could I have Crohn's Disease

by Marge
(Southampton)

I feel really stressed and am getting abdominal cramps, could it be Crohns?

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Could I have Crohn's Disease
by: Annette Young

Hello there,

Thank you for writing in.

There are many different symptoms with Crohn's disease but one of them is certainly abdominal cramps. It can be quite a slow process towards diagnosis because there can be other conditions that are similar, but you must go to see your doctor to start having some tests done. Even if the tests come back negative, there is still a chance that it could be Crohn's disease.

You don't mention any other symptoms so I don't know if it is just the abdominal cramps at this point but some people also experienced nausea, immense fatigue, joint pain etc

But people do suffer on an individual level with Crohn's disease because the disease itself is quite varied as to where on the body that it affects. Some people suffer very little and unfortunately others experience a great deal of pain and discomfort.

You should keep a food diary so that you can spot if certain foods or drink are triggering off cramps. Foods to avoid initially would be spicy foods, dairy products and anything really this is too difficult to digest easily.

If you have Crohn's, you should not smoke or drink alcohol as these are proven triggers.

You should also try to eat a simple diet as possible especially if your pain tends to flareup after eating. It may be that the food is just too difficult to digest and therefore that is the pain you are experiencing. There could be a lot going on inside your body that you are not aware of, hence the reason why a visit to the doctor is important- if only to eliminate serious problems and to give you peace of mind.

If it is Crohn's disease, the Dr will give you medication and even if and when the symptoms ease, you must still carry on taking the medication because it keeps it under control. You must also carry on avoiding any foods that work as a trigger.

Stress and anxieties are other triggers so if there is anything in your life that is particularly stressful at the moment, try to deal with it and eliminate it is much as possible.

I have attached some links as a starting point for you and hope that you find them beneficial:

http://www.cdd.com.au/pages/disease_info/crohns_disease.html

http://www.medicinenet.com/crohns_disease/article.htm

I wish you much luck,please do let us know the outcome of any tests.

Annette

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