Mild Crohns?

Even if it's mild Crohn's, you should still be on medication of some sort, especially if you are already this symptomatic. Also, mild Crohn's has a tendency to progress and worsen if neglected, as I can testify to. I didn't take medication for years because I couldn't tolerate any of the 5-ASA drugs, but I didn't much care because my symptoms were so mild. But in the last five years, this disease has been much worse and the symptoms increasingly difficult to tolerate/live with.

Talk to your doctor again. And if he or she doesn't listen, get a new doctor.

Gator, please talk to your doctor about this again and if he is not receptive look for another doctor. I have only mild crohns and sometimes feel bad complaining about my pain when I know there are others that are so much worse. But the bottom line is when you are in pain your doctor should listen. I was told I had IBS for 8 years because my symptoms were so mild. Thank goodness not being on meds during that time did not adversly affect my colon. It was in suprisingly good shape when I had my first colonoscopy. I had only one bad area of inflammation. My GI doc is fairly conservative with meds because they do not want to give me more than what I need and I like that. However, he listens when I tell him I am in pain or still having diarrhea etc. Because my inflammation would not go away with just an anti-inflammatory I am now on enntocort for probably a few months. He really listened to me when I told him I was not feeling any better. There is a difference between being conservative and not listening to your patient. I was never brushed aside by my doc because I have 'mild' crohns. He takes my condition very seriously and knows it can get worse without treatment. He has already informed me I will on some type of med forever barring a cure. Please be an advocate for yourself if your doctor won't. I wish you all the best and hope you get to feeling better soon.

Thanks everyone so much!! Very good advise!!

hey gatorbites, Mild crohns is nothing to laugh about thats for sure. I didnt take any meds for a few years. I was having the D all the time bloating and what not. It was mild but it hurt. Later i went to a specialist about 3 hours from where i lived. He told me i needed to be on a maintance therpy drug for the rest of my life. I didnt know. Any how thats been a long time ago ive had crohns for 31 years on my last hope thats humira and its working. If i lose any more small bowel i will have short bowel sydrom and i was told i would have a feeding tube forever. Now I dont know if i would have used maintance drug if it wouldve made a difference at all i will never know. But i do know if i wouldve taken my food choices more serious it would have helped. Like no fried foods, and really watching my fat intake at least for me it does not digest. And also staying away from sweets like cakes and such. I know it wouldve made things a little easier. But i really think your doctor should be doing something more for you. Ill keep you in my prayers. good luck to you.

gatorbites, I'm on my 3rd GI and it all depends on the doctor.  My first one couldn't figure out what was wrong and told me to get a second opinion.  The second GI was an idiot and said my acid reflux was due to eating thai food (I have never eaten thai food and watch my diet very closely).  The third actually has Crohn's and takes it more seriously than any of the others, even thought I don't have many of the "typical" crohn's symptoms.  He treats me like he would any other patient, but when I tried to get into a clinical trial for Cimzia years ago, the trial dr. said he doubted I even had Crohn's because of the lack of typical symptoms.  I got in the trial, but only because my GI said I have crohn's.  So, some drs will treat mild crohn's like you don't even have anything wrong with you and others will treat you like you should be treated and will provide you with medication or whatever you need to function more like a healthy person.  If your dr doesn't treat it like you think it should be treated, find another GI. 

Mild Crohns is just that, mild. It means you don't have severe symptoms of Crohns like fistulas, fissures, absecesses etc. I have had the disease over 35 years and only have had 3-4 true crohns flares. But I have had 2 bowel resections due to strictures. Hope that helps some.

Thanks. Good to know just in case. I wondered about that - if I do have it, then will it get worse?

My symptoms consist of episodes of severe cramping and diarrhea that come out of nowhere and last for hours. I actually passed out from one of these episodes in March and figured I'd go to the doc finally. I do get strange prickly stomach aches from time to time, but they generally last a day or so and are then gone so I don't really think about all of it possibly being interconnected. And I do have mucous with BMs sometimes. No energy, no appetite, thought it was BC pill, which I just got off, so I guess we'll see. But waiting for results is the pits! Hope Prometheus gave me a false positive. Don't know how accurate they are or aren't, as the case may be.

I have mild Crohns, first symptoms at 19, diagnosed early 30s, 62 now, no surgeries or complications through the years . . . last checkup with the GI who has treated me since he diagnosed me in 1982, I noted that I was grateful I had experienced a fairly benign disease course all these years, unlike some of the patients he has told me about who have all manner of horror-story issues. He said "That's because you took your meds and ate right . . . if you hadn't there's no telling where you would be today." So with Crohns "mild" is relative . . . there is no such thing as Crohns that does not need to be treated, and any doc who says so is wrong.

What does eat right mean for Chron's disease? The grumpy GI doc I somehow defaulted into hasn't said anything about diet or even the future. Did mutter something about a camera but I think I get to scared to really understand . . .especially over the phone.

Every patient tolerates different foods differently, but there are some basic rules: If you tend toward obstructive/blockage disease, stay clear of nuts, popcorn and other rough items that tend to go through the digestive tract in bulk. Overall a good rule is stay shy of spicy hot foods, pepper, jalepenos, etc. in general a good balanced diet . . . but you will always find some patients who say "I can eat spicy Mexican food all day long with no issues," so it is largely a matter of personal experimentation.

I am having this issue too...my new gi seems to be dismissive because my tests show mild crohn's.. though I have been sick since Xmas and was just on the floor in pain on saturday.. I have had diarrhea for that long.. I talked to him on the phone and he said your tests results show mild crohn's... so why am i still sick? frustrated...

i had a colonoscopy and the dr has said i have the beginning of chrons.  he said to treat it as though i dont have it.  also to not watch what i eat with it.  i have symptoms of constipation, diarrhea, stomach spams.  i cant make it to the bathroom in time sometimes.  how embarassing.  for the constipation, they told me to take 4 tbls of milk of magnesia twice a day along with a capful of miralax twice a day.  i think this is a little much.  they finally called me in something for the stomach spasms.  i sort of feel like i need a second opinion.  i have read alot of things on here that says i need to be on medication for this.