13 Year old son

by Leah
(Chilliwack, BC)

My son has been going through hell since last August. The pain was excrutiating, he ended up being anemic when I finally took him to the doctor. She put him on Dicitel and now we are dealing with the doctors at childrens hospital.

My question: he does not always have diarhia, however when he does have an episode it is always diarhia sometimes bloody. He sweats, and cries and tells us he feels like he is going to pass out. Does this sound normal?

He can not have any milk products other than yogurt and absolutely nothing high fibre. I am trying to get all the information I can. I know we have a history of bowel or intestinal cancer in the family but I can't find out if chrohn's is in the family.

My heart is breaking, what can I do to relieve the pain? The dicetel helps out but I don't think enough.

Comments for 13 Year old son

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13 year old son NEW
by: Annette Young

Hello,

Thank you for writing in. I am sorry to hear that your son has been going through so much pain. Although it is impossible to make a diagnosis like this, the symptoms are similar to that of Crohn's disease but of course a correct and official diagnosis must be made. It is not always easy to get a diagnosis. There are other conditions that mimic the symptoms of Crohn's disease and this is the difficulty.

Symptoms do vary from individual to individual, but certainly diarrhea, constipation, nausea, aching joints, headaches, abdominal pains,feeling feverish etc these are all indicative of Crohn's disease. Sometimes all the symptoms are experienced and for other people, just a few symptoms.

Because it can be so difficult to get a diagnosis I would strongly suggest that you keep a diary of all the food that your son eats. Also make a note that he cannot eat dairy products. In my experience, a great many Crohn's sufferers are also lactose intolerance. Frequently, we find that food acts as a trigger for painful bouts and so it is important that he eats the plainest foods possible and to ensure that he eats food that is easy to digest. do tell the doctor that there is also blood with the diarrhea.

Keeping a diary of all food, drinks, stress experienced etc can really help the doctor to make a more informed diagnosis because often test results come back negative in the first instance.

Crohn's certainly has a genetic link and children are more predisposed to getting the disease if someone in the family has it.

I know it must be a frightening time, but often the symptoms can ease off and life can go back to some sort of normality. Once your son has been diagnosed, the doctors can give him some medication to help control it. It is a difficult and sometimes lengthy process and is a case of your son working with the symptoms and not fighting against them.

I hope this helps and wish you all the best of luck.

Annette



chrohns
by: susan

my son as recently been diagnosed with chrohns i can see he suffers hes tired ,no energy and diorrere .iam trying to help him with advice i find on internet as they do not give you any after care advice.diagnosing it and afterwards are 2 seperate things .i feel useless knowing hes silently suffering.hes got an mrsi scan .and dye to be put in his nose.they still have not offered any medication.first he was ignored he went drs several times and was dismissed .i phoned up and literally lost my temper at way he was treated.and i dont really care what they think of me at all.hes my son .and then all sudden was given hospital appointments.hes not the person he used to be ,i think he needs to talk to someone about it besides me.like after care,not enough being done for these people .
my son
by: Anonymous

To request another cat scan, what would that be for?
Sounds like Crohns
by: Laurie Hitchner

It sounds just like my symptoms and Crohns isn't always hereditary. I think you might need to request some Cat scans and maybe an upper and lower GI. I can almost be certain to tell you it's Crohns. I hope you find out soon because the earlier it's diagnosed, the better chances you have of a normal life. Good Luck. :)
13 year old son
by: Anonymous

While diarhia and weight loss appear to be the most common thing in respect to crohns, however it can be completely different in others. My son did have a cat scan, and it showed severe inflamation and an area where my son may have had a blockage recently before the scan. The waiting is the worst. I hate it.

He had an episode today that was totally different..the pain was severe, and the diarhia and three hours later he was better. I don't get it.

Like I said earlier when I stared this post. It just hits out of no where..he will get severe pain below his belly button and up the right side, he sweat, cries sometimes throws up almost passes out. The diarhia never lasts the same length of time may be a day or three weeks. He does however get so constipated. The pain can go on for an hour or day or weeks. It is never the same. He has not lost weight but is very anemic. When I told the doctor I didn't believe he had crohns and that they were wrong in thinking that this was a possability his doctor asked why and I told him. He said to me crohns can be extremely different in children and could change for the worse or get better and that no ones tests are the same. Where a cat scan can show crohns in one person it might not in another. I feel like no one (doctor) listens to me about him. I'd love for them to sit in the bathroom while my kid is in the bathroom screaming (not crying)and passes out. My son is not a sucky kid either he is actually a toughy so I think when I see him that way it makes it harder.

I wish everyone the best. Hey, I have considered putting a TV in the bathroom for him....lol
13 year old son
by: Anonymous

hi i have just given another gentleman some advice , if i were you ask the doctors for a cat scan to see if your son has crohns disease, constant diahorea and weight loss is two of the main factors of crohns if they catch it early enough they can control it with medication , sadly my wife didnt through doctors bungling she has lost nearly both bowels and a kidney, now they trying to stop her dehidrating because everything she ears or drinks goes straight through her into a eliostamy bag .i hope this is some help to you good luck .

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