Crohn's - Severe Upper Abdominal Attacks?
Does anyone experience sever upper abdominal attacks (dead center of abdomen) caused by Crohn's? Severe pain, vomiting... lasts 30 min to an hour?
I was previously diagnosed with UC and my flares were much more crampy in nature, lower abdomen, lots of D... Recently (see other post) Doctors assumed I was having pancreatitis or gallbladder attacks (both) and removed my gallbladder. Now they are saying I have Crohn's not UC, but I have not heard of these types of symptoms with IBD so curious if others have experienced them?
Thanks
Thank you for your question! I have Crohn's, and I actually had this a few years ago and it was so painful I would just bend over my desk at work and say silently, "Please pass, please pass" because it would only last a few minutes then go away but it brought me to tears while it lasted.
I was actually tested for SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth) and was off the charts. My GI put me on a brief stint of antibiotics and it went away.
You may want to consult your GI about this test, as it is a simple fix if that is what's causing your pain. I truly hope you find relief soon, I know how truly painful it is! Hang in there.
--Julie (Team Member)wow - the fact you stayed at work is pretty amazing... it's crippling, I've been in an ambulance twice, visiting ER three times. I know they did some bacterial testing while in the hospital this time, but doubt it was SIBO. I will look into it and appreciate the quick response and recommendation.
I am so sorry you had to endure all of that. I hope you get an answer soon so that you can start treating it and feeling better!
Please keep us posted.--Julie (Team Member)
one quick question - I'm assuming you didn't diagnose SIBO via the breath test methods? I did just have endoscopy today, but I would be surprised if he pulled a sample for that. I will ask.
it's definitely not unheard of! Because Crohn's can be active anywhere in the digestive tract, pain higher up is always a possibility. Plus, vomiting is quite a common symptom for some people. IBD is so complicated because it presents differently in different people!
~ Sahara (team member)
I can't say I have exactly what you're referring to but I think something akin to it. What I found helped is taking Prilosec OTC and/or, to a lesser extent, Tums. Mine tends to bother me after I eat. Most of my pain is dead center of the abdomen but I tend to get more after I eat for whatever reason. It is possible, in my case, that this is a residual effect of adhesions....at one point a piece of my intestine was even stuck in my duodenum.
As Sahara said, Crohn's can be in any part of the digestive tract. There are tests to see if you have inflammation...I believe the test is referred to as an upper endoscopy. There are other tests as well such as an MRI-E or CT Scan that might give your doctor some information. What you eat can also have an impact. I'd definitely mention it to your doctor and ask what he suggests.
