Is it really Crohns?

My wife is in the same boat with Ulcerative Colitis. She is already taking Humira for her Rheumatoid Arthritis. I'm not convinced she really has UC, the only scope she had showed some minor inflammation, and the GI suggested it was UC caused by years of the NSAIDs she takes for the RA.

One thing to think about is that even while you may not be feeling symptoms, the inflammation can still be there. Long term inflammation causes damage, scar tissue, etc. In the long run I think it would be better to keep it well under control, rather than waiting for it to get out of control before treating it.

Lialda is a type of Mesalamine, and is a pretty low risk drug. It's pretty common for people to be put on this as a first drug. Unless you are having side affects from the drug, I'd really consider staying on it. It's a lot safer to be on that drug than some of the others they would put you on if you went into a more serious flare. In other words, if you can keep it under control with the Lialda, diet and life style changes, even if you are not having obvious symptoms, you'll be better off in the long run.

Hi,
Same problem is here. I have had 2 colonoscopies and an enteroscope ( a scope of stomach and the whole length of the intestines) and they all showed that I have enteritis and sometimes they called it mild ileocolitis.I have chronic proctitis which is like UC but mine is more Crohn's oriented. Unlike you, I do have persistent diarrhea, severe abdominal pain, weight loss and fatigue. I saw many docs and even experts from other countries who rejected the idea of my having Crohn's and refused the idea of my taking Pentasa, pred, and now methotrexate injections. Whenever I try to follow their diagnosis, functional IBS, I flare up and start from square 1 and return to my first doc. Now, I'm following up with him, I'm trying to taper pred (7.5 mg) (though diarrhea is so stubborn and I've gained a lot of weight as it is my second year on it), take Pentasa enema before bedtime, Pentasa 2g, and a weekly MTX im injection (it hasn't kicked in yet). I wish his diagnosis weren't wrong. I feel that I started to feel a slow improvement on MTX (only 3 shots so far after switching from MTX tablets (only 3 doses)).
Take care!

I'm somebody who felt like I didn't have the disease in the beginning. My only symptom was diarrhoea 1-2x a day. No blood, no pain, just chronic but mild diarrhoea. The only thing I remember from the day the consultant told me I had Crohn's is feeling an inner conviction that he was wrong; that it wasn't Crohn's and would go away over the next few months, never to return.

Long story short: it didn't go away. It's 11 years later and a lot worse. What I'm trying to say is you can't go by personal feelings. Not for something like: "do I have a disease?". Otherwise seasoned hyponchondriacs would all be dying of brain tumours and the like. You could seek a 2nd or even 3rd opinion: personally, I don't see much point. Doctors disagree with one another constantly and a second doctor might well tell you don't have Crohn's, while the third and fourth ones tell you you do, while a 5th one tells you don't, etc. Crohn's comes and goes, something some doctors don't seem to take into account: thus they announce no Crohn's, whereas in reality the disease has just gone into remission.

The good news with you is, if you do have Crohn's, it is obviously of a mild bent, which means the prognosis is better than for somebody who has more severe disease. (Mine got worse because I was allergic to the 5-ASA drugs and both myself and my doctors effectively ignored the disease for years.)

Good luck :p