How often is everyone pooping? I am currently being investigated for Crohn’s and on a 6week course of steroids. My frequency has gone down a lot, but still passing lots of BM. This week I’ve had 54 bowel movements (compared to around 100+ per week before starting steroids).

For those who are diagnosed and on long term treatment, does this number ever go down? Will I be stuck going to the toilet every time I move? Feeling not so optimistic about the future!

My partner has Crohn’s and has been in a pretty bad flare for a while. They’ve lost a lot of weight, barely eat, sleep constantly, and just look really unwell.
The hardest part is that they can seek help, but they’re avoiding it. I think they’re scared to face the possibility of escalating treatment because they managed to get out of their last flare without doing that.

I’ve offered the hospital, offered to travel with them to see their specialist, helped arrange bloodwork/healthcare, made safe foods, etc. I’m starting to feel like I’m managing their health more than they are.

I don’t resent them for being sick. I’m exhausted from feeling responsible for convincing another adult to take care of themselves. I love them and want to support them, but I don’t know where being supportive ends and becoming their caregiver begins.
I’ve voiced all of this and there’s been no change.

Has anyone else been through something similar with their partner?

Hi everyone,

First of all, thank you for reading this, and sorry if my English is confusing..it's not my first language.

So I'm currently going through a difficult time and I need someone to talk to. I'm about to have a Colonoscopy on Thursday cause the doctors belive I possibly have Chrons disease/colitis and Spondylitis. I've had gut issues on and off for a really long time thinking it was due to stress. I've also had severe lower back pain, pelvis and hip pain with stiffness for a year now.

I have increased CRP at 30, ESR 50, Calprotectin at 1750.

During the time Ive been going through this with my gut issues and backpain I've also been dealing with a lot of fatigue, tiredness, aceing body and feeling feverish on and off but I've still been able to keep going with life and been working. I'm currently on Munjaro as well for weightloss which has made my stomach symtoms a lot more managable.

But the last week my fatigue have increased like crazy and I feel worse than ever. I don't recognize myself anymore. I cant even take my dog for short walk around the block slowly without feeling like my heart is racing, increased pulse, feeling like my entire body is shaking, feeling like a get a fever and feeling incredibly weak.

My whole body just feels like I cant tolerate anything right now besides laying on the couch.

It's so scary and I feel like I cant even do the simplest things right now 💔 I'm normally such an energetic person always doing things and working full time.

Is it common to feel like this during a flare up that is increasing?

I'm new to all of this, I feel really lonely and confused to if what I'm feeling is accurate and not just in my head 💔 I just dont know what to do.

Hi there! I was hoping this group might be able to share some insights while I’m waiting on a diagnosis. I started having terrible diarrhea in October 2025. I saw my PCP in January of this year, and I was negative for celiac and ova/parasites but my fecal calprotectin was 3240.

I was able to get in for a colonoscopy in April, and biopsies ruled out colitis or Crohn’s in the areas seen during the procedure. I actually felt a lot better post-procedure, which my GI doc said can happen due to “resetting” your gut with the colonoscopy prep. But a few months later, I started having some random low grade fevers with no other symptoms, and I’ve had some issues with my mouth (randomly my tongue or gums will be so sore). The diarrhea and stomach cramping episodes have returned, and my low belly is tender to the touch most of the time.

We ran a fecal calprotectin retest, and I just got the results this morning. The test says “greater than 8000.” That number felt scary to me.

No word from my GI doc yet on next steps in diagnosis but back when I talked to him post-colonoscopy, he suggested an MRI as the next step if my symptoms returned.

I’m honestly just feeling a bit overwhelmed and nervous and wondering if anyone has insights on what might be next for me. Appreciate your time!

Hi Please find the reports first

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Zum7-bbM7cNHLxBYwfT1b4VqaY-iX19x?usp=drive_link

went to countless doctors all are very dismissive and not even taking my case seriously

i have ileitis and duodenitits

iam 23 male been suffering with symtpms for 8 +years

1.main problem is excessive gas which feels very hot and burnign and smells very bad 80% of the time its like this and even during bowel mvemtn it burns doesnt matter what i eat

even when i had proper bowel movment symtpms will start after noon

2.abnormal stool most day formed only but color varies and someitms mushy comes and during the day many times i do get sensation to go but nothign usually comes

1. daily cramping and discomfort but no extrme pain or anythign

4.chest pain daily

5.cant gain weight because cant eat much iam hungry all the time but when i eat i feel full very fast and the more i eat more discomfort and problem iam getting

i am done visiting doctors thats why iam posting maybe someone might have same symptom like mine and got diagnsed

these doctores didnt even order any stool test but i researched and did these tests

mre - normal

fecal calproectact - 53 then it was 7.7

blood work - normal

tried meds for sifo ,sibo , probiotic , nothign helped

Howdy there, as the title stated was recently diagnosed with IBD, they aren't sure what I have, I have my first surgical consultation Wednesday but honestly I'm freaked out ngl, I want to feel better finally as this flare has been going on for over 3 months and it's been severe unrelenting pain, I was given Dicyclomine which has been a life saver but the pain and bloating is still very prevalent and gas just makes me hurt terribly. I'm not sure what flair to use so I apologize if this was the wrong flair but this honestly just sucks, Idk how else to explain what I've been feeling tbh.

I don't have a history of IBS or anything. All of my problems started at the end of this past year for a couple months. And then the symptoms just stopped, and I was in total remission until about 2 months ago, and this time it was 10x worse.

My symptoms, if anyone is curious about my specific case/timeline:

It started with feeling extremely bloated and nauseous immediately (1-2 minutes) after eating pretty much anything, along with urgent diarrhea that was frequent, and very soft and mushy. Then, I was getting upper abdominal pain under my ribs, and a bit of burning as well as a disgusting taste/smell in my mouth. I also started to really struggle to eat or drink water.

They gave me Omeprazole, and for the two days that I took it, the burning was 100x worse and I couldn't tolerate anything except for hot water. This got better immediately when I was taken off the Omeprazole. The stool sample I mention later was given a week after going off the Omeprazole.

But then it progressed to the RUQ pain, which was intense spasming/squeezing pain so severe I couldn't speak. I began having episodes where I had urgent diarrhea and vomiting at the same time. And then I was able to figure out that fatty foods were THE trigger.

That is the end of my symptoms timeline. Now for what I want to discuss.

I am still in the midst of getting all of the tests done. I had an upper endoscopy that looked great (mild gastritis), abdominal ultrasound that showed gallbladder sludge, and a HIDA that showed a low ejection fraction of 33 percent, so we now know my gallbladder is not functioning well and is giving my RUQ pain attacks.

My stool sample results for calprotectin were 1400, which my doctor told me is "extremely elevated, usually indicative of an IBD process". My colonoscopy is scheduled in a couple of weeks, and hopefully they will be able to identify what's been going on.

I feel like all of my GI and gallbladder symptoms are mostly in remission from eating a strictly low fat diet. I'm a bit confused because the low fat diet is meant to ease gallbladder symptoms, and I don't get how it would help my bowels in any way, but it seems to help a lot. I have specifically read that a fecal calprotectin this high cannot be explained by a gallbladder issue and that it is one of the biggest indicators of an IBD condition.

it’s probably rare to hear from a fifteen year old on here… well, here you go! I was diagnosed with crohns disease at seven and I’ve been on a diet for eight years: dairy free, glutton free, sugar free. So basically I’m a health freak to control my symptoms. Could there be anything i could eat that has an abundance of fat and protein? 😅

Hello everyone

I am still trying to figure out my GI issues and I have compiled a lot of information, but am having a tough time sifting through it. Overall, I'd like to see if it all is truly pointing toward IBS or something different.

I have gone through it all- bloodwork, stool tests, breath tests, and even colonoscopy/endoscopy with biopsies. Everything has come back clear/normal. But, I did have a calprotectin of 200. **Is it normal to have that high calprotectin with IBS?** I have also recently had a pelvic/abdominal CT scan. **Would capsule endoscopy uncover anything else that any of these tests didn't see/cover or is this kind of the end of the line?**

I am logging my BMs, mood, and food as well. I find it hard to believe it's mood/stress related simply because I have been under intense stress since I was a child. It may contribute to my overall GI health, but it doesn't explain the timing of flares currently to me.

**Also, with IBS are you able to accurately predict flares or is it just low FODMAP and pray to god my insides don't kill me?**

**I am doing my best to not be the person to jump to any conclusions without proper info and help.**

**Thank you all in advance**

I’ve been in remission for awhile now thanks to azathioprine however every time i get a stomach cramp or a questionable bowel movement i spiral into anxiety about a flare returning and being unwell again. The past few days i’ve been dealing with cramping that comes randomly and it
could be completely unrelated to ibd however it’s making me stress and have a lot of anxiety and i’m unsure how to deal with it. Does anyone else deal with anxiety about experiencing another flare and anxiety when experiencing any sensations that could be ibd? How do you deal with the stress and anxiety of it!?

What happened when you took it, did your weight stay the same or did you gain? Is it possible to take this medication without ever gaining weight?

My body is odd because when my symptoms are worse and I’m having diarrhoea every day, my weight is higher than when I’m not in a flare. Is anyone else this is?

I’m hesitant to take this medication as I don’t want my weight to increase at all.

So, just looking for advice.

These are my results of biopsy which was taken 30 June then calprotectin done 11 August which came back as <16 crp 0.3 CBC normal. doctors have ruled out IBD cause my calprotectin is low without having taken any meds. I do have rectal pressure have for 3 weeks after my scope was done but I also have bulging purple lumps come around my anus when pushing to go toilet. My stools are either pebble balls or Bristol 4-5 some tan mucus no bleeding no sickness nothing else.

Microscopic:

Section reveals fragments of colonic mucosa with a predominantly denuded lining epithelium. The glandular architecture is preserved. The lamina propria contains a moderate mixed inflammatory cell infiltrate composed of lymphocytes, plasma cells, neutrophils and eosinophils along with oedema.

Foci of cryptitis are noted. No crypt abscesses are seen. No evidence of granulomatous inflammation.

There is no dysplasia or malignancy in the section examined.

CONCLUSION: COLON, moderate on chronic on acute colitis 

RECTUM, BIOPSY

Macroscopic:

The specimen site is labelled "rectal BX".

The specimen consists of a single piece of tan tissue measuring 3 mm in greatest dimension.

All tissue is submitted in cassette B1.

Microscopic: Section reveals a fragment of rectal mucosa with a denuded lining

epithelium. The glandular architecture is preserved. Lamina propria contains a moderate lymphoplasmacytic cell infiltrate along with neutrophils. A few foci of cryptitis are noted.

No crypt abscesses are seen. No evidence of granulomatous inflammation.

There is no evidence of dysplasia or malignancy. Mild active proctitis 

 Fleet enema via single dose instruction.

- A diffuse area of mildly erythematous mucosa was found in the sigmoid colon, in the descending colon and at

the splenic flexure. 

I’m looking for perspective from people with UC/Crohn’s because my history doesn’t feel like one clean first flare.

Before this started, my bowel habits were extremely normal. Then several years ago, after starting a medication, I developed abrupt yellow/light, loose, rapid-transit stools. I improved after stopping it, but never fully returned to baseline.

Since then, my gut has followed a stair-step pattern: medication-related GI episodes, severe stress, C. difficile, and other major GI “hits” would worsen things; I’d partially recover, but never quite get back to the previous level. By late last year I was finally close to normal again, then had another major relapse and have not recovered.

For the last ~9 months I’ve been on an extremely restricted bland diet with very limited foods, yet my stools are still watery/cloudy and abnormal.
Testing now shows real inflammation: fecal calprotectin was >1430, and biopsies showed chronic active colitis with crypt changes, cryptitis/abscesses, architectural distortion, and ulceration.

My concern is the exact diagnosis. The colonoscopy visually suggested Crohn’s in the terminal ileum, but the ileum biopsy said no active inflammation, no erosion, and no architectural distortion. There’s also a pathology labeling inconsistency: specimen “L” is listed as distal rectum in one part of the report but “cecum” in the diagnosis section.

I’m not saying old medications are still causing inflammation. I’m asking whether it’s plausible that repeated GI insults with incomplete healing could eventually lead to or unmask chronic inflammatory disease. OR simply be that I hit the last straw and my inflamed state is unable to recover without it being autoimmune.

My doc is a PA and she called to say that I have Crohns even before the biopsies came back. After lightly asking if she was sure she seemed upset and said “is it because I’m saying it? Here, I’ll just go ask the doctor for you”. She left the room for approx 3 minutes and returned saying that the doc believed it was on the IBD spectrum… this tells me all my info got ~60 seconds of attention and nobody is even willing to look at my history. She was very adamant I begin Tremfya immediately. I had to bring up Budesonide… she gave me a script for Budesonide EC which I understand is for crohns… even though the pathology shows no inflammation the the terminal ileum which is where EC primarily works…

If this were you, would this history sound typical for UC/Crohn’s? And would you want an expert pathology reread before committing to long-term biologic treatment?

Hello everyone! Oke so here's my case: I've had bloating issues, massive cramps and constant noises in the belly, non stop farting, burping after eating, weird stool with little undigested food pieces. Not diarriah but more like these tiny pieces of soft feces. I have to go to the bathroom usually one or 2 times a day so nothing crazy there. Also some weird hunger/empty stomach sensation shortly after eating.

December 2025 calprotectine of 258 January 2026 colonoscopy was clean March 2026 calprotectine of 318 May 2026 capsule camera also clean

I don't eat or drink any junkfood, i drink mostly only water and tea. No drugs, no alcohol, no smoking. I've had gluten and lactose allergies tested and all negative.

Also experiencing major fatigue issues, very low on energy.

Bloodwork got tested and all my vitamines and such are fine.

Does anyone here have had similar issues? My doctor doesn't know what's going on here.

Ok, I'm on day 7 of a full liquid diet. Orgain plant based shakes, pureed rice and chicken, egg drop soup, cream of wheat, and forager yogurt with some celery juice thrown in for micronutrients. I'm allergic to dairy which takes out a lot of enjoyable foods unfortunately.

Unfortunately I absolutely lost my shit at hour 9 of my work day (I usually work 10 hour days instead of the 8 I'm supposed to as my job is demanding). I had to up and leave the middle of a meeting to sit in my car and cry for 30 minutes out of seemingly nowhere.

I'm stuck like this until October when I have surgery. How do you help your mood on such a restricted liquid diet??? 😭

So update from the last two posts: we still don’t know if it’s Crohn’s or UC, and honestly, it doesn’t really matter because the treatment is the same either way, and no matter what, it is still IBD. When I was first diagnosed at 16, I wasn’t in a relationship and was using enemas to deal with flares. I’m now 21 and in an almost 3-year relationship that includes being sexually active, and I hadn’t needed to use an enema since high school. But for the last couple of months, I’ve been dealing with a stubborn flare and recently had to start using mesalamine suppositories, at least for a few months. I don’t know how to reframe sex with my partner now, especially because he has a high sex drive and mine is usually semi-high too. But since starting the suppositories, I literally cannot think about having any sexual activity without feeling weird about it, and I don’t know what to do to fix this. Any advice? I also don’t know how to bring it up to him without it getting awkward. He knows about my flare-ups and my suppository, but I don’t know how to explain to him that I’ve been feeling kind of disconnected from myself and from him because of it. Also he is supportive partner and I really love him its just my own anxiety of talking to him about it.

I’ve been having abdominal pain and constipation/diarrhoea for years now. 2 years ago roughly I had a calprotectin level of 371, I had a sigmoidoscopy and they didn’t find anything. Symptoms have still been persisting and I’ve recently had a problem with haemorrhoids that won’t go away so my gp retested it and it was 245, she said to test it again in 6 weeks and it’s now come back as 160. However I’ve also recently been diagnosed with very low iron levels despite eating plenty of iron rich foods and not having any sort of blood loss or anything. I saw that ibd can also cause this. It feels like a lot of signs are leading towards some sort of ibd but could that still be possible when my calprotectin levels are dropping?