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IBS or Crohn's?

Posted , 5 users are following.

walterw
walterw

For the last five years, I have had a recurring problem that comes on the same way every time and hits me like a truck. I will spontaneously start having diarrhea constantly (every hour) and nausea, along with chills and generally feeling terrible. It feels like a stomach virus. Going to the hospital for an I.V. helps. Eventually, by taking a medicine called debridat, I get back to normal.

The first time it happened, the chills and nausea and frequent bathroom trips went away quickly, but I had diarrhea a few times a day for about 6 months after before finally, gradually getting back to normal. Every time since, the diarrhea has gotten better in the first few days, along with the other symptoms.

This has happened about once a year since, and every time seems to be when my immune system is really low (haven't been sleeping, international flights, sunburned, etc.)

Last year, I had a colonoscopy which showed a little ulceration in the part of the small intestine that indicates Crohn's. The doctor said it's either Crohn's or possibly the result of taking NSAIDs. I have taken a ton of NSAIDs in my life, but not too often leading up to the colonoscopy.

For the other 360 days a year, I eat whatever I want, unaffected. Then, boom!

Does anyone have any input on whether this is Crohn's or just IBS? Any advice?

 

0 likes, 11 replies

11 Replies

  • astrozombie
    astrozombie walterw

    Posted

    I have something very similar and I do not have Crohn's.  The reason I am up this early is due to illness.  I wake say 6.30am with a very urgent need to go and at first I start perspiring and then later the chills. I am out now but may need to go back in shortly.  That is how it works for me and often on a Sunday.  I am not sure if this is self inflicted though as trying out new fruit and veg as prior to illness I did not eat it at all and last night I had chicken as normal with a few carrots and a new veg mangetout which I find this morning is high in fibre so not sure if that has triggered it or stress at work.  I originally took a lower paying stress free job but because of my background I am now being asked to look into more areas which have an element of stress attached but whatever the reason it is why I am sending this message anyway.  Until recently my illness had dissipated somewhat but the way I am feeling now when I first started being ill in 2011 was 2 - 3 times per week and then it slowed to weekends and mainly Sunday and now it is more intermittent.  Now where did I put that TV blanket and yes I do have one for times like this. My tests always come back negative and they always tell me I am an anxious person so for me maybe it is simply my own personality making me ill.  I am involved with external regulators at the moment so I have been under more stress than usual so for me this could be the reason.  I would have to try mangetout again and see how it goes.

    • pam_pig1
      pam_pig1 astrozombie

      Posted

      You sound like me except  not really looked into mine for years.  i rarely get constipated  but always getting  hot sweats, nausea and constantly getting diarroea.Then i feel cold and clammy.I know i get anxious sometimes but was told years ago that my intestines go into spasm as a result instead of just moving my waste matter gradually along it causes the diarroea.For instance i couldent find my folder yesterday with all my documents for going away. The longer it went on the more anxious i got and pow. In and out of the loo 4 times.  I take omoprezole and live on immodium and fed up with it,It can happen even when im not anxious. Hope you find an answer Does anyone out there have any advice for either of us.x
  • philippa61759
    philippa61759 walterw

    Posted

    If you have Crohns blood is usually found in your stool. Did you have a fecal calprotectin test which looks for inflammation?  If you had this test was your level of inflammation high? People with Crohns show high inflammation.  I would go back to your doctor to get a definitive answer as to whether it is IBS or Crohns.  Your colonoscopy should have indicated which of one of the two conditions you have.
  • looloo43
    looloo43 walterw

    Posted

    ditto what Philippa & mark say; sounds like crohns. after your colonoscopy results, & they found  ulceration in your small intestine, did they not follow this up & look at putting you on meds to treat this walter?

  • walterw
    walterw

    Posted

    Since it wasn't affecting my quality of life, they said to just wait and have another colonoscopy in a couple of years. As I said, I only have symptoms a few days a year and I doubt any medication would be better than the debridat I'm using. They didn't tell me anything about that test and I don't have blood in my stool or any other symptoms I didn't mention. I do, however, have silent reflux, which seems connected.

    As I understand it, Crohn's progresses at a rate that is unaffected by medication. In other words, the medication helps the symptoms, but it doesn't slow down the disease. So there was really no reason for me to worry about it at that point, since I almost never have symptoms and when I do I already have meds.

    However, now that I'm the middle of a flare up, and it's actually going on a week now, which is longer than usual, I'm starting to think that I need to know.

    But maybe I don't understand Crohn's and I could be doing damage to my system by eating spicy foods, etc, during the 360 days a year that I'm in remission. As I recall from my previous research though, nothing you do really affects the progression of the disease so it doesn't matter what you eat, except of course during flare ups.

    I appreciate the advice, so keep it coming.

  • walterw
    walterw

    Posted

    By the way, why do you say it sounds like Crohn's rather than IBS? Or are you just referring to the colonoscopy results? My doctor said it was most likely IBS until I did the colonoscopy.

    • philippa61759
      philippa61759 walterw

      Posted

      With IBS nothing would show up in a colonoscopy but with Crohns, ulceration and inflammation would be visible.
    • looloo43
      looloo43 walterw

      Posted

      exactly what Philippa says Walter. ibs would not produce ulceration/inflammation on colonoscopy but colitis or crohns would.
    • looloo43
      looloo43 walterw

      Posted

      also walter, colitis usually produces blood in stools, but crohns less commonly produces blood in stools. i was diagnosed with colitis in 2012 - i had blood in stools regularly, but currenly i am off work with same symptoms as colitis minus any bleeding, so my gastro consultant is now doing small bowel investigations suspecting possible crohns.
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