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Hi all. I am in need of some support, because I just started my journey to getting diagnosed and I have no idea what to expect. I have been having stomach problems for YEARS; gas pain, bloating, inconsistent stool, headaches and fatigue. Within the past 6 months I have started having blood in my stool, and it is not external. It is very clearly from my bowels. It is any color from maroon to black. I have also had lots of yellow oil in my stool. I have stabbing sharp pains, sometimes only in my lower right side. I did a grain/dairy free diet for a year and a half and it didn't help. In fact, my body seems to get very angry with me if I have vegetables: raw or otherwise. So I finally found a doctor to listen to me who thinks it sounds like Crohn's or IBD is a possibility. I will be going to a GI soon, but in the meantime they did a blood test and it came back normal. What does that mean? Has anyone else experienced this? I know it is very hard to diagnosed...and I am kind of disappointed that it came back normal simply because I am so scared the doctor is going to dismiss me. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. Thank you so much!

 Reply posted for magical.

Okay! Thanks for the advice. How is a barium X-Ray different than a CT scan? I am pretty new to this and still trying to figure it all out. And at my CT scan they told me they don't do barium drinks anymore and they injected the contrast via IV. Will my insurance pay for another doc to do that?

 Reply posted for trainerjen0125.

I went through simmilar problems.get a doctor to order a barium x ray with a follow through.Make sure a good radiologist watches it as it goes through thats how they found my problem crohns. The radiologist moved me in all sorts of positions before he saw adhesions.

 Reply posted for magical.

I just had a contrast CT scan and they didn't see anything. =( I've also had a colon/endoscopy...they found gastritis and GERD but no sign of crohns...I just had them run CRP and ESR and I'm waiting to hear back on those...but I don't know =( I'm completely miserable and am basically just on Prilosec for the GERD. Do you think I should get a second opinion?

 Reply posted for trainerjen0125.

Blood tests dont really tell if  youve got crohns , get them to do  a barium x ray with a follow through with a good radiologist watching
Thats how they found my problem took a while but eventally a good radiologist saw it on the screen.

 Reply posted for trainerjen0125.

Blood tests dont really tell if  youve got crohns , get them to do  a barium x ray with a follow through with a good radiologist watching
Thats how they found my problem took a while but eventally a good radiologist saw it on the screen.

Hi, I was recently diagnosed with Ulcerative colitis also. When I told the doc my symptoms he ordered a blood test and sent me home with a stool sample kit. The blood test came back normal also. This simply meant there were no signs of an infection. White cell counts that are high indicate infection and antibiotics would most likely be prescribed to clear it up. The stool sample however caused enough concern for him to send me for a colonoscopy. The doc that did the colonoscopy removed one small polyp and some other tissue samples to send to the lab for testing. The doc called when the results came back. Good news was there was no cancer! Bad news was ulcerative colitis. He explained to me how serious this can be and referred me to a GI specialist. Turns out about 32 cm of the left side of my colon and rectum are effected by the this. Anyway be thankful your blood work came back normal. Get a colonoscopy for a proper diagnosis. Chrones and colitis are miserable but colorectal cancer is far worse! Get a proper diagnosis ASAP and get feeling better. I was put on Delzicol 400 MG 6 pills per day. It has made my symptoms much better. I am back to a regular schedule of well Form bowel movements without the blood and mucous. I suffer from moderate to severe rectal pain almost daily. The only relief seems to be laying down for daily rest. I hope this helps you I still have many things to learn about this myself. Oh yeah a tall glass of Metamucil before bedtime helps me also.

 Reply posted for djbheat.

Haha Yep! Also means I have to bulk the hard way (hard work and lots of food) and that I probably won't win. :P oh well! Also, I'm sure the lots of food is not helping my possible Crohns :(

 Reply posted for trainerjen0125.

No supplements?  Nice, natural!

 Reply posted for djbheat.

Haha!!

And what do you mean by what do I take for workouts? Like, supplements and stuff? Cause if so, none. :)

 Reply posted for trainerjen0125.

Seems like you're on the right track! (pun intended)

I've actually been feeling great lately.  It took me a couple years to get ahold of it, but better late than never!  I've been focusing on getting in shape too, working out and exercising daily along with eating right.  It's a constant struggle but along the way you find things that help cope with the problems.  What do you take in regards to working out?

 Reply posted for djbheat.

Thanks for your reply! I actually track everything I eat every day to the gram (for body building purposes)...but I need to be better about taking notes on which foods make me feel which way. Seriously, thanks SO much for your reply. Are you on the road to feeling better?

 Reply posted for trainerjen0125.

Normal blood tests doesn't necessarily mean you don't have Crohns or IBD.  I wasn't diagnosed until I had a colonoscopy and had parts of my intestines biopsied.  As far as your diet, try to track it as much as possible.  When I was first diagnosed and trying to figure things out, I would write down exactly what I ate and when I ate it.  Take notes on things affect you and go from there.  Hope that helps!