I was wondering if you could give me a peace of mind...I've been suffering from stomach pain for 3 weeks now. The pain was worse the first 2 weeks and I would get hit me with bouts of pain every other hour. Now, I mostly feel mild discomfort throughout the day and then get really bloated after dinner, resulting in a stomach ache that lasts just a few minutes and a trip to the toilet. My stool still looks healthy, just softer than usual but I'd have diarrhea maybe once a week. My GP ran some tests and said my blood came back normal but my stool had high amounts of calprotectin. He suspects it's could be Colitis or Crohn's and is booking me in for a colonoscopy. The thing is, I don't feel too unwell? My symptoms have gotten a lot better, though I did find some bloody mucus in my stool today which really startled me! I have no idea what Colitis or Crohn's feels like and I don't know anyone with experience to reference. Is it possible to have either conditions when my symptoms have improved and I still feel relatively healthy? I haven't noticed any weight loss and I don't feel more tired than usual. I'd have days where I feel no pain at all just discomfort and bloating, which obviously I'd rather not have but again, I don't feel massively affected.
My GP didn't give me any information or comfort at all, just told me he thinks it's one of the two conditions and to wait for a letter for colonoscopy then hung up.
This has given me a lot of anxiety because I feel like I've gone from 0-100. I'm feeling a lot better than before but now I'm told I could actually have something serious? I have a history of stomach and bowel cancer in my family too so now my paranoia is leading me to all sorts of conclusions.
I would really appreciate any advice. Does my situation still sound like IBD? Is this what early IBD feels like and should I expect it to worsen? Or can I still hold out hope that it's gastritis or some sort of bacterial infection I can get over soon?
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Hi there, I recently had a bout of stomach cramps and pain (no sickness or diarrhoea) that wouldn’t clear up. The doctor took bloods and stool sample. Bloods were fine but stool sample showed significantly high calprotectin. I was referred for urgent colonoscopy and MRI as the doctor and gastroenterologist thought it was either crohns or colitis. Like you, over a matter of weeks I started to feel better and couldn’t imagine it being anything as serious as IBD. Thankfully it wasn’t. MRI was clear and colonoscopy showed mild inflammation typical of a bacterial infection. I’d say I’m now 99% better, just still the odd pains, but gastroenterologist said it can take a while for inflammation from bacterial infection to completely clear. I hope this gives you some reassurance that you may not have IBD.
Thank you so much for sharing!! That really does make me feel better. Of course I'll need to wait for my colonoscopy and results but at least now I know there's some hope its not IBD. The way my GP was speaking made it sound like there wasn't any other possible diagnosis... Really appreciate your response!
It doesn't sound like ulcerative colitis, it wouldn't usually start out the blue or go into remission so quickly, you would also have significant blood, mucus and urgency day and night but not so much pain but the colonoscopy and biopsies will give you the definite answers, good luck with that, enjoy !!
GPs have little if any experience of IBDs as patients with UC or Crohns are treated and monitored by their hospital Gastro team so GPs are not involved with any of it. If it does turn out you have a problem make sure you are referred to a good Gastro.
It will effect people in different ways but usually a flare up will last much longer than a few weeks especially when not diagnosed or treated. I have had UC for 50 years !
Hello, I started similar to you and over the past 2 years have had bouts of pain, bloody mucus, blood and diarrhea, plue urgencies to use the loo. Initially doctors thought it was piles and I was booked in for a colonoscopy, December last year, no one had mentioned IBD so then when my symptoms disappeared I stupidly cancelled my colonoscopy, they had booked it for new years eve! Anyway, 2 month later all my symptoms reappeared and I began bleeding every day. Finally in July my doctor sent a stool sample off and my feacal calprotectin came back as over 2000. It was then that IBD was mentioned and I was reffered to the hospital. I waited until last week for a colonoscopy, due to covid! And I've been diagnosed with ulcerative colitis. You might have mild symptoms now but they can get worse so just stick with it, go for the colonoscopy, even if you feel better. I've had the worst year, weight loss, worry, blood, pain, lack of sleep and I could have avoided all that if I'd gone for that first colonoscopy! We've no history of IBD or bowel cancer in my family! It's just happened to me.
I'm so sorry to hear it's been so tough for you this year. I'm hoping it all passes quickly and you can you go back into remission. I will definitely stick with the colonoscopy and see what exactly is wrong. Thank you so much for sharing your experience!
Thank you for your response! The pain originated at the top of abdomen just below my ribs, that's where I used to get bloated the most. Now the pain seems to have left and I feel it most at the bottom of my abdomen, near my pelvic area? I'm not sure if this is normal in UC. Also, may I ask, how much blood is normally lost with UC and does this happen at the beginning when the pain first appears or is it something that develops? I only saw a small amount of bloody mucus last night after 3 weeks of the other symptoms, I'm not sure if that counts or maybe I'm still in denial! Also, is it normal of UC to feel pain mostly at night after dinner? Because I'm usually fine throughout the day just a little niggling or mild discomfort but no rushing to the toilet whatsoever.
Sometimes it is only blood on the paper after having stool. When i am in a flair tot 23 times stool. B'well no stool then only blood. But that is a Severen Flair
IBD can be a little different for each individual. Maybe your symptoms are mild and that’s good but they can also get worse BOOM! Just like that. It’s a vicious cycle! So please don’t take this lightly. If I were you I would start the Specific Carbohydrate Diet. Doing so could get you healed up within 30 days since you have mild symptoms. This happened to me. The book is called Breaking The Vicious Cycle Intestinal Health Through Diet. Don’t listen to doctors who say “diet doesn’t matter”. This is not true. Go to the website and read about the intro diet. It’s a 2-3 day diet to get you ready. Honestly if you try this you could be on your way to recovery. It did it for me and others. Also join the Breaking The Vicious Cycle FB page. Remember if we do nothing the disease will get worse! I went off the diet 2 years later and 2 years later I got worse than before! But I’m back on the diet and now I’m on serious medication as well. The medication would not work so well if I were not on this diet, 🙏🏼❤️🙏🏼
Thank you, I will definitely look into the diet! At least it will give me something to try as I wait for answers and for the docs to see me! I really hate not knowing what is causing me these symptoms, I just feel so helpless because there's nothing I can do to help myself. It's giving me all sorts of anxiety 😕
I'm so glad to hear that the diet has helped you though and I hope you continue to feel this well! ❤️
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