Crohn's Colitis?

Hi All -

I'm a little confused. I was dignosed last week as having what the dr called Crohn's Colitis. He didn't give me much information other then that I have colitis and told me to keep taking the meds that I have been on (I'm currently on Pred but I'm weening off of it at the moment) I was also on Asacol, but I was having pains in my ears and the he took me off of the Asacol to see if that could be the cause. Anyway, when I search Crohn's Colitis online I'm getting no information, everything I find is about UC. Whats the difference between the two? The dr told me to stay away from dairy until I'm off the pred to give my body a chance to mend - will I be able to go back to having dairy once I'm 'mended'?

I feel so lost about all of this, I have no idea where to turn! The Dr was helpful but only to a point, he answered my questions short and sweet and I don't feel like I'm educated at all about this!

I've also not had my period in 2 months - dr doesn't seem to concerned, he said that the Colitis could cause this and so could the pred. Is this really normal? I've never missed before this and I'm concerned!

Thanks so much!

That's a question I've been curious about, too.

Every time I see my GI, he comes in the rooms and says, "So! How's the Crohn's doing?" If I've been feeling good, I say that. But if I've been having bouts with loose bowels or diarrhea, he'll say something like, "Well, it sounds like your Colitis is acting up."

From what I can gather, my DISEASE is Crohn's. But when my bowels are active, that means my colon is inflamed. And since Colitis, by definition, means INFLAMMATION OF THE COLON, I think he's referring to the specific issue I'm having. Whereas, when I get a skin rash that's obviously related to my Crohn's, he might say, "Well, it looks lkke your Eczema is acting up."

Did that make any sense?!

Correct kittkat -- Crohns is the underlying disease, colitis is just one of many possible manifestations of that disease.

In terms of the dairy, you can be tested for lactose intolerance, but even if you are not formally positive for lactose intolerance, some people have trouble tolerating dairy when they are in a flare, but are ok in remission. I find that I do better with Lactaid milk and limited cheese, and I can't tolerate ice cream at all, yet I'm still not considered "lactose intolerant" by lab tests. I find it best with all of the diet advice, to see what works for you, as we all react individually to foods. In terms of understanding Crohn's, go to the ccfa.org website, and you will get great info. Hope this helps

There are five subtypes of Crohn's disease, distinguished by the gastrointestinal area in which the disease occurs. While Crohn's disease lesions can appear anywhere in the digestive tract, lesions rarely occur in the mouth, esophagus, and stomach unless there are also lesions in the lower parts of the tract (intestines).

Gastroduodenal CD - Gastroduodenal Crohn's disease, which affects the stomach and the duodenum (the highest, or beginning, portion of the small intestine), is often misdiagnosed as ulcer disease. The correct diagnosis frequently is not made until various ulcer treatments have failed, or until Crohn's disease is identified farther down the gastrointestinal tract. Symptoms of gastroduodenal CD include loss of appetite, weight loss, nausea, pain in the upper middle of the abdomen, and vomiting.

Jejunoileitis - Jejunoileitis is Crohn's disease of the jejunum (the longest portion of the small intestine), which is located between the duodenum and the ileum. Symptoms include mild to intense abdominal pain and cramps after meals, diarrhea, and malnutrition caused by malabsorption of nutrients. (The majority of nutrients are absorbed in the jejunum.) Fistulas (abnormal openings in the intestinal tract) may form. These can link a diseased area of the small intestine to another area of the intestine or another organ, such as the bladder. Fistulas may increase the risk of developing infections outside of the GI tract.

Ileitis - Ileitis affects the ileum (the lowest, or last, part of the small intestine). Symptoms include diarrhea and cramping or pain in the right lower quadrant and periumbilical (around the bellybutton) area, especially after meals. Malabsorption of vitamin B12 can lead to tingling in the fingers or toes (peripheral neuropathy). Folate deficiency can hinder the development of red blood cells, putting the patient at higher risk of developing anemia. Fistulas can develop, as can inflammatory masses.

Ileocolitis - Ileocolitis is the most common type of Crohn's disease. It affects the ileum (the lowest part of the small intestine) and the colon (the large intestine). Often, the diseased area of the colon is continuous with the diseased ileum, and therefore involves the ileocecal valve between the ileum and the colon. In some cases, however, areas of the colon not contiguous with the ileum are involved. Symptoms of ileocolitis are essentially the same as those present in ileitis. Weight loss is also common.

Crohn's Colitis (Granulomatous Colitis ) - Crohn's colitis affects the colon. It is distinguished from ulcerative colitis in two ways. First, there are often areas of healthy tissue between areas of diseased tissue; ulcerative colitis is always continuous. Second, while ulcerative colitis always affects the rectum and areas of the colon beyond the rectum, Crohn's colitis can spare the rectum, appearing only in the colon.

"col"=colon "itis"=inflammation....the biggest differences between having UC and CD are, with UC the inflammation remains on the surface of the lining, with CD the inflammation can go through the many layers of the intestinal lining (often leading to fistulas which UCers don't get)...the patterns of inflammation differ as well, with UC the entire area will be inflammed, with CD there are skipped patterns of inflammation with healthy tissue in between.

I too have crohns-colitis for the last 16ish yrs now....crohns can also affect more than one area at a time, colon, ileum, rectom (which is known as proctitis, inflammation of the rectom).

The same meds used to treat UC are used to treat crohns-colitis, because specific meds like asacol, imuran, ect are targeted to reach the colon where inflammation is.

:)