HealingWell
Search Close Search
☰

Misdiagnosed??

Support Forums
>
Ulcerative Colitis
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply
❬ ❬ Previous Thread |Next Thread ❭ ❭
Posted 2/27/2010 4:22 PM (GMT 0)
I was diagnosed with Crohn's Disease 11 years ago..Ive had 4 colonoscopy...One of the Dr.s I had said he believed I had both Crohn's and ulcerative Colitis...can you have both?? Ive never had surgery. I have flare ups all the time,  I  always have bloody mucus stools, fatigue, diarrhea, stomach pain, And pain in my joints. To be fair I haven't been a good patient not always taking my meds or making it to my appointments. Ive been having a pretty severe flareup for the last 6 weeks , They have me on prednosone, and asacol, the normal..only three days ago my symptoms started to lessen,   less diarrhea, less blood. I had a Colonoscopy yesterday with a new Dr. And after she told me she doesn't think I have Crohn's,  She thinks I have Ulcerative Colitis. Anyone else ever experience this?
Posted 2/27/2010 5:16 PM (GMT 0)
Georgia,
I think only doing a colonoscopy if there is any suspicion of crohns is kinda crummy doctoring. I had extremely severe disease that was hiding in the small intestine, that is not reached in colonscopy or a regular EGD. Pill camera is certainly less invasive then a long endoscopy, but does not provide biosies. While the pathology reports should shed some light on what exactly you have. Why not make sure?
Take care,
Navy
Posted 2/27/2010 5:44 PM (GMT 0)
     Yes...when first hospitalized back in 98 my present GI doctor diagnosed me with ulcerative colitis.  When the senior member of his practice visited me upon discharge from the hospital, he said to me..."how long have you had Crohn's Disease?"  This really threw me for a loop.  You would think that doctors in the same practice would get their heads together and come up with an intelligent diagnosis, wouldn't you?  Well, the senior associate was getting a tad senile and has since retired, so I always stuck with my regular GI.  So far he hasn't steered me wrong, but I am still suffering and may be looking at surgery in the not too distant future.  Seems like there is a fine line between Crohn's and UC.  However, my problem is confined to the rectum...nothing anywhere else.
Posted 2/27/2010 6:41 PM (GMT 0)
There is such a thing as Chrons Colitis. Maybe you have that? As Christine said, there is a fine line between Chrons and Colitis and it's most important to diagnose if you're considering surgery but otherwise, it is usually treated in a similar way. I believe if you have Chrons, surgery to remove the colon may not cure your issues. That is why it is important to get a definite diagnosis before having surgery. I am not 100% convinced that I have UC, I sometimes wonder if it could be Chrons but my doctor seems to think it is pretty conclusive that is is UC right now. I guess only time will tell. I used to think I was misdiagnosed, I thought I had a bug like C Diff, or CMV or maybe Lyme disease, who knows. For me, personally, I don't think I have had enough testing to really conclude that I have UC but I haven't had medical insurance so there is no way to find out. Until I can get answers, I believe I have UC. I did get a colonoscopy and biopsies that were in-line with UC and I had stool tests that rule out C Diff or another bug. It's coming down to UC by process of elimination. I was hoping for a simpler cure. Hope you are feeling better quickly and that you get some answers to your questions. It sounds like the new doctor is more helpful.
Posted 2/28/2010 2:26 PM (GMT 0)

It's really not important which disease you have; it's far more important to treat the disease so you can live in good health.  You really should stick with maintenance meds to maintain remission.  You are doing far more damage by cycling on and off drugs.  Both diseases are chronic and lifelong.  They won't go away.

Sue

✚ New Topic ✚ Reply