just asking questions

i forgot to mention, i also get very nauseous after everything i eat, doesnt matter what it is.
thanks

hi, thanks for your reply babs.
just have a few more questions, sorry.

can you be any age to get crohn's? im only 23.
are there any meds to help? im in agony and dont want to eat anything because i know its going to make me feel ill.
what tests do they do to check for it?

many thanks

I'd definitely get those symptoms checked out. Is the diarrhoea watery or loose? If watery, that's even more suggestive of a disease (not necessarily Crohn's at this stage, but it's probably the likeliest option) than IBS.

Between 20 and 30 is the peak age for getting Crohn's. Classically it's a disease of young adulthood, although sadly more children and teenagers are getting it nowadays.

There are meds... Typically, you're put on a course of steroids to control the immediate symptoms, then on a longer-term maintenance med. The maintenance meds vary according to disease severity, location, etc. but essentially there are three types. 1) The anti-inflammatories AKA Asacol, Pentasa, etc. These are used for mild disease or to prevent or delay the return of Crohn's disease once in remission. 2) The immune-suppressants AKA 6MP and Imuran. These are stronger than the anti-inflamatories, but they can be used as a very long-term maintenance med. And 3) The biologics or anti-TNFs AKA Remicade, Humira. These are the newest and strongest drugs for Crohn's. Usually used as a maintenance drug nowadays.

Tests: colonoscopy, small bowel follow through, capsule endoscopy, upper GI endoscopy, MRI scan, plus blood and stool tests. Note: you won't get all those tests! And I haven't mentioned every single possible test which can be performed, but those are all the major ones, I think. The most standard and routinely perfomed of them is the colonoscopy. You should also request at least one upper GI test, too, to look for Crohn's in the small bowel.

Just a suggestion... I do sympathise 100% with how awful you feel right now (believe me, I know), but I'd be wary about taking anything before you have the tests done. Some people without a diagnosis of IBD been known to go on steroids, Pentasa, or whatever, to control the symptoms, and then they have a clear scope and still no diagnosis.

badamz, there are others on here who can better tell you what happens if you don't get treated, but I know with me, I was extremely ill, lost tons of weight and was almost hospitalized and tube fed.  Others end up having major surgeries.  So, it is extremely important to get treated. 

You can absolutely get misdiagnosed.  It took 8 years for me to get a proper diagnosis and now, 5 years later, my doctor is questioning whether or not it was a correct diagnosis.  Many people first get diagnosed with IBS, which is kind of a catch-all phrase that the drs use until they really figure it out, at least in my experience.  I was diagnosed with IBS, my gallbladder was removed, I had surgeries for endometriosis, thinking that was the problem, etc., only to receive the Crohn's diagnosis later.  It can take many years and many tests to get properly diagnosed, unless you get the right test and the right doctor at the right time. 

I hope they find out that yours is not Crohn's, as it would be much better to just have IBS.  But, I also know how great it is to get a diagnosis after suffering for a long time, even if that diagnosis is something like Crohn's. 

actually come to think of it, i was diagnosed with ibs when i was 16, they didnt do any tests, that was just what they put it down to and i havent bothered about it since, ive just pressumed thats what it is. i have had loads of tests and stuff due to abdomian pains, like endometriosis, everything to do with the reproductive system, but thats it.

im scared tho, incase it is crohn's.

thankyou babs. i cant go to the gp 2morrow, as im seeing family, but i will go on friday and will let you know how i get on.
in a way im hoping its not crohns, cuz then i'll be able to just try and sort out something for ibs, but in a way i would like it to be, cuz then it will explain why im having so many problems with the pain and bowel.
but i just thought aswell, with my bowel movements, its either 6-7 times a day or not at all, i have no middle ground of just once a day :(

it will be great to know whats causing me so much pain and discomfort. i will be posting on friday to let you know how i get on.

thankyou so much for helping.

take care x

thankyou greyeyedblonde. i will be going to the docs on friday, my husband is making sure i go now that he knows how bad it can be untreated. i just hope some of you people could come with me to help explain to the doc lol.

take care all

thankyou vixen. i have a feeling my gp will probably fob me off and tell me its just ibs, but i have had ibs and this is alot worse than your bowels just going into spasms.

im glad your son was eventually listened to and is getting the help he needs. hopefully it wont take a couple of years to make my gp realize tho.

hope your ok.

take care.

this is how it progressed for me, I was 20 and started getting nausea when i would eat and vomit then c then d then total obstuction with major surgery to remove 8ft of disease, this took 3months, not years for me, it happened pretty quik, I was in and out of hosp for a year in 1970, they would put me in hosp. put gi tube down my throat and pump stomach to rest stomach for weeks at a time, finally after bowel bypass surgery that didn't work, made it worse, then developed fistula at ilieum that ate hole in bladder, I had cath for months, they evan sent me home with cath, anyway have gi check you out.

thankyou guys....i think lol. this may be a stupid question, but what is IBD??

i hope i can get a diagnosis soon and hopefully it wont be anything to worry about :/

sorry to hear about all your probs and im hoping their giving you a bit of a break at mo.

thanks
amy

oh ok, thankyou for explaining that to me kazbern. not really sure what to say to my doctor, cuz i know he is very likely to just tell me its IBS just to keep me quiet without doing any tests :(