis. He said there was mild inflammation in the left side of my colon. He took 8 biopsies, 2 in four different locations. I get my biopsy results in 2 weeks. He said the biopsies would confirm the extent of the inflammation, how long I've had colitis.

[txrdmk123]

i was gonna suggest teh same thing my 15 yrs daughter has crohns and ulcerative colontist and you have same systems she has had with a flare  up. she usually response better with inflammation with iv steriods ti; they get her better and then take her off . they do have medication in which to help treat crohns but no cure . i sure wish you the best of luck with it. please note i am not a dr just know what my daughter has gona thru

[Mamabear0811]

Thank you for your response...I think I have read those already. I am glad to hear I am not crazy in thinking that it is an IBD. I just don't know why the biopsies would show normal when there was clear inflammation on the CT and during the colonoscopy.

Has this happened to anyone before?

[Kaneda2112]

It isn't IBS, it sounds like inflammatory bowel disease of some kind.

From the Mayo Clinic  and WebMD -

Inflammatory bowel disease is the name of a group of disorders that cause the intestines to become inflamed (red and swollen). The inflammation lasts a long time and usually comes back over and over again. More than 600,000 Americans have some kind of inflammatory bowel disease every year.

If you have inflammatory bowel disease, you may have abdominal cramps and pain, diarrhea, weight loss and bleeding from your intestines. Two kinds of inflammatory bowel disease are Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.

What is Crohn's disease?

Crohn's disease is an IBD that causes ulcers to form in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract anywhere from the mouth to the anus. Some people who have Crohn's disease have severe symptoms, while others have less severe symptoms. Some people who have the disease have long periods without symptoms, even without getting treatment. Others with more severe disease will need long-term treatment or even surgery.
What is ulcerative colitis?

Ulcerative colitis (say: “ul-sir-uh-tiv cole-eye-tiss”) is an IBD that causes your colon (a part of your large intestine) to become red and swollen. The redness and swelling can last for a few weeks or for several months. Symptoms may come and go for up to a year. These occurrences are called flare-ups.

The symptoms of Crohn’s disease?

Symptoms include stomach cramps, pain that comes and goes, diarrhea and blood in your stool. Other symptoms include losing weight, feeling sick to your stomach, having joint pain and feeling tired.
What are the symptoms of ulcerative colitis?

Symptoms of ulcerative colitis vary depending on how severe your case is and what section of your large intestine is affected. Symptoms often include the following:

    Diarrhea
    Blood in the stool
    Abdominal cramping and pain
    Pain in the rectum
    Unintended weight loss
    Fatigue
    A strong feeling that you need to have a bowel movement, but not being able to do so (called tenesmus)

You may have diarrhea over a period of weeks or months. The diarrhea may have blood in it. Some people have abdominal pain. The diarrhea and abdominal pain tend to come and go.

Inflammatory bowel disease treatment -

The best thing you can do is to take good care of yourself. It's important to eat a healthy diet. Depending on your symptoms, your doctor may ask you to cut down on the amount of fiber or dairy products in your diet. It also may be necessary to limit or avoid caffeine, alcohol and carbonated beverages. In addition to eating well, you need to get enough rest and exercise regularly. It's also important that you learn to manage the stress in your life. When you become overly upset by things that happen at home or at work, your intestinal problems can get worse.

You will most likely be treated by a team of doctors. This team may include your family physician, a gastroenterologist (a specialist in stomach and intestinal disorders) and, possibly, a surgeon.

The goal of treatment is to get rid of the inflammation. Many types of medicine can reduce inflammation, including anti-inflammatory drugs such as sulfasalazine, corticosteroids such as prednisone, and immune system suppressors such as azathioprine and mercaptopurine. An antibiotic, such as metronidazole, may also be helpful for killing germs in the intestines, especially if you have Crohn's disease.

These medicines may be given in one of the following ways:

    Orally (by mouth)
    As an enema (an injection of liquid through the rectum)
    As a suppository (a capsule of medicine that is inserted into the rectum and absorbed by the body)
    Intravenously (into a vein)

To help treat your symptoms, your doctor may recommend anti-diarrheals, laxatives, pain relievers or other over-the-counter (OTC) drugs. It is important to talk to your doctor before taking any OTC medicine on your own. Your body may not be able to handle the effects of medicine. If you have severe symptoms, such as diarrhea, fever or vomiting, you may need to go to the hospital to be treated with special fluids and medicines that must be given intravenously.

Steroids are generally used for people who have more severe form of Crohn’s disease. In more aggressive disease, steroids may be used with immunosuppressants or with a newer medicine called infliximab.

If ulcerative colitis becomes so severe that it can't be helped by medicines, it may be necessary to surgically remove part or all of your colon. Between 25% and 40% of people who have ulcerative colitis eventually need surgery. Crohn's disease usually isn't helped with surgery.

Because Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis keep coming back and their symptoms cannot be predicted ahead of time, patients who have these illnesses can become depressed. If you feel depressed, talk with your family doctor. An antidepressant medicine could help you feel better.

If you have IBD, you are at an increased risk of colon cancer. Talk to your doc about whether regular screening for colon cancer is right for you.