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[6.8]

Colonoscopy | OT

I kid. I have UC and need them too. Self deprecation is the only way I can stand those things.

I didn't read the whole thread but IBS is serious and life altering. Seek help. I'm going on 8 years without a flare, even admit very stressful times. *knock on wood*

 

[jimi_dini]

This sounds like good news.

I also want to ask, if somebody happens to be depressed or suffering from an anxiety disorder, could this cause an imbalance in serotonin/dopamine levels? Or is the the depression/anxiety disorder caused by the imbalance?

It's imbalance of those in the intestinal tract. It has nothing to do with the brain.
And I would rather say depression/anxiety disorder is caused by the disease itself. Or rather by the symptoms of the disease.

Imbalance of serotonin in the brain - yes, too low and too high serotonin levels may cause depression. But those have nothing to do with the imbalance mentioned in the case study.

I didn't read the whole thread

Oh you should. Especially the last page. ColitisGAF at least this post - http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=47097646&postcount=112 + http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=47138070&postcount=129
And CrohnGAF should read at least this: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=47256636&postcount=141

 

[Sielys]

I've got Chrons. It's certainly not fun, been hospitalized a few times because of it.

I've been getting remicade infusions for the past year which is helping, but it absolutely destroys my immune system, and I catch everything that goes through town. It feels like I haven't been 100% healthy in years. My doctor warns me that most people adapt to remicade though, so it's likely it'll stop working soon.

I guess an important thing is to find foods will make you sick, and then avoid them.

 

[6.8]

Thanks. It's good that they are making progress. Last I heard (re: your post) it was a suspected cause.

So is this treatment a self administered enema or you have to go to the doctor every time?

 

[Helmholtz]

Not sure if it's all that relevant to this thread, but if anyone has regular pain in their stomach/beneath their rib cage area, they should get that shit checked out. I suffered from a lot of pain in this area for years, and eventually got it looked at, turned out I had a large ulcer. I was prescribed pills and I've been fine since.

 

[6.8]

Not sure if it's all that relevant to this thread, but if anyone has regular pain in their stomach/beneath their rib cage area, they should get that shit checked out. I suffered from a lot of pain in this area for years, and eventually got it looked at, turned out I had a large ulcer. I was prescribed pills and I've been fine since.

Not really the same but also shitty so you can be a honorary member.

 

[Bombadil]

Colonoscopy | OT

I kid. I have UC and need them too. Self deprecation is the only way I can stand those things.

I didn't read the whole thread but IBS is serious and life altering. Seek help.

I went to the emergency room again on Saturday because I hadn't slept for 5 days and my abdominal pain was becoming more severe.

They did another blood test and urine test. The results came back fine.

I've had 4 blood tests in 5 or 6 weeks and they've all come back fine. No anemia, no vitamin deficiencies, no elevated WBC count.

I haven't had any blood in my stool.

I've been experiencing anxiety attacks which have made me nauseous and caused me to gag involuntarily for several seconds before calming down.

I've experienced pain in my back, pelvis, legs, feet, and testicles.

Two or three weeks ago I had gone to the emergency room for the first time and they performed a CT scan. Everything came back fine. They took 138 images and there were no signs of inflammatory bowel changes, obstructions, strictures, etc.

The doctor told me I probably have IBS and should change my diet by increasing my fiber intake and drinking more water.

Well, that didn't really work.

The doctor from my most recent ER visit said that IBS is a bullshit term that doctors use when they don't know what's wrong with you. But he was adamant that I most likely do not have UC or Crohn's.

I've had more gas than usual but it doesn't come out easily. I think the excess gas might contribute to some of the pain.

Anyway, the doctor prescribed me percoset, famotidine, and maalox.

The famotidine works pretty well. I took the percoset for one night and it didn't work so much. I'm having trouble sleeping but I have gotten a few hours in.

The doctor told me that I need to take care of my anxiety and depression in order to see some real changes in my symptoms, but he told me to keep my appointment with my gastroenterologist for next Tuesday.

The last time I went to her was a month ago. She didn't perform any tests, but told me that I probably had a bacterial infection so she gave me flagyl for 7 days. The symptoms didn't get better.

So I don't know what's wrong with me.

I want to get a colonoscopy and some stool tests done but my GI is a private practice doctor and I'll probably just get a referral to some place that accepts my temporary insurance. I've read that the UCLA medical center accepts my healthcare and they have a top notch GI department.

I've been told that endoscopies can be dangerous for young people. I don't know what makes them more dangerous than colonoscopies but whatever.

I feel like if the doctors can definitely rule out cancer, Crohn's, and UC, my anxiety problems will subside and I'll feel a lot better. But right now my mind doesn't let me rest.

 

[MasterLeePhD]

I went to the emergency room again on Saturday because I hadn't slept for 5 days and my abdominal pain was becoming more severe.

They did another blood test and urine test. The results came back fine.

I've had 4 blood tests in 5 or 6 weeks and they've all come back fine. No anemia, no vitamin deficiencies, no elevated WBC count.

I haven't had any blood in my stool.

I've been experiencing anxiety attacks which have made me nauseous and caused me to gag involuntarily for several seconds before calming down.

I've experienced pain in my back, pelvis, legs, feet, and testicles.

Two or three weeks ago I had gone to the emergency room for the first time and they performed a CT scan. Everything came back fine. They took 138 images and there were no signs of inflammatory bowel changes, obstructions, strictures, etc.

The doctor told me I probably have IBS and should change my diet by increasing my fiber intake and drinking more water.

Well, that didn't really work.

The doctor from my most recent ER visit said that IBS is a bullshit term that doctors use when they don't know what's wrong with you. But he was adamant that I most likely do not have UC or Crohn's.

I've had more gas than usual but it doesn't come out easily. I think the excess gas might contribute to some of the pain.

Anyway, the doctor prescribed me percoset, famotidine, and maalox.

The famotidine works pretty well. I took the percoset for one night and it didn't work so much. I'm having trouble sleeping but I have gotten a few hours in.

The doctor told me that I need to take care of my anxiety and depression in order to see some real changes in my symptoms, but he told me to keep my appointment with my gastroenterologist for next Tuesday.

The last time I went to her was a month ago. She didn't perform any tests, but told me that I probably had a bacterial infection so she gave me flagyl for 7 days. The symptoms didn't get better.

So I don't know what's wrong with me.

I want to get a colonoscopy and some stool tests done but my GI is a private practice doctor and I'll probably just get a referral to some place that accepts my temporary insurance. I've read that the UCLA medical center accepts my healthcare and they have a top notch GI department.

I've been told that endoscopies can be dangerous for young people. I don't know what makes them more dangerous than colonoscopies but whatever.

I feel like if the doctors can definitely rule out cancer, Crohn's, and UC, my anxiety problems will subside and I'll feel a lot better. But right now my mind doesn't let me rest.

Feel bad for you, son. I'm no Doctor but Sounds like you have something similar to Gastroenteritis than Crohn's or UC.

Hope they find out what's wrong and you feel better soon.

Take care.

 

[Bombadil]

Feel bad for you, son. I'm no Doctor but Sounds like you have something similar to Gastroenteritis than Crohn's or UC.

Hope they find out what's wrong and you feel better soon.

Take care.

Thank you.

 

[Kelthink]

If I were you (and it's not too much of a burden financially, I'm not sure how it'd work for your medical costs) I'd get scopes done. If you think young people may be susceptible, your bowels could be in a worse state years down the line making it more risky then.

My doctor kept fobbing me off with IBS at the beginning until I said 'look, I don't care what tests are required, I need a proper investigation'. Found out I had ulcerative colitis that way. It might also be worth providing a stool sample, contact a gastrointestinal specialist to find out what should be investigated, such as gastroenteritis, e-coli or h-pylori (amongst other things, I'm not sure of the list). Good luck!

 

[DTLIONS1013]

I was diagnosed with Crohn's a few years ago, but it's really mild. I take Lialda once a day and I have no symptoms other than stomach pain maybe once a year, don't have to control my diet either

 

[BruiserBear]

I read the entire OP and the word that was flashing before my eyes was ANXIETY - ANXIETY - ANXIETY! When I read your subsequent posts, it became even clearer.


I know it like the back of my hand, and that shit will make you feel and literally believe you have terrible things wrong with you. When you've gone to the doctor and they can't find shit wrong with you, this is almost always going to be the answer. Trust me.

I've felt crazy physical symptoms of so many things I've lost count (all of the things in the OP and then some). Anxiety lies to you. It deceives you. It makes you believe all sorts of things are true, when they're not. When you really let it take over, you end up with the sleepness nights, and things get worse from there. It brought me to the brink of thinking I was literally going insane. All of it was my mind playing tricks on me. I just didn't understand it at the time.

I've always been an anxious person, but it truly took over my live in the spring of 2009, and from there I finally learned how to deal with it once and for all. I came out of that a stronger man, and anxiety rarely has any effect on me today.

If you want to talk about it I'm available OP.

 

[GlassBox]

Piling on with the GI stories. I am currently in a state of confusion.

I think I may soon be diagnosed with Crohn's or some type of IBD (don't think it's colitis since my colon is apparently A-OK), but I'm having trouble figuring it out.

This all started a few weeks ago. One night I started to get lower abdominal pain. At first I thought it was just a lot of trapped gas and went to bed, but woke up at 3am to the same pain, but it felt even worse. Went to the ER and the pain intensified and started to manifest nausea and eventually vomiting.

And GOD, the PAIN, I shit you not it was the worst pain I've ever felt (I emphasized a 10 on their 1-10 scale), like someone was taking my intestines and twirling them like pasta with a fork. The pain was so great the Morphine they gave me was ineffective and kept wearing off fast, and it also was enough to overpower any discomfort one would likely get by "ingesting" the naso-gastric tube through the nose. (The doctors jokingly told me that this type of pain is the closest a man can get to experiencing childbirth pain. Some women I've read say it's even worse) :O

After all the X-Ray's were taken, it identified a Small Bowel Obstruction, which made sense since I hadn't had a movement or even gas for over a day. Once they started treating me with medicines that cleaned up my intestines and as soon as I had my first movement, the crippling pain was immediately relieved and my vitals returned to normal just as fast.

Eventually the GI that was assigned to me ordered me to do a Colonoscopy (the procedure itself is actually very easy and fast, it's the PREP that's icky), and found that while my colon is fine, there's some kind of stricture in my small intestine, likely from inflammation due to Inflammatory Bowel Disease. I saw my primary doctor today and his reading of the biopsy results seemed to indicate that as well (though he admitted the GI would know more, and I see him Thursday).

So, my confusion stems from the fact that, if it is IBD, then it has to be Crohn's (since Colitis only affects the Colon and mine is fine). But everything I've read about Crohn's indicates symptoms that cause fevers, abdominal pain, and multiple trips to the bathroom per day. None of which I've ever had, and haven't had since I was discharged from the hospital over a week ago. Even my primary doc admitted he was confused about how I couldn't have none of those symptoms but could have IBD causing inflammation to the intestine.

Quite the conundrum huh?

EDIT: I have experienced some abdominal discomfort in the past (years ago), but evaluations from doctors (blood and stool tests) always came back negative for anything wrong. One doc even said I had IBS.

 

[Bombadil]

Piling on with the GI stories. I am currently in a state of confusion.

I think I may soon be diagnosed with Crohn's or some type of IBD (don't think it's colitis since my colon is apparently A-OK), but I'm having trouble figuring it out.

This all started a few weeks ago. One night I started to get lower abdominal pain. At first I thought it was just a lot of trapped gas and went to bed, but woke up at 3am to the same pain, but it felt even worse. Went to the ER and the pain intensified and started to manifest nausea and eventually vomiting.

And GOD, the PAIN, I shit you not it was the worst pain I've ever felt (I emphasized a 10 on their 1-10 scale), like someone was taking my intestines and twirling them like pasta with a fork. The pain was so great the Morphine they gave me was ineffective and kept wearing off fast, and it also was enough to overpower any discomfort one would likely get by "ingesting" the naso-gastric tube through the nose. (The doctors jokingly told me that this type of pain is the closest a man can get to experiencing childbirth pain. Some women I've read say it's even worse) :O

After all the X-Ray's were taken, it identified a Small Bowel Obstruction, which made sense since I hadn't had a movement or even gas for over a day. Once they started treating me with medicines that cleaned up my intestines and as soon as I had my first movement, the crippling pain was immediately relieved and my vitals returned to normal just as fast.

Eventually the GI that was assigned to me ordered me to do a Colonoscopy (the procedure itself is actually very easy and fast, it's the PREP that's icky), and found that while my colon is fine, there's some kind of stricture in my small intestine, likely from inflammation due to Inflammatory Bowel Disease. I saw my primary doctor today and his reading of the biopsy results seemed to indicate that as well (though he admitted the GI would know more, and I see him Thursday).

So, my confusion stems from the fact that, if it is IBD, then it has to be Crohn's (since Colitis only affects the Colon and mine is fine). But everything I've read about Crohn's indicates symptoms that cause fevers, abdominal pain, and multiple trips to the bathroom per day. None of which I've ever had, and haven't had since I was discharged from the hospital over a week ago. Even my primary doc admitted he was confused about how I couldn't have none of those symptoms but could have IBD causing inflammation to the intestine.

Quite the conundrum huh?

EDIT: I have experienced some abdominal discomfort in the past (years ago), but evaluations from doctors (blood and stool tests) always came back negative for anything wrong. One doc even said I had IBS.

Scary stuff. It's strange that there are so many people on Gaf with IBDs.

My abdominal pain continues. Today I woke up and had two bowel movements within 30 minutes of each other. The first was diarrhea and the second was loose, formed stool. I had an anxiety attack yesterday. I've been having them almost every day.

I'm convinced I have either, cancer, Crohn's, or colitis. I can't concentrate on anything.

My blood tests were fine. My CT scan was fine, but still I remain convinced that there is something serious wrong with me. I can't wait to see my GI and have a colonoscopy, if only to alleviate the anxiety.

My family is beginning to get irritated by my abdominal complaints. I don't blame them but I'm becoming even more stressed because I think they're just going to say it's all in my head and refuse to take me to the doctor.

I just want this shit to end.

 

[BruiserBear]

Scary stuff. It's strange that there are so many people on Gaf with IBDs.

My abdominal pain continues. Today I woke up and had two bowel movements within 30 minutes of each other. The first was diarrhea and the second was loose, formed stool. I had an anxiety attack yesterday. I've been having them almost every day.

I'm convinced I have either, cancer, Crohn's, or colitis. I can't concentrate on anything.

My blood tests were fine. My CT scan was fine, but still I remain convinced that there is something serious wrong with me. I can't wait to see my GI and have a colonoscopy, if only to alleviate the anxiety.

My family is beginning to get irritated by my abdominal complaints. I don't blame them but I'm becoming even more stressed because I think they're just going to say it's all in my head and refuse to take me to the doctor.

I just want this shit to end.

I'm sorry to say, but this probably isn't going to end until you deal with your anxiety. The more the flames of fear are fanned, the stronger they'll get.

 

[Bombadil]

I'm sorry to say, but this probably isn't going to end until you deal with your anxiety. The more the flames of fear are fanned, the stronger they'll get.

I know man. It's feeding itself. But I just need that colonoscopy to confirm that it isn't cancer, Crohn's, or colitis, and I'm certain if that happens I'll calm down. My mother has already made an appointment with a psychiatrist. But I need to see the GI first. It would be strange to go to a psychiatrist and tell him that my fears stem from an as-of-yet unresolved gastrointestinal issue because he might just say, "Go to a doctor first."

Anyway, I just got a call from a hospital I went to a few weeks ago. They have my CT scan images ready on a CD so I just need to go pick it up for my GI appointment next week.

Thank you for reading.

 

[BruiserBear]

I know man. It's feeding itself. But I just need that colonoscopy to confirm that it isn't cancer, Crohn's, or colitis, and I'm certain if that happens I'll calm down. My mother has already made an appointment with a psychiatrist. But I need to see the GI first. It would be strange to go to a psychiatrist and tell him that my fears stem from an as-of-yet unresolved gastrointestinal issue because he might just say, "Go to a doctor first."

Anyway, I just got a call from a hospital I went to a few weeks ago. They have my CT scan images ready on a CD so I just need to go pick it up for my GI appointment next week.

Thank you for reading.

The problem with anxiety is that it's always going to be "just one more thing, and then I'll feel better". If you need proof allow me to quote you.

Two or three weeks ago I had gone to the emergency room for the first time and they performed a CT scan. Everything came back fine. They took 138 images and there were no signs of inflammatory bowel changes, obstructions, strictures, etc.

The doctor told me I probably have IBS and should change my diet by increasing my fiber intake and drinking more water.

Well, that didn't really work.

The doctor from my most recent ER visit said that IBS is a bullshit term that doctors use when they don't know what's wrong with you. But he was adamant that I most likely do not have UC or Crohn's.

Until you really understand how your anxiety got you to where you are right now, you won't be able to completely move on. The great news is that it's really quite simple once you learn how the anxiety engine works. So you can start feeling better soon. You just have to decide that you're done dancing to the tune of your fears. I've been right where you are right now, wondering how my life had become a mess, and why I was so afraid all the time. Thinking death was always just right around the corner. Wondering why everyone else didn't understand it all.

My personal recommendation is to avoid the psychiatrist for now. You can almost certainly recover from this without medications, etc.

 

[TheExodu5]

My sister suffers from some form of IBS. She's had two 2 month long stays at the hospital, and they've failed to diagnose a thing. The doctors are useless. Just about anything she eats causes her abdominal pain. She gets bloated but has difficulty with bowel movements. She's trying different diets, but she's essentially cut out dairy, wheat, spices, and acidic vegetables/fruit. Exercise and stomach massages help. I'm sure it's been very difficult for her...I hope she gets over this problem some day.

It really can't compare, but I had some serious intestinal pain yesterday for 2-3 hours...which ended up just being trapped gas. It definitely gave me some insight into what she might be feeling. If what I ate caused me that kind of pain on a constant basis, I can't imagine how I would cope.

If anyone has any advice for her, I'd love to pass it along.

 

[Bombadil]

The problem with anxiety is that it's always going to be "just one more thing, and then I'll feel better". If you need proof allow me to quote you.





Until you really understand how your anxiety got you to where you are right now, you won't be able to completely move on. The great news is that it's really quite simple once you learn how the anxiety engine works. So you can start feeling better soon. You just have to decide that you're done dancing to the tune of your fears. I've been right where you are right now, wondering how my life had become a mess, and why I was so afraid all the time. Thinking death was always just right around the corner. Wondering why everyone else didn't understand it all.

My personal recommendation is to avoid the psychiatrist for now. You can almost certainly recover from this without medications, etc.

You're right. I know you're right, and yet I cannot break the feeling. I've reached a point of no return. Every little ache triggers a new wave of thoughts. My eyes well up from my certitude that this is something serious and that I'm going to die without accomplishing anything. I think that scares me the most.

My sister suffers from some form of IBS. She's had two 2 month long stays at the hospital, and they've failed to diagnose a thing. The doctors are useless. Just about anything she eats causes her abdominal pain. She gets bloated but has difficulty with bowel movements. She's trying different diets, but she's essentially cut out dairy, wheat, spices, and acidic vegetables/fruit. Exercise and stomach massages help. I'm sure it's been very difficult for her...I hope she gets over this problem some day.

It really can't compare, but I had some serious intestinal pain yesterday for 2-3 hours...which ended up just being trapped gas. It definitely gave me some insight into what she might be feeling. If what I ate caused me that kind of pain on a constant basis, I can't imagine how I would cope.

If anyone has any advice for her, I'd love to pass it along.

That's one of those things where my only advice would be to get second and third opinions, but based on the severity of her condition, I'm sure she has already done that. If they've definitely ruled out inflammatory bowel diseases, cancers, gall bladder issues (excessive acid leaking into the intestines), and all major bacterial, parasitic, and viral infections, then I wouldn't know what to say. Maybe her brain is amplifying all the signals from her intestines, so that every minor shift of gas or food or chime is registered as major pain.

My best advice is, don't give up. Keep up with the research; read all the articles you can find. Go as far as to try the alternative orthodox treatments you'll find on the net, but only after making sure that they don't involve harmful substances.

 

[BruiserBear]

You're right. I know you're right, and yet I cannot break the feeling. I've reached a point of no return. Every little ache triggers a new wave of thoughts. My eyes well up from my certitude that this is something serious and that I'm going to die without accomplishing anything. I think that scares me the most.

When you say you've reached a point of no return, does that mean you've given up? You have to ask yourself whether you want to move on from this, or if you're more comfortable worrying about what 'might' be wrong. Your anxiety story is very common. You can recover from it completely.

As soon as you decide you're done with the worrying, and want to move on, I suggest you start here.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/0451167228/?tag=neogaf0e-20

There are lots of books about anxiety, but few are as good as this one. Claire Weekes is the reason I recovered from my anxiety problems.

Along with that book I'd recommend this.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/1565119703/?tag=neogaf0e-20

That is an audio CD of her speaking on anxiety. The book is great, and goes into more detail, but hearing this woman speak about anxiety is very powerful. You understand how well she understands it, and she's very convincing in describing that you will recover if you follow her advice. I trusted her, and she was right every single time.

When you're ready to move on, this is your solution. Trust what she says, ignore the noise, and take your life back.

 

[bangai-o]

i do have it. had the surgury, removed 6 inches of intestine, stomach aches, poop, and its hard for me to gain weight. ive found that when i am standing up, i experience less pain. i stand up for 8 hours at my job, so that helps. then when i sit down to do my classwork is when i need to frequent the bathroom.
i didnt know stress can cause flare ups. working in the restaurant industry has helped me handle with stress. i just about never get stressed out no matter how hectic it gets. we'll see if my stress can stay undr control when i get my teaching license.

 

[GlassBox]

Well, the GI confirmed it today. The biopsies came back positive for Crohn's Disease, and he revealed that there was also some scarring present within the terminus ileum where the inflammation is. Though I seem to be in a unique situation (though one which apparently affects 10-20% of Crohn's cases) where I am mostly asymptomatic, and the only time it causes a problem is well, when it causes one so severe that forces a trip to the ER. Again, outside of that, I've been pretty much fine ever since my discharge from the hospital with no abdominal pain and mostly regular once-a-day visits to the bathroom.

The doctor did demonstrate to me the inflammation currently persisting by having me lie down flat on my back and feeling up my lower abdomen, which was still sore upon deep touch and which also feels different on the right side (slightly bloated where the inflammation is) than the left.

So, treatment is going to consist of starting with Budesonide, a glucocorticoid steroid, though whose properties do not absorb much steroids into the system as others, and is designed to be most effective in the gut. They're also having me do some blood lab tests to see if I am compatible with the drug Imuran, though I'm hopeful that drug will only be utilized as an "when needed" basis.

Still trying to digest the news. The main comfort I am taking is that so far, my symptoms are mild to nonexistent. I just hope these meds don't mess me up.

 

[Bombadil]

Well, the GI confirmed it today. The biopsies came back positive for Crohn's Disease, and he revealed that there was also some scarring present within the terminus ileum where the inflammation is. Though I seem to be in a unique situation (though one which apparently affects 10-20% of Crohn's cases) where I am mostly asymptomatic, and the only time it causes a problem is well, when it causes one so severe that forces a trip to the ER. Again, outside of that, I've been pretty much fine ever since my discharge from the hospital with no abdominal pain and mostly regular once-a-day visits to the bathroom.

The doctor did demonstrate to me the inflammation currently persisting by having me lie down flat on my back and feeling up my lower abdomen, which was still sore upon deep touch and which also feels different on the right side (slightly bloated where the inflammation is) than the left.

So, treatment is going to consist of starting with Budesonide, a glucocorticoid steroid, though whose properties do not absorb much steroids into the system as others, and is designed to be most effective in the gut. They're also having me do some blood lab tests to see if I am compatible with the drug Imuran, though I'm hopeful that drug will only be utilized as an "when needed" basis.

Still trying to digest the news. The main comfort I am taking is that so far, my symptoms are mild to nonexistent. I just hope these meds don't mess me up.

Well, at least your symptoms are very mild. The drugs will hopefully put you in remission and you won't have to worry about anything for a few decades. By then, they will probably have either a far better treatment option or a cure.

May I ask, did you have an elevated WBC count in any of your blood tests? I've had 3 normal tests and a CT that showed everything to be fine. My abdominal pain has settled down since I started taking fatomidine. But I have three BMs a day, all in the morning. My symptoms are not nearly as bad as those of most people with Crohn's, so I just can't be sure. So far, all doctors I've spoken with are very doubtful that I have Crohn's. I'll find out more from my Gastrointestinal doctor on Tuesday.

I'm really glad that your symptoms are mild. Consider it a mild victory rather than bad news.

 

[winter]

This sounds like good news.

I also want to ask, if somebody happens to be depressed or suffering from an anxiety disorder, could this cause an imbalance in serotonin/dopamine levels? Or is the the depression/anxiety disorder caused by the imbalance?

If this imbalance can be caused by depression, would that mean that anybody who is depressed and gets a bacterial infection in their intestines could potentially be afflicted with colitis or Crohn's?

Are you still being retarded about this?

Your recent posts seem to indicate that your borderline in despair. Did you get tested for gluten intolerance and wheat allergies? You had success abstaining from gluten and wheat until you accidentally ate food containing it. Does this not tell you something?

Honestly, I don't intend to be mean, but you're being dumb about this. Youre now speculating about serotonin and dopamine imbalances as a cause. Do you even know anything about monoamine production? Do you know where the greatest amount of serotonin is produced? The gut. Do you know how it's produced? Gut flora breaking down the food and nutrients you ingest. This is why, any imbalance between the mono amines is likely to be a symptom of digestive issues and is probably nothing more than a biomarker. This is also why you're experiencing anxiety. Because you're still consuming wheat and proinflammatory foods which disturb the guts ability to produce neurotransmitters. It's called the gut brain axis look it up.


Your problem is that you eat a shitty standard American diet and think that eating at johnny rockets is ok and that buying premade salads from Trader Joes with processed ingredients is actually healthy. Stop being a pussy about this and change your diet. Start buying whole ingredients and make your own food. Go to the Paleo thread.

Wheat, and gliadin and gluten are pro inflammatory proteins. They are simply not good for your digestive health. Stop eating them and your digestive issues will go away like they did before.

 

[Bombadil]

Are you still being retarded about this?

Your recent posts seem to indicate that your borderline in despair. Did you get tested for gluten intolerance and wheat allergies? You had success abstaining from gluten and wheat until you accidentally ate food containing it. Does this not tell you something?

Honestly, I don't intend to be mean, but you're being dumb about this. Youre now speculating about serotonin and dopamine imbalances as a cause. Do you even know anything about monoamine production? Do you know where the greatest amount of serotonin is produced? The gut. Do you know how it's produced? Gut flora breaking down the food and nutrients you ingest. This is why, any imbalance between the mono amines is likely to be a symptom of digestive issues and is probably nothing more than a biomarker. This is also why you're experiencing anxiety. Because you're still consuming wheat and proinflammatory foods which disturb the guts ability to produce neurotransmitters. It's called the gut brain axis look it up.


Your problem is that you eat a shitty standard American diet and think that eating at johnny rockets is ok and that buying premade salads from Trader Joes with processed ingredients is actually healthy. Stop being a pussy about this and change your diet. Start buying whole ingredients and make your own food. Go to the Paleo thread.

Wheat, and gliadin and gluten are pro inflammatory proteins. They are simply not good for your digestive health. Stop eating them and your digestive issues will go away like they did before.

Hey, guess what? You have absolutely no idea what you're talking about concerning me.

I just came back from my GI. She doubts I have a gluten intolerance. And she doesn't want me to abstain from it because she doesn't plan on testing for it until at least 2 weeks from now. Why? Because she doesn't trust tests that yield false positives and fail to produce the right answers when patients go on a gluten free diet before getting the test. Second she doesn't have any definitive idea of what's wrong with me and decided to put me on the same antibiotics for another two weeks because she thinks it was a bacterial infection that wasn't totally killed off the last time and grew back.

Do I need to listen to your attitude? I haven't had a proper amount of sugar in weeks and my brain is in a fog from lack of glucose. You're saying I'm being retarded?

I'm retarded because I want doctors to do proper tests instead of assuming things? I had one doctor come up to me without any paper work and tell me I'm perfectly fine, and when I asked if my blood test and urine test came back normal, he said, "Oh, you had those done? Let me go check." These are the kinds of doctors I'm working with right now.

I have to wait another two weeks and hope that my GI is right about the infection, and that it is only an infection that is causing me my pain. When I asked about IBDs, she said she doubts it but it is possible that I have a mild case of Crohn's but that 2 weeks won't kill me. She also doubts I have cancer, but again, she doesn't feel like testing me because my symptoms aren't bad enough and because it would cost (me) too much. To say nothing of the fact that I haven't brought up money as an issue at all, my doctor's reasons for not wanting to order tests are suspicious.

And Winter, you know even less than my doctors do. So don't start your posts with, "Are you still being retarded?"

 

[BruiserBear]

Hey, guess what? You have absolutely no idea what you're talking about concerning me.

I just came back from my GI. She doubts I have a gluten intolerance. And she doesn't want me to abstain from it because she doesn't plan on testing for it until at least 2 weeks from now. Why? Because she doesn't trust tests that yield false positives and fail to produce the right answers when patients go on a gluten free diet before getting the test. Second she doesn't have any definitive idea of what's wrong with me and decided to put me on the same antibiotics for another two weeks because she thinks it was a bacterial infection that wasn't totally killed off the last time and grew back.

Do I need to listen to your attitude? I haven't had a proper amount of sugar in weeks and my brain is in a fog from lack of glucose. You're saying I'm being retarded?

I'm retarded because I want doctors to do proper tests instead of assuming things? I had one doctor come up to me without any paper work and tell me I'm perfectly fine, and when I asked if my blood test and urine test came back normal, he said, "Oh, you had those done? Let me go check." These are the kinds of doctors I'm working with right now.

I have to wait another two weeks and hope that my GI is right about the infection, and that it is only an infection that is causing me my pain. When I asked about IBDs, she said she doubts it but it is possible that I have a mild case of Crohn's but that 2 weeks won't kill me. She also doubts I have cancer, but again, she doesn't feel like testing me because my symptoms aren't bad enough and because it would cost (me) too much. To say nothing of the fact that I haven't brought up money as an issue at all, my doctor's reasons for not wanting to order tests are suspicious.

And Winter, you know even less than my doctors do. So don't start your posts with, "Are you still being retarded?"

Winter's post was uncalled for. Probably best to ignore it.

You have an anxiety problem. You acknowledged it yourself last week when I brought it up to you. As soon as you're ready you can move on from this. You just have to want to move on.

 

[Messofanego]

Well, this took a twist into anxiety land. Psychosomatic addict, insane.

 

[winter]

Hey, guess what? You have absolutely no idea what you're talking about concerning me.

I just came back from my GI. She doubts I have a gluten intolerance. And she doesn't want me to abstain from it because she doesn't plan on testing for it until at least 2 weeks from now. Why? Because she doesn't trust tests that yield false positives and fail to produce the right answers when patients go on a gluten free diet before getting the test. Second she doesn't have any definitive idea of what's wrong with me and decided to put me on the same antibiotics for another two weeks because she thinks it was a bacterial infection that wasn't totally killed off the last time and grew back.

Do I need to listen to your attitude? I haven't had a proper amount of sugar in weeks and my brain is in a fog from lack of glucose. You're saying I'm being retarded?

I'm retarded because I want doctors to do proper tests instead of assuming things? I had one doctor come up to me without any paper work and tell me I'm perfectly fine, and when I asked if my blood test and urine test came back normal, he said, "Oh, you had those done? Let me go check." These are the kinds of doctors I'm working with right now.

I have to wait another two weeks and hope that my GI is right about the infection, and that it is only an infection that is causing me my pain. When I asked about IBDs, she said she doubts it but it is possible that I have a mild case of Crohn's but that 2 weeks won't kill me. She also doubts I have cancer, but again, she doesn't feel like testing me because my symptoms aren't bad enough and because it would cost (me) too much. To say nothing of the fact that I haven't brought up money as an issue at all, my doctor's reasons for not wanting to order tests are suspicious.

And Winter, you know even less than my doctors do. So don't start your posts with, "Are you still being retarded?"

Hey man.

You yourself said you had success abstaining from gluten and wheat.

You yourself said your stools were fully formed and solid.

If it works, why not do yourself a favor and keep doing do it? Common sense. Especially when you have all these posts suggesting you are slipping into a frustrated state of anxiety and despair. Seriously, if your health and mental state are progressively deteriorating, why not take the one approach you've found that has worked?

And while I don't contend that I know more than every specialist, you'd be shocked to find out how clueless most doctors are when it comes to digestive issues. Why do you think they toss out a bullshit catchall non-diagnosis like IBS? Why do you think people go undiagnosed with gluten intolerance, celiacs, and UC and crowns for decades? Most of the time, when people finally get diagnosed they are the ones that diagnosed themselves after years of symptoms and had to convince the doctors to run the tests. Does this sound familiar?

And I'm not saying you don't have Crohns or UC or something else, but all these inflammatory bowel disorders have been linked to wheat and gluten and gliadin. Because wheat contains proven inflammatory proteins that trigger autoimmune responses.

 

[LayLa]

Cutting out wheat & gluten from my diet was one of the major ways i managed to reduce my UC symptoms and have almost eradicated flare-ups - if you are having serious digestion problems I would suggest looking into trying an elimination diet (under the guidance of a dietician).

 

[Kelthink]

Cutting out wheat & gluten from my diet was one of the major ways i managed to reduce my UC symptoms and have almost eradicated flare-ups - if you are having serious digestion problems I would suggest looking into trying an elimination diet (under the guidance of a dietician).

This is sound advice. Possibly other things as well, lactose products, various grains (not necessarily all!), green veg, high sugary stuff, mouldy cheeses - hopefully not all of them, but elimination diets can do wonders.

Question for others: is anybody taking Mercaptopurine? I've been put on in because my clinic wanted me on 'something', since I felt fine without any medication but they were worried about long term risks. I'm a lot more tired than usual, although I'm not sure if I'm in a recovery period from diabetes screw up earlier in the year (long story with that one, not solely colitis related).

 

[spindoctor]

Well, the GI confirmed it today. The biopsies came back positive for Crohn's Disease, and he revealed that there was also some scarring present within the terminus ileum where the inflammation is. Though I seem to be in a unique situation (though one which apparently affects 10-20% of Crohn's cases) where I am mostly asymptomatic, and the only time it causes a problem is well, when it causes one so severe that forces a trip to the ER. Again, outside of that, I've been pretty much fine ever since my discharge from the hospital with no abdominal pain and mostly regular once-a-day visits to the bathroom.

The doctor did demonstrate to me the inflammation currently persisting by having me lie down flat on my back and feeling up my lower abdomen, which was still sore upon deep touch and which also feels different on the right side (slightly bloated where the inflammation is) than the left.

So, treatment is going to consist of starting with Budesonide, a glucocorticoid steroid, though whose properties do not absorb much steroids into the system as others, and is designed to be most effective in the gut. They're also having me do some blood lab tests to see if I am compatible with the drug Imuran, though I'm hopeful that drug will only be utilized as an "when needed" basis.

Still trying to digest the news. The main comfort I am taking is that so far, my symptoms are mild to nonexistent. I just hope these meds don't mess me up.

I have Crohn's, and after reading some of the posts in this thread, it seems that mine is a mild variant too. I was hospitalized for 2 months when it was first diagnosed about 8 years ago but since then I've only ever had one incident that did not require major treatment.

Dealing with the news took a while though. I was 22 years old when I found out that I was going to be sick for the rest of my life. It's not something that you can wrap your head around easily. And while this is the most cliched advice ever, I can only say that it gets better with time. The human mind has a habit of segregating and forgetting about bad news or bad circumstances and eventually you'll just get around to not thinking about it anymore. In my case, I ended up going to a shrink and was on medication for a while but I don't think any of that helped. It just takes time.

 

[Seanbob11]

I have Crohn's, and after reading some of the posts in this thread, it seems that mine is a mild variant too. I was hospitalized for 2 months when it was first diagnosed about 8 years ago but since then I've only ever had one incident that did not require major treatment.

Dealing with the news took a while though. I was 22 years old when I found out that I was going to be sick for the rest of my life. It's not something that you can wrap your head around easily. And while this is the most cliched advice ever, I can only say that it gets better with time. The human mind has a habit of segregating and forgetting about bad news or bad circumstances and eventually you'll just get around to not thinking about it anymore. In my case, I ended up going to a shrink and was on medication for a while but I don't think any of that helped. It just takes time.

I suppose I should be happy that I was diagnosed when I was 8, can't remember a time before knowing I would be sick for the rest of my life. Still, kinda weird though .

 

[Shake Appeal]

I was diagnosed with Crohn's about 18 months ago, but it seems so mild compared to what others experience that I count my lucky stars most days. So far I just have to eat a lot of mesalazine each day and sometimes put up with some blood in the water.