Nervous about MRI scan tomorrow
Posted , 5 users are following.
Hey everyone,
So I have done a couple of previous posts on the website but basically after having a endoscopy & colonoscopy done a couple of weeks ago I'm having a MRI scan tomorrow due to my small bowel biopsy coming back with inflammation although none was seen, they think it could be possible Crohn's in the part that can't be reached on a colonoscopy and endoscopy.
My symptoms have been, pain in lower right side, anemic, mouth ulcers, folic acid deficient, fatigue, constipation with occasional dierhea. My pains were really bad last week and I lost 5lb in 2 weeks. This week I'm feeling better, eating a bit more and the pains are not as strong, so I am worried as I'm not in as much pain as last week etc will it still show on the MRI if it is Crohn's if I am currently not having as many symptoms?
Celiac disease and other alerys have been ruled out.
0 likes, 11 replies
craig84609 emmaabercrombie
Posted
IndieHannah emmaabercrombie
Posted
Hey Emma, try not to worry too much about the MRI.....you've had the most difficult oscopies and the scan is a breeze by comparison. It's really good that they are doing it because if it is Crohn's in that part of the small bowel it's probably the best way to find it.... The least invasive anyway.
Even though your symptoms have calmed down a bit they still might find something as Crohn's typically flares up and down.
Good luck with the scan and I hope you get some answers. Let us know how you get on.
Hannah
sheila_93330 emmaabercrombie
Posted
Try not to worry let's hope they get to the root of it all i have had many of them. Hope all goes ok for you X
looloo43 emmaabercrombie
Posted
Hello hun, i think we've exchanged on here before. I'm in the same sort of boat as you at present. i have colitis(diagnosed nov 2012), bile acid malabsorption (diagnosed early 2015) fructose malabsorption (diagnosed early 2015) & ibs-d diagnosed same time as colitis. despite all the above being controlled with both prescription meds & diet & quality probiotic daily, i have ongoing symptoms of daliy diarrea, lower abdo pain & backache, worsening pain the more bowel movements i have in a day (now 5-8 times a day), & have to take cocodomol daily when needed to just take the edge of the pain & slow bowels down a bit. i now only eat one solid meal a day at teatime & low fat milk at breakfast, as i have no appetite during day at all, & find it reduces the number of bowel movements slightly. i am constantly tired too, & just getting over 4wks of shingles. my recent colonoscopy showed biopsies to be "within normal limits" so colitis is clinically under control, & they removed another polyp from my ascending colon which was also normal. my gastro consultant is now looking at my small bowel, & a few weeks ago i had the contrast mri scan i think you are now having to get a good look at my small bowel. my consultant since rung me to say nothing abnormal in mri report to warrant my symptoms. the scan was fine hun, & a nice pillow to rest my head on ( i do so like a nice pillow!!!) i am not bothered about the tunnel machine they call the mri scanner, but some people dont like it. best thing to do is just shut your eyes, get comfy, & breath in & out as they radiologist instructs you to. it is painless, & they give you a drink before hand to show up your small bowel. this can give you diarrea, but there is always access to a toilet nearby before you go in to the scanner room. they also inject some buscopan usually at some point in the scan to stop your bowel spasming which i found really helpful. all in all it took about 40mins. yesterday following on from the mri, i had a capsule camera pill endoscopy to look at the small bowel which looks for inflammation/ulceration. they always do the mri 1st to check there is no obstruction or narrowing the small bowel as a camera pill could get stuck. my consultant wired my abdo up to a data recorder that sits on your hip like an over the head small handbag. i looked like a bus conductor for the 8hrs i was wearing it & then removed it all & returned to the endoscopy unit. the pill takes thousands of images as it passes through your small bowel & the data recorder stores the images for the gastro consultant to look at & asess. so clever. & non invasive too. you may well go on to have this after your mri at some point following the report on mri scan. i am now waiting for my camera pill results in the hope something is found to explain my ongoing symptoms so i can be treated with meds & get back to work & normal life asap........ best of luck to you hun, don't worry, & let us know how you get on on here. xx
emmaabercrombie looloo43
Posted
Hey, thank you for your reply
it seems like you have been through a lot and I hope you soon get the right treatment.
I'm not worried being in the MRI scanner, just worried they won't find anything from it and I'll be back to having more tests! Like you say I think it its clear then sounds like pillcam will be next!
Should get my MRI results sometime next week hopefully, then will have to go from there. Just so sick of hospitals and wondering what's going on
looloo43 emmaabercrombie
Posted
emmaabercrombie looloo43
Posted
Hey, my MRI results didn't show anything, so now being referred to a different hospital for a pillcam as they don't do that at my local one. My doctor actually said it's unlikely to be Crohn's but I still feel there is a reason I'm in constant pain
I don't know what to do anymore! So close to asking them to open me up to have a look!
looloo43 emmaabercrombie
Posted
Hi Emma. I'm in exactly the same boat as you hun. nothing found on my mri to warrant ongoing symptoms. still waiting for pillcam endoscopy results which should be anyday now. I'm still in almost constant pain, daily diarrea, extreme fatigue. the only let up i get is at bedtime now, at least it no longer wakes me up at night like it used to, but on the flipside, the pain is actually regularly worse during the daytime. Is that what they do next if nothing found on a pill cam? open you up? i do my best to try not to "what if" & just deal with the current issue so hoping they find something on the pillcam, but do not know if there is any further testing or investigations they can do if nothing is found. i am certainly not going/wanting to be fobbed off with ibs because they don't know what to do next - i can't go on indefinately taking big doses of cocodomol , & something is wrong that needs diagnosis/actual treatment. Sanya, are you out there? is there any other tests/investigations they should/could do if nothing is found on my pillcam endoscopy of small intestines? had colonoscopy-normal, bloods normal except vit d insufficient(now replaced), high calprotectin stool test, contrast mri - normal. xxx
emmaabercrombie looloo43
Posted
Let me know when you get your pillcam results. My dr did breifly mention they can do explorative surgery for some pain and symptoms that seems to have no reason for but it's quite invasive. I think it's done by keyhole near your belly button. Ill wait for my pillcam and if it comes back clear I think it's something I may have to see if they would actually do it as I feel there must be a reason why, this is just not IBS!
Iv now been prescribed co-codamol too, taken first ones today, I just feel like it's just a short term help and still need to get to the bottom of the pain though.
I feel like due to mostly always being in pain it's always on my mind too, i really wish I could take my mind off what it could be. For the last few months I have taken nytol tablets everything to relax me to get to sleep. I feel quite alone as well as I do speak to my family etc about it but they don't understand what's it's like and why it's getting me down not knowing what it is xx
looloo43 emmaabercrombie
Posted
i am lucky my mum,hubby, a close friend & my managers & hr at work have all been very supportive, & hate to see my go through this again for so long, especially as i had all my diagnosed bowel conditions under control. this has to be something else. i don't really want to be opened up like you Em, so trying not to think that far forward in the hope my pillcam will show something. i promise to let you know as we are in the same predicament. i actually sleep quite well due to the constant tiredness & manage to control my anxiety most of the time by not thinking further than the next step of investigation/results. i am pretty sure i have nothing life threatening, but i do have something life restricting that keeps me off work again & socially inactive. i was calling out to a lady called sanya that posts on here as she is so knowledgable & helpful - have you ever read any of her posts on here before? i hate taking the cocodomol every day - i have to take a minimum of 45/750 to even take the edge of the pain & even if i take the full dose of 60/1000 (2 x 30/500 tablets) it only takes about 2points of a 1-10 scale of pain, but better than nothing. ibuprofen & codeine together is much more effective pain relief, but i was warned by my ibd nurse not to take any nsaids/anti inflammatories as this make bowel conditions much much worse & i have done in the past - & it has made things much worse. i can just about drive on 45/750, but if i have to take 60/100 i am too woozy to drive. i only really leave the house for medical appointments or see my mum on a saturday afternoon who just lives 10min drive away at present anyway.......the cocodomol does slow my bowels down a bit though - but like you hun, its masking a problem that needs proper treatment to get under control so we don't have to rely on painkillers that don't do all that much anyway. so to sound so negative today - I have days like today where I'm in so much pain & just get p****d off with it all. xxx
looloo43 emmaabercrombie
Posted
......plus I've just had to cancel the 2nd holiday this year we were due to take in a week's time, so p****d off about that too....xxx