Did I have IBS first, then Crohn’s?

It’s such a common phrase: hindsight is 20/20. But oh is it so true! Looking back at my years leading up to my diagnosis, I can see the signs my body was giving me. If only I knew what I knew now, I feel like perhaps, just maybe, I could have avoided such a severe case of a Crohn’s diagnosis. Here is what I mean...

Healthy and rarely sick before getting Crohn's

I was diagnosed with Crohn’s when I was 21. Prior to the diagnosis, I had never been sick. I was a competitive classical dancer and was extremely athletic. 

I went off to college to study dance and live my dream of performing professionally in New York City. My physical body was always in shape and I have to say, I must have had one strong immune system because I rarely even got the common cold.

The early signs of Crohn's disease

Looking back, however, I can see when my body first started to show me signs that something was up. It was my freshman year of college that I started getting psoriasis on my hand. Since I had never experienced skin issues, I had no clue what it was. The patch eventually got bigger and bigger.

A painful patch of skin

At first, I thought, wow, I have really dry skin all of a sudden. I would moisturize and it would help slightly but it kept getting worse. Eventually, it got painful and the skin would bleed and crack.

I was oblivious to what it was and didn’t see a doctor for it. I was in college and was too busy to waste time seeing a doctor. But looking back I know this was the first sign of my immune system going into overdrive, as psoriasis is when the immune system attacks the skin cells. In hindsight, I now know this was the first sign.

Eventually, the patch went away. I dealt with it for about two years, but away it went.

Constipation first and then diarrhea

Next, came constipation. Looking back, I will say, I was always sort of constipated my whole life.

I definitely wasn’t eating the best so I feel like my diet absolutely contributed to that. However, around my sophomore and junior year of college, constipation became noticeable. Again, I didn’t think much of it. I ignored it and figured it would eventually go away.

In hindsight, however, I believe this was the onset of IBS-C. This was the beginning of bowel issues. And sure enough by the end of my senior year, the IBS-C turned into IBS-D. I suddenly found myself with loose stools which progressed into diarrhea. 

And slowly the urgency increased. If only I knew that indeed, I was dealing with IBS and had gone to see a GI. Perhaps things would be different? But again, I will never know for sure, and thinking about what-ifs is never wise.

Time to see a doctor once rectal bleeding started

Quickly within a couple of months, that was when I noticed blood in the toilet and that was alarming. I called my mom and said something was wrong and I needed to see a doctor.

Weirdly my symptoms progressed at lightning speed after that. I began getting the excruciating abdominal pain, nausea, the urgency, all of it. And to make a long story short I was eventually diagnosed with severe Crohn’s disease and IBS.

Looking back on these signs and the diagnosis process

Looking back, however, I definitely believe I first was dealing with IBS. And had I known this, perhaps seeing the right doctor could have changed the outcome. But again, it is silly to go back in time and wonder because it can’t change the future. I can only focus on the present and do my best with what I know now.

I am curious to hear from you, though. Do you think you first had an onset of IBS before you were diagnosed with Crohn’s? Share your thoughts below!