Take meds or not

Aoccc I have NEVER claimed to be a doctor. I like you am a member here and I am posting MY opinion. One we all are all entitled too. Newfoundsun, I have mild Crohns too. And to keep it mild, I watch my diet, and take MY meds. I personally believe that both should be used in conjuction with the other, that's was I personally believe. But its all on you on what you want to do, and I hope it works for you. The original poster asked for all of our opinions, and we all shared with him our thoughts. JMHO

My opinion is stay off meds and you will suffer the concequences eventually. I came off meds completely had a major flare in 08 life has been hell this past year really don't want to ever go through this again. good luck in whatever you decide to do Bev x

Sometimes med work faster for some, so maybe you are a lucky one:) Lets hope so!

Newfoundsun, no problems with your post at all. It was the other post that had me offended. Thanks:)

If your disease is active in the right are of the intestine, entocort will act with immediate effect. It is one of the few medications that breaks down lower in the small bowel and is more of a localized steroid than prednisone. The effect is especially fast if your disease is mild. Now I would like to respond to the Newfoundsun and her comments about being your own advocate. I am in total agreement that you have you have to be your strongest advocate but there comes a point when you are just putting your head in the sand avoiding the inevitable. I realize that you are thinking outside the box and I all for that.I actually took the time to read your blog that you have in your signature and know of the pain both physical and emotional that you have experienced. One thing I have also noticed through your blog is that your doctor told you that by going completely without medication is being naive and that you would be back for medication. There are a lot of things that I would much rather do because it is what I think in my own head would be easier but it all goes back to trusting your doctor. I have to be humble enough to understand that my doctor knows what he is talking about and wants to help me. If you do not have that same trust, you need to find a new G.I. I am completely fine with people adding supplements to their diet to help them eat healthier but supplements are not suppressing the disease and helping stop the damage. You are right that it is your body and you have the ultimate say what goes into it but you do not have the ultimate say over this disease if you are not taking care of the underlying problems. By not taking medication you are litterally bring a knife to a gunfight and mark my words when I say you will end up in a flare eventually with worse damage than if you had been on medication earlier. The earlier you start treating, the less likely you are going to have more severe problems down the road. It is common sense and the only reason that I say thing so passionately is because I have gone without medication and paid severly for it. I have been the dumb one that thought I knew more and I do not want one person on here to have to go through what I went though to learn the same lesson that I have. A smart man learns from his mistakes, a wise man learns from the mistakes of others.
As for the person criticizing the moderators, you need to seriously reconsider why you come here. These moderators take the time to help this board be a place where people can feel safe and where people of all ages can feel comfortable in what they read. I love the fact that no advertising is allowed and when those that try to pose as one of us to push their new diet, book, or product are quickly kicked off and the sanctity of the group is kept. They are neither paid or benefited in any way by being a moderator but they still take the many hours to keep this place clean. They have never claimed to be a doctor and have advocated to following the medical advice of doctors. This begs me to ask you the question of why you would leave such a demeaning comment? I think all of us welcome you here and if you are upset you should start a post as this is a place to help release you emotions.

I have long periods of remission but when I'm ill my Crohn's is severe. Even though I feel fine for years at a time I continue to take my methotrexate, if I stopped I know I run a strong risk of flaring and that could land me in serious trouble if my meds for what ever reason didn't work for me again and that each time I flare the damage inside could get worse. There have been two deaths in my family from perforated ulcers in the Gi tract (neither had Crohn's) but it just goes to show an illness of this sort no matter how mild should be taken very seriously or there can be very serious consequences. My GI doc is a strong believer in "prevention is better than cure" its better to stay well and take meds than to risk a flare and have a battle on your hands back to wellness. Just an opinion but please make sure you've really thought it through before you make any decisions.

I agree that you need to be able to trust your doctor.  I did not trust my initial GI because of his inital decisions that I followed blindly, which led to more trouble.  I wish I would have stopped at that point to ask a second opinion, at the least.  I currently trust the Naturopath I am seeing.  Why?  Because he is one of the best in the large metropolitan area I live in, teaches at one of only 4 accredited naturopath schools in the nation, and he himself has Crohn's.  I looked hard at even what he was suggesting, before agreeing to give it a shot.  I hear what the veteran members are saying, and I totally respect your experiences and opinions.  Thank you for all of the input. 

Oh, and my first GI that diagnosed me?  He has since asked me who my Naturopath is and has set up a meeting with him.  He is now intersted in alternative/natural/complimentary medicine to add to his traditional western meds that he gives.  There's hope yet!!!