So tell again why he doesnt know if its colitus or chrones if he

I haven't been following your situation exactly but my biopsy's came back UC most likely but I might have crohns. My doctor says to not get hung up on it because they are treated the same right now as long as there isn't any inflammation in the small intestine. All my blood tests came up inconclusive also.

I guess its just taking me awhile to get it Im sorry. He didnt sound like it was patchy but yet said he cant tell which it is so I guess it doesnt matter Im just courious.

A barium is not a guarantee that one doesn't have crohn's mind you, since CD can affect only one area at a time, and if at that particular time during a barium CD wasn't active in the small intestine then it won't show up but that does not 100% guarantee it's not CD especially if the GI gives a DX of inderterminate colitis.

This is why a good GI will insist you let them know ASAP if there are any changes, then they would proceed to do an upper GI test to see if there happens to be any activity going on that coincide with changes of symptoms.

:)

so what is a brium anyway?

when i was 16 i was dx with chrones by a doc, he was a real jerk and suggested surgery right away, i went to see another doc and was dx with UC, definitely not chrones, 10 years later it definitely isnt chrones and i still have my colon..........always get anoter doc's opinion

sweetmelody said...
i never said it was a sure way :) i said that that's what they did... and they said most of the time it shows up if it's crohns so it's a pretty good way of knowing.

Plus.. whatever i went for the colonoscopy for... was active at the time obviously... so it would have shown up...since what was hurting me was active...

anyways... whatever.. im not a dr...

I know you never said it was a sure way, all I was doing was simply pointing out that one could still have CD even if nothing showed in the barium at that particular times since CD can affect any part of the GI tract at any time.  And yes "most of the time" but CD can have no ryhme or reason, they estimate that for most CDers it starts in the TI but that's not always the case, mine started in the anus and quickly affected my rectom, colon and TI all at the same time for the first 2 yrs of getting sick.

A colonoscopy only shows what's in the colon, nothing much further up into the small intestines so even when I go for a colonoscopy there's only evidence of CD in my colon and when I've gone the last many yrs for bariums nothing has shown in my small intestines but I have crohn's not UC.

No need to be flip, I'm not a doctor either but I've got 17 yrs experiance with IBD so I was simply sharing my knowledge...too many people get confused easily with what's going on regarding their IBD, especially those that haven't had it for all that long and are still learning...besides which my reply wasn't necessarily directed to you, I just don't want others to get more confused so I clarified some things that I have experiance with.

Mom4321

Barium enema is a special x-ray of the large intestine, which includes the colon and rectum. Before x-rays are taken, a liquid called barium sulfate is placed in the rectum. The liquid is a type of contrast. Contrast highlights specific areas in the body, creating a clearer image. The barium eventually passes out of the body with the stools.

How the Test is Performed Return to top

This test may be done in an office or a hospital radiology department. You lie on the x-ray table and a preliminary x-ray is taken. You will then be told to lie on your side. The health care provider will gently insert a well-lubricated tube (enema) into your rectum. The tube is connected to a bag that contains the barium. The barium flows into your colon.

A small balloon at the tip of the enema tube may be inflated to help keep the barium inside your colon. The health care provider monitors the flow of the barium on an x-ray fluoroscope screen, which is like a TV monitor.

There are two types of barium enemas:

Single contrast barium enema uses barium to highlight your large intestine.
Double contrast barium enema uses the barium, but also delivers air into the colon to expand it. This allows for even better images.
You are asked to move into different positions and the table is slightly tipped to get different views. At certain times when the x-ray pictures are taken, you hold your breath and are still for a few seconds so the images won't be blurry.

The enema tube is removed after the pictures are taken. You will be given a bedpan or helped to the toilet, so you can empty your bowels and remove as much of the barium as possible. One or two x-rays may be taken after you use the bathroom.

An upper barium is An upper GI (gastrointestinal) series, or barium swallow, is a radiology test which is used to visualize the structures of the upper digestive system (the esophagus, stomach and duodenum). These structures are seen during the examination and the images are also saved for further review on x-ray film. The results of an upper GI series can reveal conditions such as ulcers, tumors, hiatal hernias, scarring, blockages, and abnormalities of the muscular wall of the gastrointestinal tissues.

:)

Another good option for those that are deemed indeterminate is the pill cam...this way they can get a better look-see at all the nooks and crannies since it can be very windey and turney in the small intestine and it's very easy for even the smallest patches of inflammation to hide that can cause quite some grief for a patient.

Typically when they use a colonoscopy to investigate the colon they can usually tell by the differences that a present between UC and CD, UC remains on the surface of the intestinal lining, where as CD can go through the many layers of the intestinal lining, CD is typically patchy inflammation with healthy tissue in between, with UC the entire affected area will be inflammed.

:)

These are the usual key markers for Crohns: 1. Small bowel inflammation (usually the TI) 2. Granuloma on biopsy 3. Inflammation tissues seperated by good tissue (patchy inflammation) 4. Low Hemaglobin 5. Inflammatory markers in blood I have just number 3 - ie some inflammation and some on the right. I have a Crohn's Colitis diagnosis - even though most markers aren't there. The histology also said "could be infective or IBD". The drugs are the same, it's frustrating but we can do nothing but get further opinions which cost money.