Diagnosing Crohns Disease – A Mighty Challenge
A disease in disguise, one that mimics other gastrointestinal diseases and a difficult challenge for healthcare providers, diagnosing Crohn’s disease is most certainly a difficult task for healthcare providers.
Because it mimics so many other diseases, Crohn’s disease may initially be misdiagnosed as another G.I. ailments.
Symptoms absolutely vary from person to person and there are no strict guidelines for physicians to follow that definitively point to a diagnosis of Crohn’s disease. Therein lies the challenge. There is not one absolute test that your health care provider can use in diagnosing Crohn’s disease definitively and so diagnosing Crohn’s disease becomes a bit of a puzzle.
There are several medical procedures that can be performed that can help either to rule out or to confirm Crohn’s disease. One of the easiest and least expensive and least invasive tests is an examination of a stool sample.
By examining the stool sample your medical provider can determine whether the diarrhea and bowel disturbances that you are experiencing are associated with inflammation or are the result of an infection. In the case of Crohn’s disease, inflammation of the G.I. tract presents itself as if there is an infection but there is no infection present. So you can see by obtaining a simple stool sample several possibilities can easily be ruled out.
Your health care provider may also select to do a group of standardized blood tests such as a complete blood count to check for signs of infection and anemia related to blood loss, a colonoscopy, a barium enema, a flexible sigmoidoscopy, a small bowel x-ray study, a capsule endoscopy, or even a CT scan of the abdomen.
If your blood work shows that anemia is present then Crohn’s disease may be a possible diagnosis. If your blood work shows that an infection is present then that piece of the puzzle would point to the fact that Crohn’s disease is not likely.
So you should already be able to see how difficult diagnosing Crohn’s disease can be.
However, just like putting the pieces of a puzzle together your physician should keep on going until a definitive diagnosis is made. You are worth it.
A further review of your symptoms may indicate bloody diarrhea and even rectal bleeding. With excessive blood loss your blood work may show signs of anemia. So, here’s another piece of the puzzle, if you are anemic it is possible that you are in route to a definitive diagnosis of Crohn’s disease.
Your physician may also elect to perform a colonoscopy.
This procedure is generally done by a gastroenterologist trained in the procedure. After a stringent bowel prep prior to the exam, your physician and a will insert a flexible lighted tube with an attached camera through your rectum and into the colon to check for any evidence of Crohn’s disease.
It is important to remember with any medical procedure and there are risks associated with it. Risk associated with a colonoscopy include G.I. bleeding and perforation of the colon wall. It is also wise to remember that Crohn’s disease may only be evident in the small intestine and not the colon and so in this case a colonoscopy would be completely and totally ineffective in diagnosing Crohn’s disease.
Another medical exam that your physician may order is a flexible sigmoidoscopy. This exam, similar to the colonoscopy, occurs when your physician inserts a long tube into the rectum; however, this tube does not contain a camera. Your physician would use the lighted tube to look at the inside of the last 2 feet of the colon to see if there are any signs of Crohn’s disease so that a definitive diagnosis could be made.
The downfall of the flexible sigmoidoscopy is that it only looks at the last 2 feet of the colon and so if the evidence of Crohn’s disease is located higher up in the colon then this exam is useless.
So diagnosing Crohn’s disease is much like putting the pieces of a giant puzzle together, but your physician should be well trained in the research and proper placement of all the puzzle pieces so that you can get a quick and accurate diagnosis.
Because it mimics so many other diseases diagnosing Crohn’s disease can be a challenge. However, it is a challenge that is certainly worth undertaking so that you can get back to being a healthy you.
Stomach Flu Treatment
The stomach flu, or gastroenteritis, is a viral infection that attacks the stomach and small intestine and generally lasts 1 to 3 days.
Caused by several viruses such the adenoviruses, rotaviruses, and the Norwalk virus, the stomach flu settles in when we are in direct contact with the virus.
Stomach flu treatment is fairly straight forward and should be followed quickly in an effort to avoid dehydration.
Signs and symptoms of the stomach flu include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach cramps, loss of appetite, muscle aches, low grade fever and chills.
If you realize that you have the stomach flu then the first thing you must do is to rest the stomach and intestines. How do you do that? Well you stop eating solids and start drinking only clear liquids. As you improve you can begin to slowly add back in solid foods by starting with soft and bland foods since they are much easier for your GI system to digest.
If you have been vomiting a lot, then it is best to take in only small, frequent sips of liquids. Vomiting may return if you drink too much at one time.
It is important to take in fluids. Water is ok if you haven’t been vomiting for a long time but if you have been throwing up for some time then your body will need the electrolytes you’ve lost replaced in order to prevent complications. The depleted electrolytes are easily replaced with sports drinks such as Gatorade or Power Ade.
Some people find that weak tea and apple juice are good choices that will stay down. Again, remember to drink in small sips. Chilling the liquids you plan to drink may help you keep them down. Do not drink acidic drinks such as orange juice or caffeinated drinks like coffee. You may drink soft drinks without caffeine such as 7-UP but only after you have let them go flat and they have lost all carbonation. Another big thing to remember is absolutely no milk until you no longer have diarrhea.
Once you have been free from vomiting for several hours and you are managing to hold down clear liquids then you can start to add in soft and bland food. Soda crackers, bananas, gelatin, plain noodles, toast, and applesauce, and are good items to start off with. Stay away from foods that are fatty, spicy, acidic, or are high in fiber. You should also stay away from dairy products. It is ok to add them back into your diet after 3 or 4 days have passed and you no longer have any signs of the stomach flu.
Remember if you have been vomiting for more than a day or have had diarrhea for over 3 days, the check with your health care provider. You may need further tests to rule out dehydration or a more serious illness.
Dehydration is a potentially serious complication of stomach flu and is a serious problem for infants, children and seniors. Dehydration occurs when your body has lost too much fluid which occurs rather easily with the diarrhea and vomiting of the stomach flu. Severe dehydration requires intervention and your healthcare provider may order intravenous fluids in order to replace the fluids you have lost.
The stomach flu is a serious illness and should be monitored as such. It will typically pass in just a few days but without proper care and monitoring serious complications can occur.
Irritable Bowel Syndrome Symptoms
Irritable bowel syndrome can be a very frustrating disease to manage and it is important to know the irritable bowel syndrome symptoms so that you will know how best to control and respond to the symptoms.
Irritable bowel syndrome is also known as a nervous stomach, an irritable colon, a spastic colon, spastic colitis and mucous colitis.
Whatever you call it know that there are treatment options available for your irritable bowel syndrome symptoms.
Irritable bowel syndrome is often diagnosed and managed by a gastroenterologist, or a physician specializing in diseases of the gastrointestinal (GI) system.
Irritable bowel syndrome, more commonly known as IBS, is a disorder of the GI system in which the bowel is not working properly. IBS can cause extreme cramping, diarrhea, constipation, gas and bloating.
Some patients report alternating bouts of diarrhea and constipation. Additional symptoms may include the sensation that you have not completed a bowel movement and the appearance of mucus in the stool.
Diarrhea associated with IBS is known to be uncontrollable, often to such an extreme that the patient is unable to make it to the bathroom before losing control of their bowels. Medical tests might be ordered by your physician to rule out other GI abnormalities and to confirm a diagnosis of irritable bowel syndrome.
Many foods can trigger irritable bowel syndrome symptoms such as alcohol, caffeine, fatty foods, milk products, chocolate and carbonated drinks.
It is recommended to eat smaller meals to help avoid irritable bowel syndrome symptoms. It is thought that smaller meals can help to decrease IBS because larger meals can cause the body to try and release the excess food quickly and will often cause the IBS symptoms to begin immediately after the meal.
Often the bowel will overreact to food, exercise, hormones, physical and emotional stress. Women can also experience more symptoms during their monthly menstrual periods.
There is no cure for IBS; however, there are many treatment options to help relieve irritable bowel syndromes symptoms.
Battling Crohns Disease
It may be known as enteritis or ileitis, but Crohn’s disease is most commonly known as a painful inflammatory bowel disease of the gastrointestinal track.
Battling complications of Crohn’s disease is a lifelong job and one that must be taken very seriously.
The most common complication of Crohn’s disease is a bowel obstruction or a blockage in the intestinal tract.
This blockage occurs because Crohn’s disease seems to shrink the intestinal wall and therefore narrows the intestinal passage making it rather easy for a bowel objection to occur.
Abnormal passages found in the G.I. tract are known as fistulas. These are also very common complications of Crohn’s disease. Fistulas can be a wicked and aggressive.
They can literally tunnel through the bowel itself and into surrounding areas such as the bladder, the anus, the vagina, the rectum and even the skin. These fistulas can lead to horrific infections.
Another complication that is often seen with Crohn’s disease is osteoporosis. In this condition the bones of the body become brittle and porous which leads to an increased risk of fractures.
This complication is more often seen in men and women with Crohn’s disease who are smokers and those who have taken prescribed steroid medications such as prednisone.
Steroids are commonly used to treat Crohn’s disease and so the risk must be considered prior to embarking on a course of steroids. Osteoporosis is a treatable and manageable condition; however, your physician should routinely screened for the presence of this disease.
Nutritional complications are also commonly seen with Crohn’s disease. These complications are typically a result of issues with dietary intake, and the inability to absorb crucial nutrients from food.
Other frequent complications of Crohn’s disease include skin rashes, mouth sores, joint pain and swelling, back stiffness, eye pain and redness, and clubbing of the fingers or toes.
If you have any of these common complications of Crohn’s disease is important to bring them to the attention of your position so that appropriate treatment can be undertaken prior to the complications getting any worse. Know your body and if you see changes that name be a common complication of Crohn’s disease absolutely do not hesitate to contact your physician. Your health is not worth the delay.
Tell Me About The Treatment Of Crohns Disease
Crohn’s disease is an inflammatory bowel disease that can cause serious lifelong complications.
It can be a difficult disease to diagnose Crohn’s because it mimics so many other conditions.
However once a definitive diagnosis has been made it is important that you seek aggressive treatment of Crohn’s disease so that you can hopefully avoid some of the more serious complications.
The treatment of Crohn’s disease might include things such as nutritional supplements, prescription medications, surgical intervention, or any combination of the above. Treatment goals are designed around controlling the inflammation in the bowels, correcting any nutritional deficiencies, correcting any evidence of anemia, reducing episodes of diarrhea, reducing or eliminating rectal bleeding, and relieving or reducing abdominal pain.
Unfortunately at this time there is no Crohn’s disease treatment that will result in a cure of the disease. Depending on the location and severity of the disease, treatment for Crohn’s disease is based on your complications, and the response that you have had to previous medical interventions, and the frequency of recurring symptoms.
Fortunately there are many patients who suffer with Crohn’s disease to have linked the periods of remission. In fact there are some patients who experience several months to several years when they are actually free from any symptoms of Crohn’s disease. But Crohn’s disease is typically ruthless and will rear its ugly head at a variety of periods during a patient’s lifetime.
Because Crohn’s disease can ebb and flow it is rather challenging to tell when a specific disease treatment has helped or not. In fact trying to determine when a remission may actually occur or even when symptoms might become more severe is really impossible.
Patients who suffer with Crohn’s disease require long-term medical care. Often frequent visits to your health care provider will become a part of your life. These visits are necessary in order to monitor the severity of the disease.
Yes, Crohn’s disease treatments will vary from person to person based on your individual needs; however, it is typically a combination of treatments that best battle the demon known as Crohn’s disease.
Irritable Bowel Syndrome Information
Are you suffering from Irritable bowel syndrome or IBS?
If so it is important to learn as much information on irritable bowel syndrome as possible so that you understand more about the condition and so you can gain control of your life.
Irritable bowel syndrome, or commonly known as IBS, is a disease that affects the bowel, which is also called the large intestine.
The bowel is part of the digestive system that makes and stores stool. Irritable bowel syndrome can cause cramping, gas, diarrhea, bloating and constipation.
Almost 80% of people who suffer with irritable bowel syndrome are women. IBS is more commonly seen in patients from teenagers to patients in their forties. Most patients have a long standing history of being sensitive to food. IBS is best managed by a gastroenterologist.
The challenge with managing IBS is that it is a difficult disease to manage. It can profoundly impact a person’s social life because of the often uncontrollable diarrhea associated with the diagnosis. Learning the triggers of IBS symptoms are most important in helping to best control the onset of symptoms.
Information on irritable bowel syndrome is valuable tool necessary to best manage the disease. IBS is a disorder in which the bowel is not working properly. The muscles and nerves in the bowel are particularly sensitive with IBS causing a variety of symptoms. Also there are some health care providers who believe that stress is a common contributor to IBS symptoms and teach their patients stress reducing techniques in an effort to better manage the disease.
If you are experiencing chronic extreme cramping, gas, diarrhea, bloating and constipation then these symptoms would certainly be cause for a complete medical exam and might be cause for additional medical tests to be ordered by your medical provider. Initially, your physician would perform a complete physical exam, and might also requests blood test, abdominal x-rays of the abdomen and possibly a flexible sigmoidoscopy or a colonoscopy. All of these tests are meant to either confirm or rule out the diagnosis of irritable bowel syndrome.
IBS can be very painful and some patients often describe the disorder as embarrassing but it is helpful to remember that the disorder is not life threatening.
Gathering as much information on irritable bowel syndrome and learning how to cope with the disorder will enable you to take the necessary steps to begin to implement changes in your diet, exercise, stress levels and overall treatment.
Common Crohns Disease Symptoms
Tell Me The Common Symptoms Of Crohn’s Disease.
Abdominal pain, abdominal cramping, and in some cases the bloody diarrhea are often the most common initial symptoms seen in those suffering from Crohn’s disease.
This disease is a very serious and chronic inflammatory bowel disease of the gastrointestinal or G.I. tract.
Crohn’s disease is known to affect more than one million people in North America and Europe today.
Crohn’s disease typically has an onset prior to the age of 40.
It is typically seen as a disease of young adults; however, it does attack people of all ages.
Tragically there are no current medical or surgical cures for Crohn’s disease. In fact, there are very few treatment options which currently exist that adequately treat patients suffering with this chronic inflammatory bowel disease.
So if the most common symptoms of problems are abdominal pain, cramping and diarrhea what are some of the other common symptoms of Crohn’s disease?
Patients often describe abdominal pain that usually invades the area just below or even with the belly button. It is often also described as pain in the lower right quadrant of the belly. These painful symptoms seem to most frequently present after a meal.
Other symptoms of Crohn’s disease may be seen as weight loss, loss of appetite, rectal bleeding, fever, bloody diarrhea, fatigue, joint pain, fistulas, anal skin tags, and even symptoms of malnutrition. The fistulas are one of the complications associated with the symptoms of Crohn’s disease.
A fistula develops when ulcers that have developed in the G.I. tract begin to form tunnels to surrounding tissues as a by-pass. Some patients may also experience a bowel obstruction related to the Crohn’s disease.
Anemia is a common complication of Crohn’s disease due to the excessive rectal bleeding and bloody diarrhea associated with the disease. The severity of the symptoms of Crohn’s disease seems to vary widely from person to person.
Since Crohn’s disease currently has no cure, it is expected that almost three fourths of all patients suffering with Crohn’s disease will endure surgery related to their disease at least once during their lifetime. The tragedy of this statistic seems to also be for those who undergo surgery to remove a portion of their intestinal tract almost 50% of those same patients will experience a relapse within a five-year time period.
Because Crohn’s disease can also mimic many other gastrointestinal diseases it is important to get an accurate and early diagnosis. Any of these symptoms described above warrants a visit to your health care provider.
It is vitally important to get an early and accurate diagnosis so that you can get an aggressive treatment plan started sooner rather than later. The common symptoms of Crohn’s disease are simply not something to mess around with.
What Is Crohns Disease – How Did I Get It
What is Crohn’s disease?
Well now, that’s a great question!
If you have been suffering from Crohn’s disease it is important that you completely understand exactly what is Crohn’s disease so that you can seek the correct treatment to best to benefit your overall health.
Crohn’s disease is an inflammatory bowel disease and may also be known as ileitis or enteritis.
It is a chronic condition that leads to inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract. One of the real challenges with Crohn’s disease is that it can affect any area of the gastrointestinal or G.I. tract, from the mouth to the anus.
However, most commonly Crohn’s affects the Ilium, or the lower portion of the small intestine. The inflammation and edema associated with Crohn’s disease extends quite deep into the lining of the G.I. tract. It is this inflammation and swelling which leads to the pain associated with Crohn’s disease. This same swelling also causes the body to force the intestinal tract to empty its contents frequently which results in diarrhea. It is the pain and diarrhea that are both known to impact the sufferers quality of life.
Crohn’s disease is known to be difficult to diagnose because its symptoms are similar to other intestinal conditions such as ulcerative colitis and IBS or irritable bowel syndrome. With all sorts of colitis this disease causes inflammation and ulcerations in just the top layer of the lining of the large intestine, which differs from Crohn’s disease as it has the potential to affect all layers of the intestinal tract. Also with Crohn’s disease there may be sections of normal healthy bowel which can be found between areas of the diseased bowel.
It seems that Crohn’s disease attacks both men and women equally and it does seem that there are some familial tendencies. In many cases it does tend to run in families. Recent research seems to indicate that almost 20% of those patients currently suffering with Crohn’s disease also have a blood relative who are battling some form of inflammatory bowel disease of one type or the other.
Most often this blood relative is a brother or sister and in some cases it may even be a parent or a child. Crohn’s disease is most often diagnosed in patients between the ages of 20 and 30. African-Americans appear currently to be at decreased risk for the development of Crohn’s disease while those of Jewish descent seem to have an increased risk of developing Crohn’s disease.
Crohn’s disease absolutely is not something to be ignored and not something that you can choose to manage on occasion. You must work very closely with your primary health care provider as well as your gastroenterologist in order to develop a comprehensive treatment plan best designed for your situation. What is Crohn’s disease? It is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease that deserves your full attention as well as the aggressive treatment and management by your health care team.
Acid Reflux Disease Symptoms
To find out if you have acid reflux disease you must first be aware of acid reflux disease symptoms. For starters, over 35% of all Americans say they suffer from heartburn at least once a month! Is this you? What a coincidence, the most common symptom of acid reflux disease is heartburn.
Some other severe acid reflux disease symptoms include coughing, throat problems, earaches, and dysfunctional swallowing. Pulmonary flaws are also very common, like wheezing or shortness of breath.
This discovery has helped to explain why 45 to 65% of all asthmatics have acid reflux disease. For other symptoms, look at your teeth. Are they constantly hurting? Because stomach acid is the main antagonist of acid reflux disease; gingivitis, tooth decay, and common aches are also frequent in people with acid reflux disease.
With acid backup in your stomach, nausea is another acid reflux disease symptom. Although nausea is a symptom, it is not usually the main sign of acid reflux disease because it is unspecific to acid reflux disease. Although uncommon, if unexplained vomiting occurs acid reflux disease is usually one of the first diseases suspected.
A more serious group of acid reflux disease symptoms consist of espophagitis or esophageal ulcers. Gradual progressive dysphasia (the inability to swallow) of solid foods is also a severe symptom of axis reflux disease.
If you think you may have this symptom it is very important that you see a doctor or another healthcare practitioner and request a consultation. You may have acid reflux disease and if left untreated, it could cause serious damage.
Another symptom of acid reflux disease is regurgitation. Regurgitation, the reflux of liquid into the mouth, is (unfortunately) very common. This occurs when the acidic backup from your stomach works its way back into the esophagus.
This is usually an unpleasant symptom but it is also one of the key indicators of acid reflux disease, especially if you experience this symptom just after you enjoyed a large, spicy, or fast food meal.
All of these symptoms are important factors in order to decide if you do or do not have acid reflux disease. Look out for a combination of any of these severe acid reflux disease symptoms. Remember, if these symptoms go untreated, the disease could led to permanent damage your esophagus and stomach.
Causes Of Acid Reflux
There are many causes of acid reflux disease which bring on heartburn, stomach pains, and other discomforts.
Some of these causes include smoking, over-salting your food, obesity, poor posture, fried and fatty foods, mint flavorings, eating large meals, eating right before bed, pregnancy, diabetes, hiatal hernias, and even rapid weight gain.
Despite recent controversy, drinking alcohol or teas does NOT increase your risk of developing acid reflux. Although it definitely doesn’t help to prevent the disease it is not a known cause.
Two common causes, smoking and over-salting foods, are said to increase your risk of getting acid reflux disease up to 70%! Fatty foods and mint flavorings are also known to trigger the disease due to the high acid and fat content in the foods. Eating large meals and eating right before bed are two causes that you can completely control.
When you eat right before bed or when you choose to eat large meals your stomach produces an excessive amount of body acid which doesn’t necessarily agree with the foods and can cause severe heartburn and other unpleasant events. But before I explain more about the causes of acid reflux disease it’s important that you understand what exactly is going on when you have acid reflux disease.
As we all know, when you consume anything through your mouth it travels down your esophagus and into your stomach… easy enough. Well, in people who have acid reflux disease the lining of their esophagus and stomach has been damaged due to a lower acidic tolerance.
What does that mean?
The cause of acid reflux disease could easily be related to some acidic food you ate earlier, like spicy Mexican food, tangy citrus drinks, or even a can of soda!
Since the lining of the digestive tract is weak, the stomach will frequently reject those foods causing severe heartburn or even regurgitation. As the lining of the esophagus and stomach continue to become damaged, it makes it harder and harder to continue to eat those foods. The effects of this damage can be life-long and if gone neglected for too long then the damage could need to be repaired.
The cause of acid reflux disease is something that can be treated and we will discuss how you might treat it in future articles, but the key to treating it most effectively is that you must first determine the cause of acid reflux disease.
So… what is your trigger… determine the trigger and you most likely will learn the causes of your acid reflux disease.