How often do you have follow up scope?

Crohns and Uc, even though they're both classified as IBD's, are quite different from each other. Crohns has a tendancy of becoming more severe faster which could be why your friend needs more frequent scopes. I had one c-scope intially, then I didn't have another one for 8 years only because my Uc flared severely. Once your past the 10 year mark, it is recommended you have a scope either yearly or every 2 years because the risk of colon cancer increases after that time. In between the c-scopes, I usually have a sig every 3 years but now that I'm past 10 years, I think I might be able to get by with just my 2 years cscopes.

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I asked my GI this same question at my last visit. He said if you have been diagnosed with UC 10 years or less, he does a scope every 4 years (unless you have issues). 10 years or more, and he goes to one scope every 2 years or every year, depending upon your history. The risk of dysplasia is higher once you have had the disease for 10 years - that is why the more frequent scopes after that mark.

SDM....I had a c-scope when diagnosed and another one at the one year mark.  Then every 3 years.    I can see the doc wanting to do one at the end of the first year.

I get a c-scope every two years, that's what I'M comfortable with; I want to know what's going on in there. I personally believe S-scopes are worthless, they're cheaper and that's why MD's start w/them (my opinion)--a 45 y/o co-worker was having UC-like sx's and given a s-scope and was told nothing was wrong, in fact, the GI told her she "probably" had UC. Her sx's got worse over six months and finally she had to demand a c-scope and found colon cancer very high up--something the s-scope could not detect--and it was stage four by the time they discovered it.

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Dx Ulcerative Colitis 1999; IBS; CP: Asacol x3 x3/day, Rowasa, Proctofoam, Prilosec, Bentyl, Prozac, Endocet (as needed), multi vit, probiotic, fish oil caps x2/day, calcium 1200 mg./day, Prednisone (off/on, unfortunately).

I was diagnosed about six or seven years ago, and my doc doesn't feel the need to rescope until 10 years after diagnosis. I'm unsure what her schedule is after that.

I think this is somewhat an individual thing with doctors. Personally, I think many factors should go into that schedule, like age, length of time since diagnosis, number and duration of flare(s), family history of cancer, etc. There's really no blanket recommendation that can be applied to everyone, is what I'm really trying to say.

Mitz

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Sporadic proctitis since about 1985. Mother had UC, then J-pouch surgery 1983.
DX'd with clostridium difficile in 2000. Prednisone, two courses of Flagyl, then Vancomycin finally got rid of it. Symptomatic with UC after that.
Colonoscopy in 2001 dx'd left-sided UC. Was pretty darn ill at that time. Treated with prednisone, Rowasa, Asacol. Asacol not working so switched to Imuran. Three small flares since in 2002, 2005, and 2007.
Gall bladder attack 6/13; ultrasound showed stones; surgery before end of 2007.
100 mg Azathioprine and 225 mg Effexor XR (for chronic, longstanding depression) daily.

If I'm not flaring I go for a sigmoidoscopy once a year just to check, but now that I've been in a flare for the last 14 months I've had one done almost once a month/every two months! to see how bad the UC was and what medicines to give me etc. They don't go up that far, and my whole colon is probably inflamed since I have pancolitis, but my doctor said the s-scope gives them a pretty clear picture of how bad the inflammation is anyway..?
She wanted me to do a full colonoscopy recently, since I haven't had one done since I got diagnosed 10 years ago, but I flared up again and they didn't want to do it, said i had to be in remission not to risk making it worse..
I guess it's different for everyone, but definitely more frequent c-scopes after 10 years because of the cancer risk generally..

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28 years old