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Flaring during pregnancy or is this normal?

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Crohn's Disease
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Posted 7/11/2008 2:33 AM (GMT 0)
I am currently 30 weeks pregnant with my second child. I got really sick with my first daughter in 2005 and shortly after was dx'd with Crohn's. They are "guessing" that I have had the disease for 10+ years and was misdiagnosed. Major scarring resulted in a bowel resection in July 2007. Since the resection I have been on remicade as maintenance..It was the only thing that put me into remission before the resection. I have felt "normal" for the most part since the resection but am starting to think I might be flaring now. Since the resection I have been able to eat pretty much anything I wanted. Even lettuce which was forbidden before the surgery. The past 2 weeks I have been having MAJOR "d" with cramping and that sudden urge to go right now...it's almost always after eating. I am really worried that I am going to get "sick" again and to be honest I am not sure how I will handle it all. I'm trying not to stress but it's hard. I am a stay at home mom with my 2 1/2 year old daughter, we are working on potty training right now and I do not sleep at night. All of this is starting to get to me ....

I'm not sure if I am flaring or if this is normal during pregnancy. I have NO pain, just the annoyance of being in the bathroom more than I would like. I have my last treatment until after the baby is born next Tuesday. I am hoping that I will feel better then and if not I will talk to my GI and see what he thinks.

I guess I am just hoping for some experience or feed back from those of you who have been in my shoes before. Thanks in advance!

Posted 7/11/2008 2:52 AM (GMT 0)
My amateur opinion as fellow pregnant woman is that you are flaring and that it is not "normal" considering that you are pregnant. If you were newly pregnant and your hormones were still fluctuating, I would say it was probably normal and to wait it out, BUT, you are well into the pregnancy and your hormones should be pretty stable.

Maybe the remicade is wearing off sooner than usual? I think you should talk to your GI anyway, just so (s)he can be aware of what's going on. Your hormones are going to "drop" after you deliver and if you're flaring now, then there is a fairly good chance you will flare after the delivery. I flared horribly after my first child was born, but not after the 2nd child. I COMPLETELY know how exhausting it is to be in the bathroom all night and have a small child to have to care for in the day. Maybe they can give you something "safe" in addition to the remicade to kind of keep things at bay while you finish out the pregnancy.

Good luck and keep us posted!!!
Posted 7/11/2008 3:38 AM (GMT 0)
You need to talk with your GI and your OB/Gyn about this. I'm pregnant too, still flaring a bit and have a whole bunch of other complications.
I know how scary it is.

I really suggest you modify your diet. If you take out all sugar and sugar products, processed food, and anything else that you know causes a problem for you it could help quite a bit.

Also, do you take a probiotic? I find that Garden of Life Primal Defense slows down my bowels. I take 1/day.

I hope you feel better soon.
Posted 7/11/2008 1:32 PM (GMT 0)
I agree with the others. This doesn't sound like a normal pregnancy thing. I'm 35 weeks now, and had a few moments when I wondered if I was going to flare, but they never lasted and always came after I knew I ate something I shouldn't have. Feeling like this each time you eat and being in the bathroom all night is not right.

I'm sure your doc can give you something to help, mine told me ahead of time that if things came up we'd do pred. Or maybe a modified diet would get you through. I do well on all liquid (Boosts/ensures), because I can keep those in and get the nutrition I need. Good luck and keep us posted.
Posted 7/14/2008 4:34 PM (GMT 0)
Chasity - I'm not as far along as you are, but I wish I could give you a hug because I have a pretty darn good idea of the nonsense you're going through!

I'm bumping this thread instead of starting another...

I'm 10 weeks pregnant, and I think I'm starting to loose my mind. I've had d for several days, and urgent loose stools for weeks. In short, this pregnancy has been a bit of a bumpy ride so far, but manageable.

I'm trying REALLY REALLY hard to convince myself that this is "just" pregnancy related (this is my first). BUT, it's very hard to convince myself of that when I'm spending every moment from 4am to 8am on the toilet with d, urgency, and uncontrollable pushing every morning. I'm scared to eat because I have to FLY to the bathroom. I'm scared to leave the house... These are all wickedly chronie things to be feeling right now and I'm so scared!

I was doing really well before the pregnancy. My last Remicade was April 2nd, but my doc and I decided that it had run it's course with me and was neither harmful nor helpful at this point, so I had no plans to continue the Remicade whether we got pregnant or not. I'm second guessing that now and wondering if I should get an infusion? I have an appointment with a new GI at the end of the month.

I know that it is around the 10 weeks marker that the placenta takes over the production of hormones and really cranks into gear. I'm hoping that is what has me so out of whack these last couple days?

Any advice or experience would be very appreciated...
Posted 7/14/2008 6:54 PM (GMT 0)
patientspiders- The SAME thing happened to me, but all heck broke loose around 5 weeks. I'm almost 16 weeks. I had a remicade infusion at 7 weeks, but it didn't do anything at all to help. My GI decided it was time for me to try Humira. I took the humira about 3 weeks ago and I can't believe how much better I'm doing. Still not perfect, but at least I can eat now - even if I do end up in the bathroom a lot. I can SO TOTALLY RELATE to the 4am-8am on the toilet thing - I'm living it. Check with your GI. Maybe Humira can help.
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