Could it be crohn's?

Hi,

I've been having some problems with constipation, hives, lack of concentration, eczema, sleepiness and the list goes on. I'm usually sleepy throughout the day despite getting enough sleep. I'm currently a bit low on hemoglobin (129L) and also on neutrophils (1.8L). My ferritin levels are not low but they are not high which I expected since my B12 was very good and I've been taking multivitamins and eating a lot of meat. The past 3 months I've been eating healthier food but with little change (fiber and water).

Ok, this started a few years ago when I was about 16 (21 now) and now finally I'm battling this head on with little success or interest from my doctors. My mom has crohn's disease and so has my grandmother. I've been constipated since I was a young boy but now it's gotten worse and I sometimes get diarrhea or loose stools.

I've tried taking in betaine hcl to increase my stomach acid levels and I feel like I can tolerate caffeine better now (but everything else remains the same, the hives too). I'm wondering if I could have leaky gut because of lack of stomach acid or maybe crohn's in the intestine (and therefore leaky gut)? I don't think my body temperature changes after eating but I can eat a lot of meat for my size. So far the doctor has looked at my stomach, duodenum, and the lower portion of the large intestine (no inflammation). He has ruled out celiac disease. The smaller intestine and the upper portion of the large intestine remain.

I've tried ,,caffeine flushes'' (drinking a lot of caffeine that produces diarrhea) and I always feel totally alert and just great afterwards (here my hives usually get huge even though I feel good). There have been times when I ingested a lot of caffeine which did not produce diarrhea and I did not feel more alert, but I did get the typical caffeine buzz even though my mind was foggy and sleepy (little difference in hives).

I feel like my sleepiness gets a lot worse when I get more hives (except when I do the flush) but I haven't found connection between them and food (my allergy doctor found no allergy with prick test and blood test). The hives come at random times.

If I am low on stomach acid, how long does it take to feel the difference when supplementing with hcl betaine? And is crohn's always associated with fever?

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