I am trying to figure out at the same time waiting for a specialist if I have crohns how do you know? Please help. I am 35 and well this just started in Feb 2010.
Thanks for the advice and I think you are absolutely correct. In the past 2 years I did finally get a diagnosis of having an inflammatory autoimmune disease, my rheumatologist thinks it is Behcets but has not officially diagnosed me with that specifically yet. I am just happy to finally be treated with medications that are working along with eating "clean"... trying to avoid processed foods, gluten, etc. I have also changed careers to a desk job so I have more stamina to make it through the day. I always get tons of sleep too. I think the combination of doing these things has helped me a lot although, of course, with no cure it is just curbing symptoms all the time. I also ended up seeing a urologist and was diagnosed with Interstitial Cystitis. Once I started treatment for that I felt like another piece of the puzzle was coming together, it attributed to some of the pain I was having that my GI doctor was unable to figure out... because it was actually pain coming from my bladder, not GI tract like I thought. Also, another key moment was when I had a capsule endoscopy because it showed scarring in my small intestines that the colonoscopy/endoscopy didn't because my issue was not in those areas. Now I take probiotics and specific vitamins that I was deficient in, due to my GI tract having issues. I still do have symptoms every day but now am able to know more of where they are coming from and which doctor to follow up on about it, whereas in the beginning everything hurt and everything seemed out of control! It has taken 2 years to "adjust" to suddenly being sick and fatigued all the time. It's funny seeing my old post here because I remember the day I posted it and I was down 20 lbs at the time with no help from any Dr... not a good place to be in. I hope this post helps someone else that is waiting for a diagnosis or wondering about a health condition. Behcets is somewhat rare and is one that Doctors are still trying to figure out. If anybody reading this is waiting for a diagnosis and it's not Crohns, Behcets could be it because it does have similar GI type symptoms along with joint pains, etc. so check it out. You never know!
Crohn's and diagnosisNEW by: Annette
Hello there,
For anyone waiting for the diagnosis of Crohn's, it can be really frustrating time. I know many people who have suffered for years and have been told that their health problems were due to other conditions but eventually finding that it was Crohn's disease after all.
While waiting for a specialist appointment, I would suggest that you start preparing a food Journal because foods can often act as a trigger and you may well have found that out yourself. You don’t mention what symptoms you are experiencing but typically, abdominal pains, diarrhea, constipation and nausea are quite common.
Certain foods i.e.spicy foods, can be instrumental in causing the Crohn's to flare up and you might find that you experience abdominal pains after eating hard-to-digest foods so they should be avoided where possible, as should dairy products as many people find they have an intolerance to them.
I wouldn’t suggest eliminating everything in one go but gradually eliminate the things that could cause problems. If you smoke, you shouldn't, if you drink alcohol,you should give up. If you have a lot of pressures in your life, make changes to live a more relaxed existence.
In your journal write down when the condition improves – and what you ate at that time and when the condition becomes worse. If you keep a complete diary of events including work pressures, home pressures and changes in your diet for example, then you may start to identify things that could trigger off a bad attack.
I hope by now you'll have had a diagnosis and that your treatments are under way, or, they have told you that you don't have Crohn's which would be the best possible result.
If anyone has Crohn’s disease, it’s important to monitor all of the symptoms and to make careful notes as this can really help with diagnosis when you see your specialist.
Annette Young
Crohns? by: Kelly
Did you find out if you have it yet? I am going through the same thing.. seeing a specialist and waiting to find out what is wrong with me. It has to be some type of IBS or IBD but nothing has tested positive yet (blood, stool tests, colonoscopy, and endoscopy) Still testing though... just wondered if they found something in your case and if so what test found it?
Crohns? by: anonymous
The best thing you can do in the mean time is research. My wife had Crohns for 15 years without diagnosis. Of course this was 20 years ago and all the doctors told her it was all in her head. At least now they actually believe its a real disease. Do alot of research of symptoms yourself. I knew my wife had it 5 years before the doctors diagnosed it, just from doing research and comparing symptoms. Be patient and don't stress, it causes flare ups. Don't take Advil either for pain, it actually can cause a flare up in Crohns people. The lovely doctors didn't tell my wife that for about 5 years and wondered why she was so sick. All I'm saying is be very well informed. Hopefully you don't have it. You'll be in our prayers. If you do we'll pray for strength and patience.
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