Posted 12/31/2010 1:17 PM (GMT 0)
I am 33 and have had Crohn's ileitis since I was 14 and have had flare ups here and there but have been on remission on asacol for many years. The first flare I had when I was 14 was effectively treated with prednisone. The last time I had a flare-up was five years ago which was effectively treated with Entecourt. A colonoscopy and small bowel follow through were done...... the small bowel through was normal but the colonoscopy showed a significant stricture in my rectum/IC valve. My bloodwork has always shown signs of inflamation/anemia, even during times that I've felt well.
Fast forward to the present......I gave birth to a son four months ago, had an easy pregnancy, and have been trying to eat extra healthy to lose the baby weight.......all the fiber I was eating did a number on my stomach and I started to have what I believed was a flare....some diarrea, acid indigestion and intense abdominal discomfort upon eating dairy, vegetables, fruits and items with rough edges (i.e. nuts, granola). My doctor prescribed entocourt once again.......however this time is hasn't worked! My stomach has continued to bother me, particularly when I eat trigger foods. I have reduced my diet to a low residue/low fiber diet and I no longer have diarrea or bad cramping but still have some acid indigestion and have only a handful of foods that I am eating. If I try to eat any trigger foods, the horrific cramping comes back. I think the burning sensation I was experiencing was perhaps due to the stress of all of this as I'be been tracking my symptoms and the burning is alleviated when I'm distracted.
My doctor did bloodwork and for once my bloodwork was totally normal.....my doctor was very surprised and attributed it to the pregnancy....saying that sometimes that happens with pregnancy. He also said that this is why the entocourt probably hasn't worked. He's saying that I probably don't have inflamation but its the stricture that is causing the intense cramping/abdominal distress and the only way to fix this is through a resection of the diseased area. He's having me do an MRI just to make sure he hasn't somehow missed the inflamation and to find out more about the stricture. I'm terrified.....surgery???? after so many years of feeling well?
Does this make any sense?