My feed
Premium
Please
or
to access all these features

Mumsnet doesn't verify the qualifications of users. If you have medical concerns, please consult a healthcare professional.

General health

Crohn's disease

40 replies

Debinaboat · 26/06/2015 19:24

Does anyone here suffer from Crohn's disease ,without weight loss?

OP posts:
Report
Debinaboat · 26/06/2015 19:26

I ask because I have all the symptoms of Crohn's ,but am still overweight .so just wondering if it possible to have it ,with out the weight loss symptom .

OP posts:
Report
WiIdfire · 26/06/2015 19:27

Yes its possible. I dont have it personally, but have had patients with it who have still been overweight.

Report
Debinaboat · 26/06/2015 19:29

Thank you wildfire ,
Can I ask if you are a gp? Can I ask you a couple of questions about Crohn's

OP posts:
Report
ilovemydoggy · 26/06/2015 19:38

Yes. I have crohns and am over weight. Even more so when I get put on steroids. I can try and answer any questions for you. Been diagnosed now for 6 months.

Report
ilovemydoggy · 26/06/2015 19:39

6 years sorry not months. Since feb 2009.

Report
Debinaboat · 26/06/2015 19:54

Thank you ilovemydoggy,
I have thought for years that I had Crohn's ,never voiced it to my gp tho because I always believed weight loss was a huge part of the disease ,so all my symptoms have been put down to ibs.
But I had blood tests done ( for a different thing) and I got the results today ,they show that I am deficient in vit b 12.
On googling ( I know I shouldn't ) it seems that this might indicate Crohn's ,and added to all my other symptoms ,I am now wondering if I do in fact have Crohn's .
Do you know anything about vit b 12 ? And the reasons for a deficiency of it ?

OP posts:
Report
ilovemydoggy · 26/06/2015 20:05

Do you loose any blood when you go a toilet? In crohns this is linked to low iron levels which can be caused by bleeding when going to a toilet. What other symptoms do you have? They is a brilliant Facebook page for crohns.

Report
MrsPnut · 26/06/2015 20:07

I have ulcerative colitis and am overweight. I lose some during a flare but it all piles back on afterwards.

What symptoms of crohns do you think you have?

Report
Debinaboat · 26/06/2015 20:13

I will have a look for the Facebook page thanks .
I don't appear to be anaemic as such ,my blood levels are good .its the vit b 12 that I am low in .
I don't think I lose blood when I go to the loo ,but I can have mucus in the stools .
I get gripping pains,very similar to labour contractions ,and I can hear the liquid in my body ,it sounds like someone has turned on a tap .
And with little warning ,can be on the toilet with what can only be described as liquid ,pouring out ( sorry ,that's probably tmi)
It can be out of the blue ,or it can be after certain meals .
Does that sound familiar to you ?

OP posts:
Report
Debinaboat · 26/06/2015 20:16

Sorry ,the other symptoms are extreme fatigue ,always .if I sit down ,I sleep .
I have joint pain .
And a weird thing with my knees ,at night they are scarlet red and feel a bit swollen .from just above the knee to just below ,both knees .

OP posts:
Report
wannabestressfree · 26/06/2015 20:16

Yes I do and am overweight. I also have injections for B12 Deficiency but have recently been diagnosed with pernicious anemia.
I had lots of other symptoms of crohns though and the disease was diagnosed after surgery. I now have a permenant colostomy and next to no bowel.

Report
wannabestressfree · 26/06/2015 20:17

That could be down to B12 deficiency- the extreme fatigue I mean. Have you had a colonoscopy?

Report
MrsPnut · 26/06/2015 20:18

I had diarrhoea all the time, and had begun passing blood with it.

I had stomach cramps and urgency. I'd get the feeling and know I needed the toilet that moment. I was so bone tired and no enthusiasm for anything.

I had symptoms for about 2 years before I went to my GP and I saw a consultant very quickly and had a colonoscopy and endoscopy within a few weeks. I was diagnosed after that and it took about 18 months to get my meds right but I haven't had a flare in over a year now.

Report
ilovemydoggy · 26/06/2015 20:18

I get urgency to go a toilet a lot. Sometimes instantly after food other times an hour or so later. I loose a lot of blood when I go to the toilet and always have mucas. Only recently since I had a dose of steroids and increase in tablets I have been having soild toilet other then that it's very watery. Make sure you join the crohns and Colitis UK forum and that's a closed group so no one can see on your friends list what you write. Go and see your gp you might be surprised.

Report
ilovemydoggy · 26/06/2015 20:20

My knees are really painful also my hips and back the doctors have now put that down to arthitics. I'm only 35.

Report
Debinaboat · 26/06/2015 20:21

So it seems that weight loss is not always the first thing to look for ,
And I should bring it up with my gp,and not have my question dismissed because I am overweight?
Thank you for your replies ,every bit of info helps .

OP posts:
Report
MrsPnut · 26/06/2015 20:23

My bloods don't show particularly high inflammatory markers nor do my other blood results look anything out of the ordinary even when I'm in flare. I had a fecal calprotectin test done which was off the scale. It should be under 50 and mine was about 350. That was the only indication that I had such a large amount of inflammation.

Report
Debinaboat · 26/06/2015 20:25

Oh I missed some posts there ,I am a slow Typer:-)
Wannabestressfree ,iv only ever been treated for ibs,and not had any investigations done at all .
From reading ,I can see that the vit b12 deficiency can be a cause of fatigue also,but I don't know why I am deficient .
A bit more investigating needs to be done I think .

OP posts:
Report
Debinaboat · 26/06/2015 20:28

Mrsphnut
My bloods did show signs of inflammation ( is that the right way of putting it )
But when the blood tests were done I had a bad throat infection ,so I think the results have been put down to that

OP posts:
Report
shadowfax07 · 27/06/2015 00:26

Deb vit B12 is absorbed in a certain part of the colon, the terminal ileum. If this is inflamed, then it can't absorb vit B12. You'd need a colonoscopy to know where inflammation is in your bowel though.

Report
Debinaboat · 27/06/2015 07:52

Thank you shadowfax07
I think I will have to put my concerns to my doctor and see what he thinks .

OP posts:
Report
MrsPnut · 27/06/2015 08:17

I would work out how long you have had the symptoms for, and go to the GP armed with your information to ask for a referral to a gastroenterologist. You'll have to have a set of bloods taken because they won't accept the referral without them (or so my GP told me) but it should be a fairly straightforward process.

I'd be fairly firm about wanting a referral - don't be fobbed off with them telling you it's IBS. IMO, you need a colonoscopy to see what's going on and only the consultant can order one.

Report

Don’t want to miss threads like this?

Weekly

Sign up to our weekly round up and get all the best threads sent straight to your inbox!

Log in to update your newsletter preferences.

You've subscribed!

Debinaboat · 27/06/2015 08:54

Iv had the symptoms for years ,i have always believed it was ibs and assumed that some foods dont agree with me ,but the diarrhoea can be so sudden and unpredictable sometimes ,and it can be In the middle of the night,I wake up thinking I'm in labour ( not pregnant ) the pain is so bad ,and then I spend 1/2 hour on the toilet .go back to bed only for it all to start up again within minutes .

OP posts:
Report
MrsPnut · 27/06/2015 10:17

That does sound more like IBD than IBS

Report
Debinaboat · 27/06/2015 13:00

Ibd,does that cover a lot of conditions ,or is that a specific condition ,
I appreciate all this info ,thanks again .

OP posts:
Report
Please create an account

To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.