undiagnosed

[woza10]

hi can anyone help??????? ive been suffering for 7 years now it all started when i started with sickness and the runs also really bad abdominal pains in hospital the told me appdendicitis when i had my appendics they were just slightly inflammed so wasnt that!!! days later i was same again also alot of blood in stools they told me it was selmonella after sigmoidoscopy and my colon was moderately inflamed but possibly imflammatory bowel disease. ive never felt right since then had the runs infrequently bad stomachs loads of gas now i get really bad cramps and pains my stomach spasms and gurgles all the time i cant stop burping and bloated all the time. i had colonoscopy which was normal to my amazement. i had two abdominal x rays both times my small intestine was distended my consultant has  arranged barium follow through and cat scan.  could it be crohns??

[woza10]

yeh was very helpfull thank you

[FabGrandma]

In April /07 my cousin sent me a email telling me he had been diagnosed with celiac disease. I had never heard of it before, but his sysmptoms sounded a lot like what I was experiencing.  I had diarrhea every day, lots of gas and bloating, pain in my legs and feet, just to mention a few things that were wrong with  me.

I switched to a gluten free diet, which means you eat nothing containing wheat, rye, or barley.  No bread, crackers, fried foods coated with breading, etc. I felt better in just 48 hours! I have been gluten free since April, it is not really all that hard to do, you can buy gluten free pasta, bread, cookies, just about anything. Give it a try and see if you feel better.

I was not diagnosed, I do not have health insurance, so I don't know if I have celiac or not, but I will be eating gluten free from now on because all my symptoms are gone.  If you do decide to ask to be tested for celiac, you could get a negative on it, but that only means  you do not have celiac disease. You could still be gluten intolerant and not have celiac. Hope this helps you.

[lizziecee]

Hi - floating stools usually means you are not absorbing fat and can lead to malnutrition. Guess it is time you went to see your GP and ask for a referral to a gastro. Inability to absorb your food properly as evidenced by diarrhea can make you very tired.
Take care,
Liz.

[woza10]

yes im in england also forgot to mention my stools float and i feel tired all the time. thanks for your reply.

[lizziecee]

Yes, it could be Crohn's in the small intestine, since the colonoscopy was clear. My Crohn's started (37 yrs ago) in my small intestine, around the ileum which is next to the appendix, so is often misdiagnosed, although my problem is now throughout the whole GI tract. Besides the barium follow through I would respectfully suggest an endoscopy of the small bowel, as not only will the GI be able to view the mucosal lining for inflammation, but also be able to take biopsies, which cannot be done with barium follow through.

I don't know where you live, but here in England I get regular calprotectin stool assay tests. Non-invasive, but if out of range, do highly suggest there is inflammation somewhere (but not specifically) in the intestines. If the calprotectin is positive, further invasive testing can be done. I have never had a cat scan for Crohn's but am waiting for an MRI to determine the severity of a recently dx stricture in the small bowel, which was detected by endoscopy of the small intestine.  You don't want to mess around with Crohn's!!  If it is indeed Crohn's you really need to be on medications to bring, and keep, the inflamation under control.

Good luck and hope you get a definitive diagnosis soon.

Liz.