Jump to content
This site uses cookies. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. More Info... ×
  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.




  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):



    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):


  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

Could I Have Crohns?


jasonD2

Recommended Posts

jasonD2 Experienced

Crohns is the one disease I never expected but is it possible i have it?

My colonoscopy was negative and my endoscopy was as well. I did have duodenitis last year but the biopsy for that was negative.

Also my inflammation markers on my stool test were normal and never had blood in my stool; never have diarrhea - mostly constipation. also never have loss of appetite, fever and i think my weight loss is attributable more to my bacterial overgrowth than anything else.

I do still suffer from upper GI discomfort after meals on occasion - they are kinda like "flare-ups" but HCL supplements have helped and as long as i eat slow & dont overeat im usually ok

just had a capsule endoscopy so it will be interesting to see if they find anything in the small intestine


Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



ravenwoodglass Mentor

It is highly unlikely IMHO that you have Chrons. It would have been found on the colonoscopy.

jasonD2 Experienced

But there are different types - could I maybe have an upper GI form of Crohn's?

jerseyangel Proficient

I do still suffer from upper GI discomfort after meals on occasion - they are kinda like "flare-ups"

Is this discomfort with fatty foods? If so, you might want to ask your doctor about checking your gallbladder.

burdee Enthusiast

Crohns is the one disease I never expected but is it possible i have it?

My colonoscopy was negative and my endoscopy was as well. I did have duodenitis last year but the biopsy for that was negative.

Also my inflammation markers on my stool test were normal and never had blood in my stool; never have diarrhea - mostly constipation. also never have loss of appetite, fever and i think my weight loss is attributable more to my bacterial overgrowth than anything else.

I do still suffer from upper GI discomfort after meals on occasion - they are kinda like "flare-ups" but HCL supplements have helped and as long as i eat slow & dont overeat im usually ok

just had a capsule endoscopy so it will be interesting to see if they find anything in the small intestine

If you still have inflammation after you treat and eliminate your hookworm parasite and your Klebsiella and Enterobacter Cloacae bacterial (overgrowth) infections, then you might consider crohn's as the cause of your inflammation. However, as long as you have gut bug infections, those will cause intestinal and digestive problems.

I suspect all my gut bug infections came from hypochloridia (low stomach acid production), which allowed food born bugs to travel through my stomach to my intestines. Normal stomach acid should kill off those bugs, but without adequate acid, my 'bugs' overwhelmed my intestines and proliferated.

jasonD2 Experienced

been there done that

cassP Contributor

i would think Crohns, Colitis, and Diverticulitis would all show up on colonoscopy.

your "signature" says your endoscopy was negative after being strict gluten free- that would make it inconclusive.

and negative blood tests are common too

you're having all these issues, and you do have dq8- so i would assume you're at least gluten sensitive.

i wouldnt give up on Celiac being the culprit.... and also- maybe gall bladder issues, pancreas, and hiatal hernia, and Hypoclorhidia could ALL BE possibilities in your upper gastro issues.

good luck jason :)


Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



ravenwoodglass Mentor

Crohns is the one disease I never expected but is it possible i have it?

My colonoscopy was negative and my endoscopy was as well. I did have duodenitis last year but the biopsy for that was negative.

Also my inflammation markers on my stool test were normal and never had blood in my stool; never have diarrhea - mostly constipation. also never have loss of appetite, fever and i think my weight loss is attributable more to my bacterial overgrowth than anything else.

I do still suffer from upper GI discomfort after meals on occasion - they are kinda like "flare-ups" but HCL supplements have helped and as long as i eat slow & dont overeat im usually ok

just had a capsule endoscopy so it will be interesting to see if they find anything in the small intestine

Here are the symptoms for Chrons from Mayo Clinic since you don't have D or the other major symptoms I think it highly unlikely you have Chrons. The capsule endo will tell you for sure though.

Open Original Shared Link

■Diarrhea. The inflammation that occurs in Crohn's disease causes cells in the affected areas of your intestine to secrete large amounts of water and salt. Because the colon can't completely absorb this excess fluid, you develop diarrhea. Intensified intestinal cramping also can contribute to loose stools. Diarrhea is the most common problem for people with Crohn's.

■Abdominal pain and cramping. Inflammation and ulceration may cause the walls of portions of your bowel to swell and eventually thicken with scar tissue. This affects the normal movement of contents through your digestive tract and may lead to pain and cramping. Mild Crohn's disease usually causes slight to moderate intestinal discomfort, but in more-serious cases, the pain may be severe and include nausea and vomiting.

■Blood in your stool. Food moving through your digestive tract may cause inflamed tissue to bleed, or your bowel may also bleed on its own. You might notice bright red blood in the toilet bowl or darker blood mixed with your stool. You can also have bleeding you don't see (occult blood).

■Ulcers. Crohn's disease can cause small sores on the surface of the intestine that eventually become large ulcers that penetrate deep into

jasonD2 Experienced

definitely never had no appetite - always hungry. never any cramping or diarrhea

jasonD2 Experienced

pancreatic output normal, no hiatal hernia and GB was fine- something else goin down

ravenwoodglass Mentor

definitely never had no appetite - always hungry. never any cramping or diarrhea

That's good and that combined with having constipation and not Diarrhea should make you feel better about the possibility of Chrons. I hope the capsule endo has some answers for you. I think I remember you saying that HCL helped a bit, are you still taking it?

gf-soph Apprentice

It's good that you've had the capsule endoscopy as that will be able to tell you for sure, but from what you've said it seems unlikely. You don't really meet the symptom profile at all.

I was evaluated for it due to long standing iron problems and continuing GI problems, mostly D with some pretty severe pain. My gi problems were at the less severe end of the scale than they would expect from crohn's, but they suspected it may be early stage because of my inability to keep iron in my system.

They were only able to do regular endoscopy and a colonoscopy, but they were satisfied that I didn't have it based on those tests. It's a pretty nasty disease so I was happy not to have it, for me I still have the iron problems but the gi issues have calmed remarkably on an elimination diet, so that's my answer.

Hope it all comes back clear and you can cross it off your list.

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.


  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):



  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      129,887
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748

    BradL
    Newest Member
    BradL
    Joined

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):


  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.3k
    • Total Posts
      1m

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):





  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):



  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • trents
      First, I hope you know that celiac disease is not an allergy to gluten. It is an autoimmune disease reaction that is triggered by gluten consumption. Allergies don't trigger immunes responses whereby the body attacks it's own tissues but this is what is actually happening with celiac disease and what distinguishes celiac disease from NCGS (Non Celiac Gluten Sensitivity).  Second, though I think your question other question has already been answered. Since the tTG-IGA antibody test is only 90 to 98% specific, elevated values for this test will be have non-celiac disease causes in 2 to 8 out of 100 cases. I realize that is addressing your question in a general way but the non-celiac causes have also be covered in this thread, though not to  the granularity of giving percentages to each non-celiac cause. Not sure why that is important to you at this point. First, you need to separate whether it is due to celiac disease or not. If not, then start sorting out what the other cause is. But as I stated above, by far the most likely cause is celiac disease so that is the place to start. Sure, we get it. Having  to eliminate gluten from your life spells huge culinary and social changes and challenges. But it's still better than facing cancer or host of other diseases that less definitive antidotes and outcomes. With celiac disease you don't even have to worry about taking medications because, as of now at least, there are none. The treatment is very straightforward. Avoid gluten.
    • Shining My Light
      @trents This info is so helpful and I’m absorbing it all. My blood tests were almost a month ago and I feel like it came out of left field. I never even heard of term “silent celiac.” I thought celiac gave you violent diarrhea when you consumed a tiny bit of gluten. That’s it. Not that it damages your small intestine, not that it made the absorption of vitamins and minerals compromised. None of it. To me it was just an allergy to gluten.  My close family and friends think I’m crazy for even giving it a second thought because “no symptoms, no worries.”  It’s unfortunately hard for me to let something go that I don’t know enough about. Therefore all the research came into play.  I’m glad I’ve joined this forum. It’s more helpful to talk things through with people than looking through cases studies without being able to ask questions. I’m on the fence right now on what my odds are. I don’t know enough about the other variables and probability of why a TTG level would be raised.  The questions I still have lingering are:  -what are the odds that these levels are raised in something other than celiac? For instance of all positive TTG tests that have been done how many of those are from celiac? I know it’s a big ask but to me that’s something that is super unclear to me.  - what are the TTG levels in something other than celiac? (I.e. in things like type 1 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, hepatitis, viruses, NCGS, etc, are the TTG levels the same as those that have celiac, higher or lower?)  - even if it’s not celiac and it’s NCGS, if my body is “responding” to gluten, and creating antibodies to it, wouldn’t that be something to avoid anyway? Maybe not doing the damage but still my body doesn’t like it?  -could I really possibly follow a gluten free life as close as I follow Jesus?  Definitely understand now that key piece of needing an EGD. It’s looking at things from another angle. Also with all the other associated blood work, more angles.  I would like to say please forgive me if any of my questions seem as though I’m trying to be difficult. Making lifelong decisions is hard.  I do have decisions to make as you have said. I clearly will need convinced in order for this to be something to be committed to.  I would hope that there will be something in the future that comes out that will offset gluten in bodies the same was it does for sugar in diabetics.  My compassion is far greater for anyone carrying the burden of celiac than it was a month ago knowing what I know now.  I appreciate you helping me work this out, in real time. It’s been lonely up to this point. Only me talking about what I’ve read to people who don’t think I should be bothering with it any further. 😆 So thank you! 🙏            
    • trents
      Lot's of folks would trade places with you with regard to the unintentional weight loss. Seriously, though, I would be concerned about vitamin and mineral depletion due to malabsorption in the small bowel. One thing you can do now to address that which will not jeopardize the accuracy of further testing for celiac disease would be to start taking some high potency vitamin and mineral supplements. Make sure they are all gluten free if you will continue to use them - after diagnosis, that is. Wheat starch is sometimes used as a filler in pills. A multivitamin may not be potent enough. So, I would go for a B-complex, magnesium glycinate (the form of magnesium is important for good absorption and to prevent a laxative effect), zinc picolinate, and D3 (around 5000IU daily). These are supplements we routinely recommend on this forum to newly diagnosed celiacs and in view of your dramatic weight loss it would likely be appropriate for you as well. It often takes around 2 years for the villous lining of the small bowel to fully heal after going gluten free and until then, nutrient absorption will be compromised. The small bowel is the section of the intestines where all of our nutrition is taken up. Keep us posted.
    • terrymouse
      I'm 5'2" so it's weight I could afford to lose. I guess what's concerning is that it's not on purpose, I haven't been active because I don't have much energy, and it's been steadily going down since I started keeping track of it. So I'm not too worried about where I'm at right now, but it's something I'm keeping an eye on.
    • trents
      A classic case of more than one medical problem going on at a time. We often forget that can happen. Are you concerned about your weight loss? Is your current weight too thin for your height, gender and general build?
×
×
  • Create New...