Panicking about calprotectin 317

[Natalie1982]

Hi im hoping for some reassurance really 🤦‍♀️. Had panic attacks and anxiety which ive never had the end of Dec. Since then ive been having stomach cramps then diarrhea, constipation on and off, tiredness, bloating, indigestion type feeling, fullness after eating small portions which has caused me to lose weight. Im seeing a therapist which ive just started. Ive also been put on lansoprazole 30mg daily which the gastro specialist wants me to come off slowly. Ive just started taking one 30mg every other day now. I dont know if this isnt helping and making my symptoms worse or if the anxiety is contributing. The consultant says they could be factors but dont explain the 317 calprotectin which indicates inflammation or infection or even cancer. Although he did say due to my age 38, and im not a smoker or drinker and my FIT stool cqme back normal it was highly unlikely to be the latter. I would be so grateful if anyone has any experiences or reassurance as im going out of my mind with worry.

[Beechview]

Hi Natalie I can relate to all your symptoms.

Panic attacks can be very scary. I see myself as a very resilient up beat person but suddenly out of nowhere my chest goes tight, I get a horrible lump in my throat like a piece of apple is stuck but the heart palpitations are the worst 😢

During lockdown I have found these symptoms are more frequent.

It's time to take control, I hate it when my body gets the better of me. It helps me to try and work out what is stressing me out.

Then I have to consciously remind myself of all the people who are in so much worse situations and list all the things that I have to be grateful for.

I have a lovely family, lovely home, a job I love, food, warmth.

Then I put you tube on my TV and do a gentle pilates or yoga session as a distraction.

Your mind is the most powerful part of your body if you can learn strategies that help to focus on that gives you a break from all the horrendous symptoms you experience it can only help.

Don't get me wrong, easier said than done as living with a health condition can wear you down especially during these difficult times.

Stay strong and be kind to yourself,

Take care

I couldn't survive without my omeprazole, taken it for as long as I can remember. Otherwise I would just vomit after every meal.

[Valbaty54]

Hi Natalie, When I'm anxious it always affects my digestive system so I wonder if that's really at the root of most of your symptoms. Your doc would have referred you for a colonoscopy if he was concerned about possible cancer. Your calprotectin is raised but is not that high - mine has been up in the thousands! I have Ulcerative Colitis which causes inflammation, but other things such as an infection or even taking ibuprofen-type painkillers can raise it. What about blood test results? There would be clear indications from those if there was a serious problem. Hope you can find inner peace soon.

[Natalie1982 in reply to Valbaty54]

Hi many thanks for your reply. He has referred me for a colonoscopy which is next Thursday. He says its unlikely due to my age etc but im still concerned. My bloods were fine aoart from my CRP which was elevated at 19 but has come down to 9. 🙏😭

[Valbaty54 in reply to Natalie1982]

Ok - a colonoscopy will reveal if there's anything going on, so that's good. Enjoy the prep drink..... Let's hope the results explain all, as it's better to know which problem, if any, you are dealing with. Good luck!

[WorriedWolf in reply to Natalie1982]

I’m going to have a colonoscopy tomorrow myself, because of my calprotectin levels of 293. Thought it was today though, so that’s two days of fasting instead of one, but eh, what can you do. You should probably just relax, though. I notice myself that when I get anxious my stomach symptoms get drastically worse.

[Natalie1982 in reply to WorriedWolf]

Yes im definitely a worrier and get physical symptoms when particularly worried. Has anyone speculated regarding the higher levels of calprotectin? Have you any symptoms?

[WorriedWolf in reply to Natalie1982]

My doctor thinks it might just be IBS with a combination of medicines I use. My symptoms have been semi-formed/loose stools that sometimes float(did for 3months, stopped for a month until I had some anxiety issues again), while also having some stomach aches.

All my bloods have come back as normal, liver test were normal and the different fecal blood tests I took has come back negative, so hopefully(and probably) my doctor is correct in her assessment.

[Natalie1982 in reply to WorriedWolf]

Im sure thats probably the cause. I suffered a bad week of panic attacks just before Christmas (never had them before), and since ive had loss of appetite, fullness after small portions and bloating. My diet was shocking prior to this and i lived off sugar, ive cut it out completely and eat small portions through the day so ive lost weight, random constipation and diarrhoea which has tappered off and flares up when im anxious. My bloods have all been fine apart from CRP which was elevated but then came down, the FIT stool test was fine and Chest xrays have beem fine as well. Ive had a lot going on particularly the last 2 weeks as my mothers been diagnosed with lymphoma low grade but its been tough. Not sure if any of its realted to my gut issues though. Ive been on lansoprazole which apparently can cause diarrhea and bloating, so im slowly coming off those as instructed by the consultant.Keep me posted on how it goes. Im sure you'll be fine.

[WorriedWolf in reply to Natalie1982]

I just finished my colonoscopy aaaaand... Everything was fine. No inflammation, no polyps, no cancer. What they did notice however was that even though I had taken te laxatives and fasted for two days, there was still fecal matter in there, even in the small intestine, but that was consistent with the IBS diagnosis, so all’s good!

[Natalie1982 in reply to WorriedWolf]

Oh thats excellent news. I bet your so relieved. Ive got my fingers and toes crossed mine is a similar result 🤞. Although my reflux symptoms have reared their head since ive stoppef taking the lansoprazole so definitely something going on 🤦‍♀️.

[shellydiva]

hi im in a similar situation,im 37 dont smoke or drink been poorly last 2 months and docs thought it was gastritis so gave me omeprazole which did help,i took a calprotectin stool test and it come back 268 im freaking out,im waiting to hear from gastro for next steps.did u find out what caused yours to be high x

[Natalie1982]

Hi no not really any wiser. I had a colonoscopy which im 8 weeks waiting for the result, the consultant did say he couldn't see anything and felt thr results would show this. My bowels have returned to normal for me and we think the lansoprazole was causing some issues which have resolved since ending the medication. I haven't had my calprotectin checked as the consultant seemed to think if my symptoms had tapered off i was highly likely that i had some sort of gastritis or infection/inflammation at the time that has come and go over time. My anxiety issues were particularly bad and i also think this was definitely a contributing factor which im learning to control. Im sure it will much the same for you as we are young and unlikely for it to be anything overly sinister. Try not to google everything, unlike me 🤦‍♀️ and worry yourself.

[shellydiva in reply to Natalie1982]

Yeah my anxiety and stress levels have been terrible,been thinking the worst which has really got me down,i do find my stomach worse when im worrying x