I've been on and off Cimzia; I was on it, we decided to go ahead and do a resection so I went off it for several months, and then back on it. My GI said there is no issue with stopping and starting...
I'm not sure how to respond, honestly... My (double) resection was last Feb. My disease was active again before I recovered and went back to work (~30 days). We confirmed with a colonoscopy about a...
My surgeon sees his patients on the weekend, too, so yours might as well. You could always ask and see; that would definitely make a big difference for me! I was so thankful to see mine every single...
I had it happen last night to me - tried to click on something and there was a virus inbedded somewhere. Had to go into task manager and close out of all my pages and start over....
They can take my colon but they canNOT take my coffee!! Honestly, there is no final list that we need to adhere to. The disease is too different from person to person. I drink more coffee in one day...
I think there is a difference between going "med free" and going back on meds within 4-6 weeks of the surgery. My GI, and my surgeon, both felt like being right back on the meds immediately would...
If I feel okay, I have no issues drinking alcohol. Or at least I haven't found a type that doesn't agree with me. I'm actually a big fan of cocktails ;) I have more issues with carbonated beverages...
I only stopped because it stopped working for me. It worked very well for almost 2 years with no side effects other than some (non-noticeable) hair loss....
I've struggled with weight gain since my resection last year. Prior to that, I was maintaining but slightly overweight. Now I'm steadily gaining without much explanation. My GI said most of his...
Talk to your surgeon. I'll be honest; I was so adament that my surgery happen ASAP due to the pain I was dealing with but I had some major chest congestion going on pre-surgery. I didn't mention it...
I wore legwarmers during my entire hospitalization post-resection. But on my legs =) Due to, ahem, leakage I went without PJ pants (which I had brought and thought I'd wear) but my legs were always...
I am so glad you spoke with your doctor and don't have to take it right now! I read your post yesterday but didn't get a chance to respond. My thoughts regarding Pred are similar to those already...
My surgeon encouraged me to eat lean meats and fresh veggies - all high in nutritional content - to aid the healing process. He promised I'd have no issues digesting things like before and, while I...
Ibuprofen is the only thing I've found to help it. I mean, I have Vicodin on hand but I used that only for the severe gut pain when I needed it but never for the joint pain. I'm sure it would work,...
I think your surgeon is probably a better person to give you time estimates on, personally. My surgeon told me 4-6 weeks and mine was supposed to be a simple, laproscopic surgery. It ended up being a...
I think I tried the orange last time. My RX came with 3 different flavor packs and I smelled them all before choosing one. IMO, they are all awful. I just drink it really really fast and follow it...
I've found that my disease doesn't always manifest itself the same way each flare. I have been in remission twice now and when I flared back after a period of remission, it looked different than the...
I think you're in denial =) When did you see your GI last? I was in remission for a couple of years and a period of high stress kicked me back into active flaring. It sucks how much stress affects...
I'm really discouraged over my weight. I've always struggled - esp since pre-resection I was mostly on a carb diet since it processed easily. My resection was in Feb and now I can eat lots of veggies...
This thread cracks me up. I only have bad gas when my disease isn't under control. and it's awful. AWFUL. Been like that for months now. My poor husband... I've not found anything to make it better....
Are you sure it's Bartholin? Reason I ask is that vaginal/perianal bumps are one of my Crohns manifestations. First time I got one, it appeared to be like a boil in that region. Saw my PCP (long...
Oh my gosh! I am so thankful you are still here! Take care of yourself (er, let the nurses take care of you!) and REST....
I've been on all 3. Started with Remicade, worked amazingly for 2 years and built antibodies to it. No side effects and I loved the every X weeks thing. Went to Humira, got another 2 great years...
I, too, had bad D after my resection - it was so bad, I couldn't function at all. My surgeon prescribed me Lomodil (sp?) while in the hospital to help. He, and my GI, told me my digestive system...
Blacky, my iron is at 29 right now, hemoglobin is actually pretty good. After my resection, my iron/hemoglobin were both really low so we've been bumping it up slowly since (starting with weekly...
And what happened? My first type of iron, which I of course can't remember the name of but it's the common one given over a long day, caused hives and trouble breathing. Even with more Benadryl and...
I'm of the mindset of holding onto my organs as long as possible; the Crohnies I know in person have had some added issues after their surgery (scar tissue issues, mainly) that have complicated their...
Remicade was a miracle drug for me, but I only got 2 years out of it. I've gone through Humira and am now trying Cimzia for a 2nd time. Honestly, I didn't change my lifestyle at all while on these...
My biggest advice is to REST. I did not feel up to do half the things I thought I would - I really just wanted to sleep and lay around. Your body needs you resting so it can heal itself. And use the...
I've been on 6mp since my resection in February. I have not had any hair loss or, honestly, any side effects that I have noticed. I DID have hair loss on Humira but it was never noticeable to other...
I use Vicodin - I have never had the constipation issue. I'm so sorry. I saw that on the news this weekend and wondered how many people who rely on it for pain management would be affected. Just...
My surgeon doesn't use the NG tube. Thankfully. I think most are moving away from it... My resection, which ended up complicated and open, didn't set me back as long as I thought. I was expecting to...
My opinion is that my body cannot work well in fighting the infection, disease, and other issues it has if it is so strained from the constant pain. I cannot handle focusing on healing myself if I am...
Mine returned after a month, but my symptoms were things like vaginal and peri-anal sores that I get when I flare, extreme gas, joint pain, etc. I did have the big D after surgery but that has slowed...
Mine was similar to Nanners - expecting one surgery, ended up with a different surgery. My surgeon told me I essentially had two resections but the recovery seemed to be the same. He ended up making...
I think insurance companies always deny expensive things first =) I know my GI regularly has to send over more information to my insurance company for approvals - he said it's part of the insurance...
I avoided surgery for a few years - when I should have just gone for it - but instead kept wanting to try 'one more drug' until I hit the end of my options in Jan of this year. For me, my pain was...
I get the same thing; GI said it's normal and not a problem. It's done that everytime I administer it....
Okay, I'm a Crohnie that does not suffer from the constant D that many of you do - but since my resection, do "go" 1-3 times a day which is a huge increase from before. And many times, it's D....
Interesting. Years of GIs, and seeing a hematologist on a regular basis, and no one has ever mentioned it. Matter of fact, I had one GI that would not treat me with Remicade unless I was on birth...
Saw my GI today and he said he prefers to not have people on both, due to the immune issues, but we're going to try it for awhile and see if it can kick some of my issues. I know in Remicade, it was...
Ditto pp - it's a medication that is administered through an IV. Just like chemo patients receive medication through IV. And actually from the information that I have been given, it's very similar to...
When I was flaring a few years ago, I was hospitalized and given some prep that was mixed with Crystal Light. GI saw me drinking it and was frustrated they mix the prep with a sugar free beverage and...
I'm so sorry - I fear I'll be in the same position in a few years. My first resection was in Feb and my remission lasted 34 days. I was barely eating anything before the disease started manifesting...
I struggle, too, and like a pp I sometimes wish I had the weight loss "side effect" of this disease. Part of my issue is plain ol' genetics. The only time i've successfully lost weight was during a...
What kind of surgery did you have? My resection solved my pain and eating issues immediately (well, after the pain of the surgery subsided!). Now, my disease relapsed, or whatever you want to call...
I had, what ended up being, a double resection in February. I got some of the same advice and packed a lot of stuff but most of it ended up just sitting there. IV pain pump was there when I woke up....
I loved Remicade. It gave me my life back, healed my fistulas, and I was absolutely 100% symptom free for 2 years. But all good things have to come to an end, I suppose, because I developed...
So, I thought I had a pilonidal cyst so my GI called in antibiotics but things just got worse and finally, it just started to drain (what seems like) massive amts of blood. I finally called my GI...
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