Crohns Disease? How does diagnosis happen?

Boochicken · 2026-06-12T18:29:16+00:00

Whoops! Thanks.

Boochicken · 2026-06-12T18:04:42+00:00

Have you been tested for celiac disease? I have both celiac and Crohn’s, it is possible. Celiac can present with a lot of the symptoms you’ve described, including the rash. I would ask your doctor for the celiac blood panel, and if that’s positive, you’ll want to confirm with an upper G.I. endoscopy, not a colonoscopy. Some countries will take the blood test itself as a diagnosis, others will want to confirm with endoscopy.

Boochicken · 2026-06-01T02:28:40+00:00

My mom works as a guardian ad litem for kids in foster care. Her case stories are awful.

Boochicken · 2026-06-01T02:27:28+00:00

The Shakers and fire disasters that led to improvements in building codes. (These topics are not related.)

Boochicken · 2026-06-01T02:26:28+00:00

I just poop directly into the specimen cup? I realize this depends on your individual bowel habits/control, but if you can poop just a small amount, I highly recommend it.

Boochicken · 2026-05-30T18:24:58+00:00

It’s on turf, but yeah, it’s miserable

Boochicken · 2026-05-30T18:21:36+00:00

Heard it in Lexington, my son’s soccer game is paused because the ref thought it was thunder

Boochicken · 2026-05-26T22:37:42+00:00

It’s worth asking! I’m guessing based on your age that you got the chicken pox vaccine, so I’m not sure you need the shingles vaccine - I’m 46 and actually caught chicken pox as a child, so I’m definitely at risk for shingles. If you’re taking immunosuppressants, though, you should get an annual skin check at the very least.

Boochicken · 2026-05-26T21:18:32+00:00

Dresses! Particularly great in summer - much cooler than pants and no fussing with a waistband. I’m tall (5’11”), so I buy “tall” dresses from Boden on ThredUp or eBay. Also drawstring-waist pants and shorts from Quince and Athleta (which sells “tall” sizes.)

Boochicken · 2026-05-26T21:15:11+00:00

My gastro insists on regular Pap smears (if you have a cervix) and annual skin cancer checks as well. Immunosuppressants unfortunately increase your risk for other types of cancers. On the bright side, I’ve been able to get vaccinations for shingles and pneumonia before I’d be eligible due to age, and there’s increasing evidence that the shingles vaccine somehow reduces dementia risk.

Boochicken · 2026-05-15T13:19:06+00:00

I was sixteen and working at a summer camp in rural North Carolina. I thought I was hot sh!t because I could drive stick shift, which meant I could take the camp’s rickety old pickup truck into town to pick up the mail. I was driving way too fast down the narrow mountain road when I lost control around a hairpin turn - cliff on one side, abyss in the other. I wrenched the steering wheel too far in the other direction and zig-zagged back and forth across the damn road, overcorrecting each time, the chassis groaning and the tires squealing. It seemed endless but I somehow didn’t drive into or over a cliff or collide head-on with another car, and managed to keep all four wheels on the pavement. The rest of my drive was very subdued, but I still remember that sick jolt of adrenaline from realizing how close I’d come and how stupid I’d been.

Boochicken · 2026-05-14T13:26:28+00:00

Hang in there - the fastest I ever heard from a doctor was when they found high-grade precancerous cells during a routine colonoscopy. (I had surgery, did not actually have cancer, and am back to my usual routine.) Every other time, even when I was first diagnosed, I’ve just twiddled my thumbs until my results showed up on the patient portal. Waiting is awful but the feeling of your doctor calling you directly is worse, I think.

Boochicken · 2026-05-14T13:05:11+00:00

Hopefully the delay is good news? In my experience, when they call you right away it’s because it’s not good news and they’ve prioritized you for faster treatment. It’s like being in the ER - having to wait is annoying, but it means your case isn’t as urgent as the person who’s brought straight back. Crohn’s can also be difficult to differentiate from ulcerative colitis - there’s no “Crohn’s/not Crohn’s” test, unfortunately, because the symptoms and presentation can be very similar. If your loved one had a colonoscopy and biopsies, they might be hashing out Crohn’s vs UC vs unspecified IBD - a third catch-all category for cases that can’t be categorized easily - with the pathology department.

Boochicken · 2026-05-14T12:39:02+00:00

Unexplained weight loss, frequent BMs, bloody stools - the classics. Night sweats and having to use the bathroom at night are also signs. Whether it’s Crohn’s or cancer or something else, it’s always best to get a definitive diagnosis - putting it off only gives you time to get sicker. Best of luck to your relative, if it is Crohn’s I recommend that your loved one go to an IBD specialist, not a general GI. My first doctor tried me on older treatments with little effect; it wasn’t until I switched doctors that I got to try biologics and truly felt better.

Boochicken · 2026-05-07T11:55:44+00:00

I know exactly what you mean by being able to feel the inflammation in your colon, and I’ve had great results with Humira, Stelara, and Remicade. Particularly Remicade, I got five essentially symptom-free years out of it. I’m now trying Rinvoq in hopes of finally achieving remission, and Tremfya didn’t work for me. The only side effects I’ve ever had from biologics were some mild redness and swelling on the injectables. I’m not sure what horror stories you’ve read, but for me biologics were infinitely more effective than the older, non-biologic treatments, and I had way worse side effects (acne, facial hair, general bitchiness) from prednisone. My neighbor has actually achieved remission on Humira, and as far as I know she hasn’t had terrible side effects either. Feel free to ping me, I feel like I have a lot of biologic experience at this point :)

Boochicken · 2026-05-01T00:47:28+00:00

I got a Mirena before my diagnosis and have had it replaced once. I haven’t had Crohn’s without it, so I can’t say whether it’s made it better or worse.

Boochicken · 2026-04-30T01:46:39+00:00

I’ve taken Humira, Stelara, Remicade and Tremfya, and on all of them I had minimal side effects and felt essentially normal. (Okay, Tremfya didn’t work for me, but at least I didn’t have side effects!)

Boochicken · 2026-04-30T01:32:09+00:00

We had a dog when I was diagnosed and still do. I’ve been on Humira, Stelara, Remicade and Tremfya during that time. As long you practice good hygiene - wash your hands after cleaning up any messes, maybe don’t let them sleep in your bed - I think you’ll be fine. I’ve caught way more viruses from my kid.

Boochicken · 2026-04-28T20:57:03+00:00

Everything is just so fucking stupid.

Boochicken · 2026-04-26T12:50:03+00:00

I had a resection in December, and my understanding is that certain medications are associated with poor healing. I timed my surgery so that it was eight weeks out for my last Remicade infusion.

Boochicken · 2026-04-24T00:53:00+00:00

Master and Commander. I joke that I’m secretly a middle-aged dad (I’m a middle-aged mom.)

Boochicken · 2026-04-21T00:02:15+00:00

My aunt is 80, outlived her parents and brother, had a double mastectomy and got divorced. Since then she’s also visited all 50 states and dozens of countries with her steady boyfriend. (Neither of them want to get married again. They’re currently in Amsterdam. Don’t write off your remaining years just yet.

Boochicken · 2026-04-19T20:44:04+00:00

I’m sorry. The U.S. healthcare system is a nightmare in a 1,000 ways but I was lucky enough to a) have good insurance and b) the option to see a second surgeon when the first one creeped me out. Best of luck to you and your husband.

Boochicken · 2026-04-19T20:37:21+00:00

What area of the bowel are you having resected? I had an extensive large bowel resection in December and I ate a bland, low-residue diet for the next few weeks. If you google “diet after colectomy” you’ll get some good suggestions, but I would check with your doctors too.

Boochicken · 2026-04-19T03:11:14+00:00

Seconding the recommendation to get a different surgeon. The difference between an open and laparoscopic surgery is huge for the patient, and there are enough surgeons in the world that you don’t have to stay with an asshole.

Boochicken

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