We're all guilty of using Dr Google and we're usually wrong when we self-diagnose. The thing with IBD diagnosis is there is a series of tests run and the results from those tests need to point us toward a diagnosis. When we google, we find something and say that's definitely it when we see symptoms we are experiencing and are sure of it! However IBD symptoms overlap so many conditions that their is a process of elimination in diagnosis. Let's look at a simple example, a storybook case of UC:
1.) Patient complains of blood in stool, urgent and loose bms, and lower abdominal discomfort. At this point blood in stool points towards a plausible IBD diagnosis. However, we first need to rule out pathogens.
2.) A stool test is run to check for pathogenic causes to those symptoms. As pathogens like clostridium difficile overlap. Infections Colitis is also possible. Assume in this case that the stool test results are negative for pathogens.
3.) A colonoscopy is ordered. The colonoscopy shows inflammation starting at the beginning of the rectum and it is continuous to the sigmoid colon and then stops abruptly and everything looks normal from that point forward including a normal ileum. Within the inflamed area, ulceration is visible during the scope, and the normal orderly pattern of blood vessels is chaotic (a chronic architectural change). The inflamed intestinal wall bleeds when touched by the scope. Result probable Chronic Colitis suggestive of ulcerative colitis, confirm with other test results.
4.) The biopsies taken during that colonoscopy note shallow inflammation, crypt abscesses and cryptitis (a UC sign) and abnormally thick cell walls (a chronic architectural change).
5.) Based on the test results of 2, 3, and 4 the patient is diagnosed with UC, and given Mesalamine oral and rectal route medications.
As another example, but this time Crohn's: The biopsies would note very deep tissue inflammation, and the colonoscopy would have noted patchy inflammation with the rectum often spared, and usually inflammation within the Ileum. Their might be other tell tale signs of aphthous ulcers or cobblestoning that might reinforce that Crohn's diagnosis.
Now your case doesn't line up with either of the above at all. But I figured some examples might help of storybook cases. There are always exceptions to rules where something looks a little bit like crohn's and a little bit like UC, there are definite gray areas and diagnoses to go with them (indeterminate colitis, crohn's-colitis) but they all have biopsies that support chronic architectural changes.
Post Edited (iPoop) : 8/24/2017 2:25:40 PM (GMT-6)