crohn's disease or IBS?

Question

my gf has been having this pain in her stomach for 3 months now, she has gone to see a doctor but they have givin her an appointment in dec. they told her its either ibs or crohns disease, they wont know untill they test, but if its crohns disease is it okay to wait this long and if no what will happen?

Answer 1

While unpleasant, painful, etc., waiting that long won't do too much other than make the condition worsen slightly, if anything. Assuming she has inflammatory bowel disease (Crohn disease or ulcerative colitis), she might experience increased pain, diarrhea, malabsorption (weight loss, nutritional deficiencies), development of complications like fistulas, etc. If at any time the pain becomes intolerable or if she cannot pass gas, defecate, or starts bleeding, go to an emergency room without delay. She could have an obstruction or other serious problem.

Assume now that she has IBS, far less serious (but no less annoying) than IBD. The greatest downside is exacerbation of symptoms - more pain, bloating, gas, diarrhea or constipation, etc. Not much more than that.

It sounds like your physician or the GI department of the hospital might be overburdened, or the physician feels the symptoms are not yet at a stage where they require more urgent investigation. If you are dissatisfied with the wait time, seek a second opinion and see if she can get scheduled earlier at an alternative facility.

Answer 2

I've had crohn's for 30 years along with 7 surgeries and if your doctor thinks crohn's can turn into cancer I would think about getting a new doctor. The only thing I have ever heard of causing cancer is the drugs that they might want to give you. However, there is a big difference between Crohn's and IBS. Crohn's is an auto-immune disease which means your digestive system can attack the healthy cells in your body as well as the bad bacteria. IBS is not auto-immune but can cause the same suffering without the damage to your digestion. Good Luck

Answer 3

Crohn's can also be triggered by diet, so just have her eat a less symptom causing diet. Treatment for Crohns could be medication but also surgery so a time period of a more bland diet may slow the progress of the disease. Either way a better diet will help both.

Answer 4

I have neither Crohn's or IBS, but colitis. They are all similar but it will take that doctor's app't to determine which one she actually has. I don't think it's really harmful to wait this long, but I'm sure she is uncomfortable and the sooner the diagnosis is made and she is put on medication, the better off she will be.

Good luck!