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Pregnancy vs Surgery

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Crohn's Disease
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Posted 10/12/2011 4:47 PM (GMT 0)
Hi all,

Haven't posted in a while but am in need of advice. My crohns has come back and i have a pretty bad stricture at the anastomosis site from last surgery. Got a good 10 years med free from last surgery so i have been very lucky. It's looking like my only options will be surgery or maybe Humira which i have been extremely reluctant to take as i am extremely weary of having a supressed immune system.
I am also very keen to start a family with my partner as i am in my early 30s and don't want to leave it too late. So my question is - would i be better off to try Humira and pregnancy, and wait until after the pregnancy for surgery OR would it be better to have surgery first and then pregnancy med free?
I am also keen to hear from anyone whose gotten pregnancy soon after a resection. Are there risks re scar tissue etc. Or is it likely to make the crohns worse after the baby is born, which seems to be when it comes back?
I'm so very confused and time is very precious right now, would really appreciate any advice on this matter.

Thanks,
Lila :-)
Posted 10/12/2011 5:27 PM (GMT 0)
I'm concerned that you won't be able to maintain proper nutrition for a pregnancy if you are already severely restricted. Pregnancy might give you a good remission, but it won't relieve scarring that's already there.
Posted 10/13/2011 11:23 AM (GMT 0)
Hi,
I was in your situation, I wanted to get pregnant but had a narrowing and my GI was worried it could cause a blockage in pregnancy- that could be of course life endangering for the baby as well as me.
As I already had a surgery when pregnant (in my first pregnancy I was diagnosed with CD during an appendectomy), I didn´t want to tempt fate this time and had the surgery. It took quite a while to recover after that compared to the first surgery- I gave birth 6 weeks after the appendectomy, normal birth.

After the second surgery I was still feeling a lot of tiredness 2 months later.

6 months later, we got a consent from my GI to get pregnant and I became pregnant pretty much exactely a year after the surgery.

Everything went fine, except my Crohn´s came back right away, so no meds free pregnancy, but still doing well 2,5 (and another baby) later (KNOCK KNOCK).

I would go to surgery first and then have a baby- one thing is it could get dangerous and secondly-having surgery with a baby that needs to be carried and lifted constantly, not talking about not much chance to rest is going to be much more difficult.

Good luck!
Posted 10/13/2011 9:04 PM (GMT 0)
I have crohns. We did not find out till I was pregnant. I had to have surgery while pregnant and take meds everyday of my pregnancy. And my son was born with central apnea. When you read those words, central apnea, it doesnt sound so bad. But its horrible. His brain doesnt tell him to breath while he sleeps. It cost him months total in the hospital, a year on a apnea monitor in my home, 8 months of giving him liquid caffeine, and I still cant sleep more than three hours without checking to see if he is still alive. I would definitely not recommend taking pills while pregnant if you can avoid it. They said anything could have cause it, but the fact that I was ill and taking meds could have def. contributed to his condition.

I am not trying to frighten you, I just though I would share my story. I am only a mother to one child (for fear that I may have another child who has a problem with their brain). I am also a licensed nurse.

Good luck with your journey.
Posted 10/14/2011 10:01 AM (GMT 0)
I'm a male and thus pregnancy isn't something I've personally experienced, but I've been through the surgery routine three times and feel qualified to comment on that.

I think that if you were planning to have surgery soon anyway, it would be preferable to do that first before getting pregnant. It does take a few months to recover - just how long exactly depends on the extent of the surgery, which is going to vary among individuals. I think you'll be the best one to judge when you're feeling sufficiently recovered from surgery to know if it's time to go ahead with a pregnancy.

Taking Humira while pregnant - I think you're right to question the safety of that. I don't really know what effect Humira would have on a fetus, but you certainly ought to ask a doctor before proceeding if you decide to go that route.

Wishing you and the future baby the best of health.
- Robert
Posted 10/14/2011 8:15 PM (GMT 0)
I haven't had surgery but have severe strictures and am expecting baby #3, so I can give insight on that. Humira can be safe during pregnancy and breastfeeding. Search back and see. I know for sure Stef17 was on it for her most recent baby. If you go the Humira route it's not like you start it then start trying for a baby. You should start it, see if you get remission and if you do start trying. If not jump to surgery. That's the order I'd try it at least.

I personally chose to have babies before having surgery. I have two very severe strictures in my ileum, but am in remission. My biggest fear with the surgery was that for some women it's harder to conceive surgery. Also, I just don't want to have surgery ever if I can avoid it. So far I have.

Pregnancy has treated me well (starting out in remission each time). I do not have nutrition issues. While I can't eat the raw veggies and fruits I do eat pureed soups, drink juices/smoothies and take my prenatals. I've also been fairly lucky with the post partum flares. I've only had mini-bouts after my babies were a few months old. With my first it was just a few days of minor symptoms. It lasted a bit longer with my son. The different being that I kept up my maintenance meds the first time and not the second. I think that's the most important lesson for pregnancy or after surgery -- do NOT go off your meds. Maybe change to a maintenance med but don't ever go off completely. That's when these darn strictures crop up.
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