Awaiting diagnosis, need advice!

[mistygrey]

Morning

I have for a long time now over several months been having diarrhoea everyday usually worse in mornings along with other symptoms including stomach cramps, lethargic, sore eyes and all my iron labs keep coming back very low, just been given a stool test to do for GP to show any inflammation as he thinks this could be causing my low iron.

Is this stool test reliable or not for helping diagnose IBD areas? I am not convinced and need help as I am getting nowhere fast and feeling very ill!

Thanks!

[willow24 Administrator]

If its a faecal calprotectin test then this is a useful tool in helping with the diagnosis of IBD. This test 'counts' the number of inflammatory cells in the stool and can help distinguish between IBS and IBD. If the test indicates high inflammation your GP should refer you to a gastroenterologist where they can do a colonoscopy with biopsies to give a diagnosis

A FOB stool test will just show if blood is present in the stool which cannot determine if IBD or not

hope this is of some help x

[SORRELHIPPO]

With me it was the weight loss (2 stone in 3 weeks) that triggered the hospital visit, saw Gastro and he did a colonoscopy there and then, and admitted me. What I had not done, in the intervening time, and should have done (not advised to by GP) was take dioralyte rehydration sachets, would have helped with weakness/brain loss etc. Turned out to be Crohn's