Crohns? Stomch Cancer? Or what?

[EeTraceyluv]

My mum is 84. All of her life she has had bowel problems basically. She had a couple of barium enemas in the 1970'80s and I vaguely remember her losing a lot of weight and being very unwell when I young. Anyway, in the past 8 or 9 months, she's been very unwell and has lost a good two or three stone. Long story short, we finally stuck a rocket up her gp's bum and got her to the hospital. She has had a colonoscopy, and a ct colonography, which showed 'thickening' in her stomach lining. Now she is having an endoscopy on Saturday, all the time still unable to keep food in and still losing weight :( I am naturally worried but feel certain, by her history and by what I've been googling that it could be crohns. Def not coeliac, my sister is a coeliac and that has been discounted. HAs anyone had any experience of this, or got any medical idea of what it could be?

TIA

anyone ? :(

My mum is going through something similar although amazingly enough, despite not eating really anything since June, she hasn't lost any weight...

Anyway, loads of tests later, her issues are probably being caused by various hernias which will be surgically corrected. But along the way, diverticular disease was a possibility. Would that fit?

Hi OP. Didn't want your post to go unanswered.

I am not a doctor but I have some medical knowledge from Holistic Therapy training. It must be very worrying seeing her lose weight and not having a conclusive diagnosis yet.

The thing with anything digestion/bowel related is that sometimes the symptoms seem non-specific or do not show up well on scans/investigations. The usual thing is that many tests are done before a diagnosis can be reached - this can seem like an age when someone is going hungry. Please also be aware that it is natural for some more mature patients to eat less as a part of natural ageing.

It is almost possible to sit back when you are worried about someone. And is natural for people to do their own research whilst waiting for diagnosis. Your research would give you some ideas of what thickened stomach lining could be due to (e.g. polyps, gastritis, cancer, ulcers etc.) Please try not to worry about diagnosis until the doctors come back with a name for you. It would be asking them to tell you what they are considering in terms of diagnosis at the moment through.

Hope you have more info. soon

I know of quite a few people male and female who had /have had bowel cancer, but all have been much younger than your mum.
I read some years ago, though, that cancer is unlikely over the age of 80, and if it is, it progresses so slowly , people die of natural causes before the cancer kills them.

You must be very worried at her weight loss .
Is the endoscopy into her stomach and upper intestines on Saturday?

Thank you all for replying She was told it was diverticular disease after the first colonoscopy but then got asked back for the ct colonography as they said they couldn't complete the first one as there was a blockage. The endoscopy is going into her tummy from what I can gather.

I can offer you my experiences.

Having been through bowel cancer diagnosis 2 years ago, subsequent chemo and all clear, then unexplained weight loss since the birth of DD2 in April this year. I have been through multiple tests in the last 6 months inc 2 colonoscopies, 2 CT scans and an endoscopy ( tube down throat to look in stomach and small intestine and take biopsies).

Following the endoscopy, biopsies were taken and I was diagnosed with an ulcer, although it's histology wasn't known and I needed another abdothoracic ct scan to look at it again.

Unfortunately mine turned out to be secondary bowel cancer in my stomach lining and liver ( in the form of metastases) which is inoperable.

I'm not telling you this to scare you but to let you know that even with my history it has still taken 6 months for me to start receiving treatment (I had my first chemo session today).

The endoscopists, colorectal specialists & nurses will be reviewing everything and I know in our area they have 'MDT' meetings once a week. Maybe for your piece of mind ask on Saturday when they have a meeting and get a phone number for your mums consultants secretary to chase them if you haven't heard from them after a couple of days. I say this knowing that the info my GP got from my MDT meeting was not entirely accurate.

If you want anymore info please pm me

Thanks knitting I'm so sorry to hear about your diagnosis. She is so stubborn and obnoxious, it's very difficult to deal with, but I am hopefully on top of who to talk to. She has had an entire life time of bowle problems and only just, when things are appalling, that she decides to do something about it [extremely pissed off and frustrated emoticon]

I have had 2 gastric endoscopes and they do take biopsies of the stomach lining and from the upper small intestines. You feel no pain at all. Most people have a light sedation such as valium to relax them before the procedure.
Did they not take a biopsy of the blockage during the colonoscopy?

apparently not :(

I expect they did, hence the CT of the stomach.
I have not heard of diverticular disease.
The thickening of the stomach lining can be many things, hence the gastro endoscopy.
Hope it not anything serious and good luck for your DM on Saturday.
She will experience no pain but is unpleasant just for a few seconds going down the throat.