Crohn's / IBS

My GI told me it is very common to have both when he gave me the diagnosis.

Elizabeth

Wasn't aware you could have both. Went to my appt on Monday and was informed that I do not only have Crohn's but I also have IBS. It was very out of the blue for him to say that. We were about to leave and he said it. Mentioned a quick thing about pain before leaving and then he said the IBS / Crohn's. So was just kind of weird. Never been told before that I had both. So it came out of left field. I tried to ask questions if you can have both and how, etc and no answers were given. I'm in the middle of a search right now for a new GI. I have had issues since Feb 2008 was diagnosed in March 2010. Have never been in remission not even sure what that is. Have never gone one day without having a BM. Just really confused. Not sure to believe that I have both if he couldn't give me any answers only thing he told me to do was take an immodium ad but 1/2 of one. Thanks so glad I paid $25 co pay, $16 for parking, an hour wait in the waiting room to be told that!!

Thank you, rlsnights. I really don't like having IBS linked to any inflammatory illness, it's too confusing for people. What does it mean, anyway? IBS is a syndrome that includes diarrhea, cramps and gas. How in the world can anyone with Crohn's distinguish between those symptoms being a syndrome or part of their disease? I know there are some folks here who say they have both, and if that's working for them I'm not going to argue. But what does it mean to you? And Redsoxgirl85, if you want to ignore this comment, I think there's nothing wrong with that.

Immodium could be very effective in limiting diarrhea, but I'd be worried about becoming constipated. And it doesn't really address the underlying problem (Crohn's). Some DRs also prescribe antispasmotic drugs to help smooth out bowel spasms. Maybe that's something to think about.

IBS is extremely common; it just makes sense that some folks with IBD will also have IBS. How you distinguish between the two is the million dollar question, but I don't think it's impossible. IBD has certain markers and symptoms that IBS just doesn't have, for example. Some people have had a sensitive gut all their lives: that won't change just because they develop IBD. Okay, you might say the sensitive gut was early/undiagnosed IBD, but in many cases it won't be. It will just be a sensitive gut. Take my example. As a child and teenager, I suffered from dreadful constipation. I did eat a pretty dreadful diet, but so do a lot of children and they don't get constipation. There may have been a psychological component (I wasn't a happy bunny), but I must have also had a physical tendency towards having a sluggish colon.

Then when I was in my mid-20s, I get the exact opposite symptom to the one I had for most of my life: diarrhoea. No way was that IBS. That was the Crohn's. But ever since diagnosis, I have occasionally flipped back to severe constipation. And I do wonder if that is the old childhood constipation reasserting itself.

@RedSoxGirl - With IBS, you can have mainly constipation, mainly diarrhoea, or alternate between the two. I have read that that watery stools are an indication of organic disease, whereas in IBS stools tend to be loose rather than pure liquid. So if that's true that's one hint for distinguishing IBS and IBD, I guess. Personally, from everything you've said, I would take your doctor's pronouncement with a huge pinch of salt. If he's not prepared to explain it, I wouldn't be prepared to believe it.

That's easy! Diarrhoea. Every single time. Absolutely hate everything to do with constipation, whereas running off to the bog never really bothered me that much. And once it's out, I feel a whole lot better. I'd far rather something went straight through me than linger about about in my sore and uncomfortable intestines for ages. Even if you don't have Crohn's, constipation is still horrible. The first 3 days or so of not going might be okay, but then after that it just gets increasingly uncomfortable and horrible: urges to go which don't amount to anything, anal leakage (sorry for TMI), bloated stomach, gas rumbling around, foul farts, feeling sluggish due to a sluggish colon, etc. Your friend won't necessarily get all that, but I bet she must feel pretty horrible after not going for a week.

NCOT- Glad I asked really never thought you'd say that figured constipation. But guess only because I never have been so don't know how both can be very painful and not fun. Good to know.

MMMNAVY- She has a check up coming so I told her she needs to bring it up. I gave her some Miralax that my mom had here to her and she went about an hour later. So it helped her a lot. But she needs to get it checked not normal and sometimes she doesn't even go for weeks on end. But no pain at all. So maybe just not enough fiber or something. But can't imagine not going! Nice to know apple juice helps move stuff along will have to take that if I ever run into a problem.

Cheers for the suggestion, MMMNAVY. If I had any apple juice I'd actually try it right now, since my guts have slowed right down over the last 2 days. I've been eating more due to being more hungry, but my guts do go into a sulk if I overburden them.

What I don't advise is drinking a whole bottle of castor oil :p Been there, done that... <_<

@RedSoxGirl - It's possible if you got constipation you may disagree with me and not find it that bad! But I don't know of anybody who doesn't find constipation unpleasant. It would be interesting to hear other people's opinions on this topic...

As I was told by my GI (a world renowned GI that heads up the research for crohn's and colitis in Canada), he explained that it's more common for an IBDer to develop IBS as well especially if you're a severe IBDer (frequent/long lasting flares) and they are 2 seperate entities....just because they have very similar symptoms does not mean one cannot have both. I have both, and I believe my GI because the way he explains it makes perfect sense to me.

Wow, THANK YOU all for your responses! Very interesting. I guess I need to do some research so I can see what symptoms are IBD and which are IBS but I sitll don't believe I have IBS. It seemed like a bull crap answer to just shut me up and get me out the door! Got a call from this office yesterday saying that they checked my cortisol level because I was so sensitive to steriods and my level was very high. So have to see some specialist and will ask when I go there what they have on my file IBD or IBD/IBS. Thanks again everyone!

@jeanneac - Best of luck with your surgery and may you have a speedy recovery!!

@ NCOT - Would be very interesting what other people would say if they rather be consipated or just D all the time. My mom tends to get constipated a lot but never painful. She's 52 so wonder if and when I hit that age if I will eventually have that problem instead.

I was told for 2 yrs before being diagnosed with crohns that i had IBS. Until the month i ended up in the emergency room 3 times and each time admitted into hospital for a week at atime, when they decided to do x-rays and an ultrasound and that was it! But they did discover I had crohns and that was in the beb. By the december I was in for a resection as I kept flaring and the steroids were not helping to control the crohns.
Now 4 years down the line I battle more now with the diarrhoea than I did before the resection and this year has been one major flare for me, been on the steroids so many times I cant count, and dont know how much I have been at work this year, but not a lot!!
Now they are putting me on Humira to try and control it, and if that doesnt work might end up with more surgery!
But I think that a lot of ppl get misdiagnosed with IBS and it is actually just the crohns, just varying degrees of it!
Good luck and hope it is just the one and not both for you!