Help!

[Neb93]

Hellooo!

For almost ten years I have experienced upper right quadrant stomach pain and heart burn but after investigations the Dr always put it down to a fatty liver. This all started when I was pregnant with my first child when I was 18 where I did suffer from severe constipation also, my second pregnancy when I was 21 I also had severe constipation. I got referred back again in October and they found a hiatus hernia during the endoscopy and again a fatty liver. This time he tested my 💩 which showed a calprotectin level of 623 this is almost two months after I handed in the sample I get told this and he says he's removed me from the 2 week rapid pathway but awaiting further investigation... enter the colonoscopy. I've always suffered with issues that end but they said it was always IBS or piles and then it does calm down. But cause I have absolutely beside myself all week I have been checking every time I have a bowel movement nothing alarming found no blood and stools are soft and normal in colour apart from last night I had a episode of "fluffy" stool and this morning I passed on that's yellow "fluffy stool" with a string of what looks like to be stooly mucus that's a hit solid.

I've been going through my symptoms over the past year particularly. I have had two occasions where I had sudden onset urge to go 💩 which got messy one in December 2020 and one in May 2021 but before I took place I'd eaten chicken on the bone which I know can be funny for some people and it never happend again. One episode of 🩸 after iv been which was quite significant and was all down the side of the toilet bowl because of that I put it down to straining too much because its happend before and iv been to the Dr's over the years and that's what it come down too they said. It hasn't happend again either.

I suffer from intermittent constipation and hard 💩 but put this down to not eating enough fibre or drinking a lot because when I do I'm regular every day 🙈. I've always been gassy too and this increases depending on what I've eaten. Sometimes my 💩 can be a different colour like a dark brown but again I put this down to green tea (I was drinking about 3-4 cups a day at one point) and since iv stopped drinking so much of thats it back to normal.

Just after Christmas my stomach blew up like a balloon and it did it again this weekend but again my 💩 where pretty normal but everything hurts. My c-restive protein levels where up to 15 on my bloods. No signs of anaemia either. My liver enzymes (ALT and Gamma GT) are elevated but these fluctuate and he said this is the fatty liver.

I'm just paranoid that the Dr is suspecting crohns but I've got it into my head something more sinister I'm 28. Because he's put "benign" symptoms on the letter to my GP yet he didn't discuss that end with me he was quite rude initially because he said "oh you've been here before and what do we keep telling you, we will have to do the investigation".

Sorry for the essay but iv just had this sprung up on me and I am terrified.

I'm in the UK)

[RobinAnn]

Hello Neb93, so what is your fear: fear of colonoscopy, fear doctor missed something or fear for crohns/ colitis, or worse?

If your symptoms are intermittent, whatever is going on is possibly mild. So breath. Fear will exasperated things.

If your calprotectin was 623 and your doctor waited two months to let you know, not very professional. But in any case severe ibd has much higher calprotectin so 623 would seem maybe less severe. But I think (someone can double check me though) you might be looking at colitis more than crohns. Neither are fun to deal with but not all cases are severe.

Your best piece of mind is getting the colonoscopy. But while you are waiting there are certain diet changes that can help.

Something like colitis, when active, is often made worse by high fiber (when not active fiber is important) . Lots of water helps. But things like gluten and casein can add to inflammation. As can sugar, alcohol, eating the wrong/cheap fats/meats. Omega 6/3 ratio is important and so is eating fish. Read up of some of that and see if diet changes can help.

Has anyone done a fecal elastase test?