Is surgery for strictures worth it?

I have a stricture. Really that's a very broad question; how bad is the stricturing? Is there significant inflammation? Is it getting worse? Affecting motility?
It really depends on quite a number of factors; personally I've had stricturing in the si for two yrs now and b/c it wasn't disrupting or affecting quality of life, my doctor chose to continue w/ the remicade and usual meds.

Having Crohns means that at some point you may get strictures

I have lived with strictures for decades, here are some problems that may require surgery:

You feel increasingly bloated, sharp pains and develop fistulas. I had three of them and one was beginning to burrow into the bladder, a live threatening condition. Had 3 feet removed and all of my descending colon.

LIved 15 years more, strictures forming again around the Anastomosis (the point of the resection, where the scarring forms the next stricture. Same symptoms but in this case had several intestinal blockages, some lasting more than a week. Lost 50 pounds from not being able to eat, vomiting and severe bloating. Could not live like that anymore. Had another bowel resection and removed 5 more feet of intestine. That was in 2016 and six years later have another stricture in the same place and a partial blockage which I am living with.

My opinion: You can live with strictures for a long, long time. Hold off on surgery because it may start the endless cycle of more strictures. However once you start getting fistulas or you start to vomit because of obstructions you won't get any better and it is time to consider surgery.

If you can live with your symptoms now and function in life to the extent you want to, then I say, NO, surgery is not worth it. I had surgery almost 3 years ago, and while it solved some very serious and life-threatening issues (and therefore was unavoidable), and even put me into "remission" for some time, I have side effects from the surgery that will most likely be with me forever. I have never had a solid BM since having the surgery and my frequency of BMs is at least 5/day. I lost about 3 feet of small bowel, which is not within short bowel syndrome ranges and my B12 levels are "acceptable", but food passes through me very quickly (like see what I ate for dinner in the toilet 2 hours later quickly) and I have bouts of unexplained weight loss and fatigue most likely from my body not absorbing many of the nutrients I take in. I also think I am having some narrowing at the suture sites causing bacterial overgrowth.

That being said, I was very sick when I finally agreed to the surgery. By the time I agreed to it I was actually too sick to undergo the surgery and had to be put on TPN with IV antibiotics and a high amount of pain killers to hold me over while I attempted to gain weight on the TPN. It was a rather involved surgery and I was in the hospital for 2 weeks after recovering, so my side effects may be more extreme than the typical person's. But these are all possible side effects of abdominal surgery and I have always had the mind-set to put surgery off for as long as possible. Sometimes it seems like one surgery can easily lead to another and so on . . .

I've had two surgeries for strictures. One at my original surg site the other for a rectal stricture and I would do both again. I can't speak for your situation but both made my quality of life better. So it's a choice you and your doctor will have to make. But good luck with whatever you decide is best for you.

I know everyone's experience is different but my son's (age 18 at time of surgery and just a few months after dx )resection surgery literally gave him his life back. He was a freshman in college and desperately tried to make his life as "normal as possible" which was impossible with him running to the bathroom 10 - 12 times a day, having days of vomiting so violently that he had to be hospitalized for a micro tear in his esophagus and endless pain not to mention losing over 30 pounds (down to 121 on a 6 foot 2 inch frame). As his mom I was stunned at how sick he was and spent much of my time making medical appointments for and with him. But surgery (3 feet of intenstine including TI and appendix) gave him a new beginning. He remains on remicade, methotrexate, colistipol, probiotic and vitamins and he has gained some weight, is in no pain and smiles again. I wish you the best as you weigh your thoughts and options!

Does anyone know how many dilations can be done before surgery is recommended? i had one done back in June and started Stelara in July. My GI scheduled another colonoscopy next month to see if the new med is helping & to do another dilation if necessary (which I'm pretty sure will be needed).