Stomach issues-possible Crohn's?

[msniki412]

Hello all,

I am a 28 year old female and my stomach problems started about a year ago in July 2013. It all started with severe upper stomach pain after eating. I wasn’t sure of what I was eating, which food item was doing it. So I stopped eating raw honey [as my mom advised I just may not be able to tolerate it], stopped eating greek yogurt in the morning. And I would still get this terrible pain in the upper part of my stomach. I realized I was eating berries [strawberries, blueberries] for breakfast and realized this could be the issue. So I stopped eating all three items and seemed to be ok. I continued to get upper stomach pain on off the rest of 2013, and I would take a previcid and some ginger ale and it would help. Stomach issues continued for the rest of the year and including this year, everything became worse.

Since August 29 I have lost 24lbs without trying. I get diarrhea for a few days which is then followed by constipation. I still get a lot of upper stomach pain, as well as cramps from my belly button to lower. When I eat,  I get full really fast so my meals are usually never finished. I have issues with anything acidic, whole wheat, corn and cannot tolerate fried foods [even in the least moderation]. I finally was able to see a gastro dr on 10/2 who ran some blood work, including food allergies and celiac [I have neither]. Upper endoscopy was performed on 10/31 and I have severe stomach erosion. I do not take advil or other pain medication on a daily basis. It’s only once in a while. I was prescribed Pantoprazole SOD 40mg which I take every morning before breakfast. Stomach pain and all the bathroom issues still continued. I believe the dr took some tissue samples from the stomach, but the results are not in yet-but I have a follow up on Dec 4. My colonoscopy was done just yesterday 11/17. Everything looked good, except my colon was red and slightly inflamed. Again, I think he may have taken tissue samples which all results should be in Dec 4.

I still am having issues with eating. I seem to be ok with really bland food [white bread, white rice, eggs] but nothing whole grain or too much fiber. I still am suffering from bouts of diarrhea and constipation. The stomach pain is still present. My appetite has decreased drastically, where some days I only eat because I know I need to eat something.

I have a history of migraines-being treated with Inderal LA 120mg, I take birth control and metformin 500 mg 2x for my PCOS. The only history of family members with stomach problems is my uncle-he suffers from IBS.

So I guess my question is, does this sound like crohn’s or could it just be another type of stomach issue?

Thank you.

[Megadodger]

Oh my, I'm glad you will be getting the answers that you need here shortly!

[msniki412]

Thank you for your reply. I did have a colonoscopy done on 11/17 and the colon was red and a bit inflamed. I believe the dr took tissue samples of both the colon and stomach. I also been suffering from fatigue as well, sort of like a run down feeling. The last time I had blood work was done in August 2014 and my white blood count was over 12,000. I have my next appointment on Dec 4 to discuss all the test results and hopefully to have an answer.  

[Megadodger]

Unfortunately it does sound like crohn's or colitis. But you have to understand that this is stuff that the majority of us have gone through as well.. Some of us have crohn's, some have colitis, so figuring out which one would definitely help you. I have colitis and I never had constipation. NEVER. There wasn't a day for 8-10 years that I didn't have diarrhea anywhere from 10-20 times a day.

Talk to your doctor about seeing a GI specialist. You need a colonoscopy as well as blood work. Narrowing down where the problem is will help the doctors decide what medications could help control whatever it is you may have.

Curcumin, wobenzym. Boswellia. Look into these three things. They were my life savers, no joke.

Stress is a huge factor when it comes to bowel problems as well. Try to relax in the evenings. Get lots of sleep. Take hot baths.. Make sure you're comfortable. That's the one thing I didn't do and I regret it! I chased my condition around corners for years and never could catch up.