Im wondering if i have crohns as well an ulcerative colitis. I find it hard to know which i have. I think it deffintaly started out as UC or ulcerative proctitis but then it spread last april 2009. I was really sick I was going to the loo 20 times a day. my stomach was bloated and the pain in the mucels of my stomach was really bad. I also started to get pain in one joint which was my left knee. I also could not hold down food. I lost my 8st and fell down to 7st. The doctors thought I had food posioning as the pain was all over my stomach but when the tests came back it was negative for food posioning. The only reason why i think i may have crhons as well as uc is that i had a dull ache on the right side it lasted a while then went. The pain then felt that it stemed up though the left side of my colon. because i had pain on both sides I wondered if i have both. Does any one know. It would be hard for the doctors to tell now as im on an anticandida diet. I think that the only place at present they will find the illness is in the rectum. I think.

Hi kitty, sorry to hear you're having such a bad time.

I'm not sure that you can have both UC and Crohn's, I think it's one or the other.  The symptoms are very similar, from what I can tell it's very difficult for the medical specialists to tell which one a person has.

I do feel that you need to go and see a specialist if you're not already seeing one, go to see your GP if not and ask to be referred, maybe also get a colonoscopy if you haven't had one to see if they can better determine your condition.

Take care. xx

kitty, i dont know if you have one or the other but if it helps your symptoms sound exactly the same as mine before diagnosis and they first thought i had colitis and when i had a colonoscopy and they took some tissue samples they diagnosed crohns. its definitely worth getting it checked out because although the diseases are similar crohns can affect alot more of the digestive system, colitis affects the colon. i had the diarrhea, the pain, the bloatedness and was actually physically sick on a number of occasions from food and like you lost alot of weight. also i can relate to what you say about the pain on the right side, i got that too, still get it sometimes. good luck getting it checked!

ok thanks. Im waiting to hear from the GE doctor. However ive remissioned my self with diet. so i dont think they can tell anymore. Im now in no pain and no D no bleeding. I do know the illness was in the rectum as when i first started asacol i olny used it up the bum and the symptoms complely disappeared, but of corse they came back(this was before i changed my diet). Im now using no meds but it is because of the diet. any way im still wondering if UC can turn into crohns. I think it can. I know the doctors say it cant but im not sure i believe them.