your no-surgery time record.

I have a 9 and half year crohn and never got any surgery (for my fortunes I had no fistulaes and strictures in all this time). in this time I never got full remission and I have some questions for you my gut fellows:

1) how much time you had crohn and without surgery, or, if you had a surgery, how much time lasted before the next surgery (if you had of course)
2) how much time you had a crohn without remission and got no surgery (or, at least, you had some part of your bowel inflamed but you got some resection that involved just some other part)
3) if did you have temporary ostomy without having removed any part of your bowel, just to give it a rest.

sorry if I have those question but I'd like to have an idea regarding what are my future options. I hope I was clear in my question.

doesn't elemental diet involve nasogastric nutrition? or it's intravenous? sorry I'm a bit ignorant on the matter.

I have had Crohn's since I was 9 years old. Had appendix out when I was 11, and my gall bladder when I was 53. I am now 66 and have had no other surgeries to date. I was only diagnosed 5 months ago as until then, I was diagnosed as having IBS. My crohn's is not in remission, but controlled well enough right now by meds and diet not to need it. Sure hope I can stay on this course of treatment for a long time.

thx for explaining.

I have had Crohns for over 35 years. I once enjoyed a remission of nearly 20 years. I was dumb and did not medicate during that remission, so unbeknowst to me the CD was in there doing its damage without me knowing it. My remission ended with an emergency resection due to a complete obstruction. Because of a now fired GI who told me after that resection I didn't need to take meds, I ended up having to have another resection only 3 years later. It also took quite awhile to get back to remission. So I am the biggest proponent of taking maintenance meds at all times.

I have now been back in remission for about 5 years and am maintained solely with Asacol. No fistulas or abcesses for me, but I did have 2 strictures before my surgeries.

I've had crohn's for 21 years. I've had periods of remission for 2 years at a time, but only a few. Mostly active disease, sometimes severe. NO surgeries, no fistulas either. I try to keep things under control with medicine and diet.

Almost 11 years of IBD, 10 years since diagnosis, no surgery.  Remission?  Hard to say.  I've had good times and bad.

I think there will be a gallbladder removal in my future, not sure how soon. I had an esophageal stricture resolved with a balloon about 4 years ago.

1) how much time you had crohn and without surgery, or, if you had a surgery, how much time lasted before the next surgery (if you had of course)

- I've had Crohn's for 8 years.  I was diagnosed and had an emergency resection the next morning.  Resections in 2002, 2008, and 2009

2) how much time you had a crohn without remission and got no surgery (or, at least, you had some part of your bowel inflamed but you got some resection that involved just some other part)

- I've never been in remission.

3) if did you have temporary ostomy without having removed any part of your bowel, just to give it a rest.

-I've never had an ostomy

My first Crohns experience was having an obstruction in 1990 which resulted in a night at the hospital. They did not diagnose me at that time, I had NO symptoms prior to that obstruction, and had no symptoms untill 14 years later, then out of the blue I got my second obstruction which again landed me in the hospital, and again noone managed giving me a diagnose. No scopes, no bloodtests, just telling me to relax.

From that second hospital landing I wasn't able to relax at all ;-)....too much pain and discomfort, too often...and a lot of what I later learned was partial obstructions...and full blown obstructions...

At last, in 2007, I got my diagnose. I had no medication between 2004 and 2007. When they finally looked at my small intestines, in 2007, they found 4 narrowed areas. I have been using LDN, since 2007, and on occations prednisone (pred for just for a few weeks each time) and have to do a resection within a year from now according to my GI. He has expected me to get much sicker much earlier, so he has sharpened his knives since the fall 2007.

Have been without symptoms from 2007 when I started using LDN, and still am, so LDN is keeping my disease at bay, I am convinced that my disease would have developed dramatically without Low Dose Naltrexone. For me, this medication was heaven sent. /Bee

Post Edited (BeeSting) : 12/11/2010 1:41:20 PM (GMT-7)