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IBS or Crohn's?

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Crohn's Disease
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Mississippi_girl
New Member
Joined : Aug 2007
Posts : 14
Posted 8/15/2007 5:53 PM (GMT -8)

I am new to this board, and have some questions as to whether I may be experiencing Crohn's rather than the IBS I have been diagnosed with.  My primary symptom is of course diarrhea; it comes on within an hour of eating, and is "violent" (accompanied by extremely painful cramps and forceful gas) and urgent (cannot be held - have had one accident and lots of near misses.)  I was put on glycopyrrolate by an FNP to help w/ the diarrhea; this helps somewhat, as far as frequency, but now, I am experiencing a kind of constipation; it's as if the same chaos is going on inside, it just can't get out.  The cramps (usually mid-abdomen to lower right side) and bowel sounds begin, and it becomes an all-day process to move first the harder stool, then progressivly looser until completely water.  Occasionally, I have an extreme cramp, I call it a "stitch" in my left side, under my ribcage; it hurts to the point of making it hard to breathe and move.  After an hour or two of this pain, a bowel sound that is so loud it is audible to people who aren't even standing next to me occurs, followed by the urgent diarrhea.  Another really worrisome symptom that has started in the last few months and has occurred about six times is that during these awful painful episodes of sitting there, crying in pain and waiting for it all to pass, I get an immediate urge to throw up.  No nausea, just all of a sudden, I have to throw up.  It is usually yellow and burns coming up.  Also, I have seen bright specks of blood on the tissue from small splits, which also burn like fire when the liquid stool hits them.  I feel out of control, trapped by my symptoms, and really frightened.  PS, my oldest brother had ulcerative colitis and had a complete colostomy at age 22. (I am 42 now; had symptoms for about 18 months; treated for IBS for about 6 months.)  Any help or advice is appreciated.  I am scheduled to see a gastro- later this month, but am so frightened that this may be Crohn's, I would like some information.  Thank you for this site and your help.

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Mac_Gyver
Regular Member
Joined : Aug 2007
Posts : 349
Posted 8/15/2007 5:57 PM (GMT -8)
Have they ruled out crohn's? What type of tests have you gotten done? Colonoscopy? Small bowel follow through?
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pb4
Elite Member
Joined : Feb 2004
Posts : 20577
Posted 8/15/2007 7:58 PM (GMT -8)
With IBS there is NO BLOOD, except with the exception of having a hemheroid which can bleed...there is also no inflammation with IBS...with IBD there can be blood and there is inflammation...

the symptoms of IBD and IBS can be almost exact with frequency, pain, loss of normal control (having accidents and urgency)...until you get scoped and all the other tests, blood, stool, there's really no way anyone can confirm for you whether it's IBS or IBD (or both) that you're experiancing right now...

do you mean you have fissures...tiny papercut like sores on your anus which bleed...typically fissures are associated with IBD, but having constant D can cause that so I guess it could be happening as a result of IBS as well.

Let us know what your tests confirm.


smile
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teddybearweiser
Veteran Member
Joined : Oct 2004
Posts : 3042
Posted 8/16/2007 1:12 AM (GMT -8)
Hi, I would recommend getting a colonoscopy. That way they can see if its Crohn's or IBS.
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KitKatBaker
Veteran Member
Joined : Feb 2005
Posts : 1146
Posted 8/16/2007 1:27 AM (GMT -8)
Hi Mississippi_Girl, and welcome to Healingwell.
If you haven't had a colonoscopy yet, you certainly need to have one. Have you tried keeping a food diary at all? Keeping track of your symptoms and the foods that you have eaten? Have you made any adjustments to your diet after being diagnosed with IBS?

Personally, food doesn't make much difference for me, but many people feel better when they stay away from certain foods. I would look at that first, while you are waiting for your GI appointment.
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Mississippi_girl
New Member
Joined : Aug 2007
Posts : 14
Posted 8/16/2007 5:37 AM (GMT -8)
Thank you all for your helpful input - to answer some of your questions:  no, I haven't had a colonoscopy yet; I'm guessing the GI will order one after I see him - I did have an EGD (upper scope) around the same time I started having symptoms, because I was having right side pain (they eventually diagnosed it as my gallbladder and I had it removed Dec. 05) anyway, they same I had some gastric erosions from that "end", but I haven't had the colon done yet.  I am guessing that these are fissures that I have - they do not bleed a lot, just on wiping, but they sting like fire when that bile hits them!  I have not kept at actual food diary yet, but have tried to make mental note of times/foods/etc. and so far have not figured out anything that seems to trigger more than other - just kind of everything.  So again, I appreciate all your input, and will hope for more insight after I see the Dr. - any other thoughts you have are welcome.  Thanks again.

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Mississippi_girl
New Member
Joined : Aug 2007
Posts : 14
Posted 8/16/2007 7:48 AM (GMT -8)
Also a couple of other questions: What about the spontaneous vomiting? Is this indicative of a blockage of some sort, of maybe just caused from the intense pain? And have any of you been prescribed glycopyrrolate? It basically "dries up" everything, including your saliva - I just don't know how safe it is to keep using it, and if it's really helping that much. Thanks again.
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killerzoey
Regular Member
Joined : Jul 2007
Posts : 161
Posted 8/18/2007 12:58 PM (GMT -8)
The others are much more knowledgeable with their replies than I am but I did hear something from my GI yesterday about IBS that I thought was interesting.

She said many people with Crohn's also have IBS. And that when they're in CD remission they often have IBS symptoms which can make them think they are in a flare. So a GI has to ascertain which is acting up.

Just thought I'd pass that along as I thought it was interesting and semi-relevant.
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pb4
Elite Member
Joined : Feb 2004
Posts : 20577
Posted 8/18/2007 1:31 PM (GMT -8)
You can also have a CD flare along with IBS symptoms, although some strongly disagree with that I know it's possible.


smile
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dragonfly137927
Veteran Member
Joined : Sep 2006
Posts : 2527
Posted 8/18/2007 3:14 PM (GMT -8)
I would reccomend a colonoscopy and maybe a promethius blood test. A small bowel follow through is sometimes helpful in Dx as is a CT scan or even better now is a CT enterography (same idea drink a lot of barium ...this one is clear though not white...you have to drink 2.5 bottles of it and they give you 15 min between each bottle then you drink water in the room with the tech) I hope you get some answers soon. The only time I had blood in my stool was when I was initially sick when they were trying to figure out what was wrong with me. Luckily it took only a cpl weeks (I went in the hospital 2 days before Christmas so not many people were on as far as specialties in the childrens part of the hospital then). At that point I was having bloddy and mucus filled D every 20 minutes and there was no controling it. I started a flare last yr (one with D not C which is my norm) and no blood was present it got to the point that my GI thought I had a virus since I had D. After my CTE in january he didnt want to change my Tx and the following month my ileum perforated so I had emergency Sx...long story there...)

I hope you get some answers soon, the sooner the better I think
Stef
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