Can someone have Crohns Disease without blood present?

Thank you Gloria and Jaw for your replies, I do appreciate them.

With regard to your questions Jaw, my stool inflammatory marker results were tested 4 times in a year and a half period and the results were all very similar, between 250 to 300. Now I know in that same period I had 3 blood tests done and they were all fine. I did refer to high platelet levels in my initial post on this thread, but at that time I was suffering with stomach ulcer(s), and this occurred before I started getting the symptoms I mentioned, and before any stool tests were done. The ulcers were successfully treated with Omeprazole, however I have been unable to come off this drug as I suffer with awful rebound effects when I try to wean myself off them. I have found evidence by the BJGP (British Journal of General Practice) and the Scandanavian Journal of Gastroenterology that there is evidence to suggest that PPI's (which Omeprazole is) are associated with raised faecal calprotectin results. I know the faecal calprotectin test specificity can be affected by many things, and if these reports are in fact true then it would make sense why my calprotectin results are always there and always similar, due to me taking Omeprazole and my dose being always being the same, if that makes sense?

As for an abdominal X-Ray, I was referred for a small bowel MRI, however due to Covid-19 and other issues, this has been delayed, however I was told that my last colonoscopy, which was not that long ago and where biopsies were taken, showed that I had a healthy looking colon, terminal ileum and rectum (minus the hemorrhoids), and was told that Crohns Disease was very unlikely.

I'd be grateful to hear your thoughts on the information I have provided.

glad to be able to help in some way.

in ref. to the bloods it makes sense now when you've said you had a load done before experiencing these symptoms. perhaps next time things are at their peak are you able to ask your gp to run some blood tests?? theyd do them anyway no doubt if you are having any abdo pains and diarrhoea....

in ref to the mri that'll be good when you can get that done cuz they are good at showing whether theres a deeper issue. the reason I asked about an xray was because that's what finally showed doctors there was something wrong with me. all my bloods and stool tests were coming back normal yet I was vomiting, had diarrhoea and was in sever pain.... the xray showed that my large bowel was really inflamed. so from there I then had a CT Scan and a colonoscopy the next day....

trust you can get some more scans or tests done soon to try and figure out what this is! all the best 😃

Many thanks for your reply Jaw.

Sorry to hear you had to endure such bad symptoms, I hope you have it under control now. I guess I should count myself lucky, my symptoms are mild most of the time. I have also been diagnosed with Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome which I know can have adverse effects on the digestive system.

The next step would obviously to get the scans done, however I've also been diagnosed with a severe anxiety disorder and the MRI scan really scares me. Its not the scan itself that I'm concerned about, I'd happily sit in the tube all day, the part that really worries me is the drinking of the contrast fluid and injection of dye that stresses me out. You see, ever since I started getting my symptoms I have this fear of ingesting new things or anything that i am unsure of. It seems diet plays a significant role in how I feel, and if I eat something that doesn't agree with me I am in a world of hurt shortly afterwards. Can you tell me what your MRI experience was like please? To have some knowledge of the procedure and what to expect will hopefully give me the get up and go to get this part of my investigation done.

thanks for your kind message.

my crohns isnt flared at the moment. however I have suspected scar tissue so I'm having a few complications sadly! but I've got through it before so I will get through it again 😉

sorry to hear you suffer from anxiety. my sister also has bad anxiety and she has crohns too! so a lot of things like scans and procedures would stress her out too, it's not unusual.

yes certainly. I have had 2 or 3 MRIs and each time has been successful and stress free...obviously if you have anxiety you may still worry about it but I would assure you theres no need 😉 the dye part was actually kinda cool haha. it just feels tingly or tickly whilst it's going in and after that you wont even know anymore about it. the drink part is also fine so dont stress about it 😃 I had it orange flavoured from what I remember and it was just like sitting drinking juice!

so yeah I had to get there an hour before, have the drink, go to the bathroom, change into a gown and then off I went into the room. They then got me to lie on the bed, popped the dye in and away we went....I would say the longest and least bearable part is lying on the bed for half an hour or an hour not being allowed to move a muscle! so if you dont mind the part being in the tunnel etc then you'll breeze through the other bits! i dont mind the tunnel either, i just take the opportunity to have some peace and relax haha.

let me know if you've any other concerns or questions, happy to help. best of luck 😃

Lets hope you manage to keep your Crohns at bay for as long as possible, although the scar tissue problem and the complications doesn't sound like much fun at all! And sorry to hear your sister suffers as well, I have read that Crohns Disease is frequently a hereditary condition, all the best to her as well. If I do have it then it will be the first case in our family, lucky me!!

Thank you so much of telling me your experiences with the MRI scans you have had, it doesn't sound too bad at all to be honest, but there is always a significant difference from what you are told to when you are actually presented with the situation. I would like to say your comments have inspired confidence in me to get on with it, but for me it's going to be rather stressful and a case of bite the bullet and go for it!

Many thanks again for your time, I really do appreciate your help, I will be in touch if I need any further advice, and I wish you and your family all the best in the future. Stay safe!