I have experienced two episodes of extreme spikes in blood pressure 210/110 brought on by extreme stress over a prolonged period. (these episodes were two years apart. In between my blood pressure is...
Believe it or not physicians are having good luck by recolonizing the bowels of patients compromized by c-difficile with fecal transplants. Apparently feces is collected from a healthy donor and...
If you are passing gas then you are not suffering from an obstruction...
The term you might be looking for is string segment....
Hi Christina: Great to hear from you, especially since you sound so upbeat. Hope you can leave your everyday stresses behind while you are on vacation....
Tom, I am wondering if, perhaps some members have raised the issue of counselling because they are concerned that you seem stuck and they are worried that until you face/process/resolve what is...
Dreamer, you have been fighting so hard for the last 18 months. Now, the decisions have been made and, for a little while at least, I hope you can just let go and be carried for a bit. You deserve...
I have had problems with the questran light causing me a lot of painful gas and cramps. I was only using it when I absolutely had to. I recently asked to be switched to questran regular because I...
I don't understand why you are taking your daily dose all at once? Is that how your physician prescribed it? My understanding of this drug's effect is that it is topical. It has to reach the affected...
I would phone them and follow up with a letter. And i would couch my concerns in the form of a query. "I am calling to make sure I didn't mis-understand my physician's instructions.... "I want to...
Your diet needs to fit with your symptoms. Those of us with significant strictures have a hard time following the SCD or makers diet because it has too much fibre, especially unsolulable fibre...
Hi Ivy: You have to make this someone else's responsibility -- as in -- "I want you to be aware of my concerns about .... " I want to make sure I know who is taking responsibility for this decison....
You can live relatively normally for a long time with a string segment. It depends whether the narrowing is from scarring, inflammation or spasm whether medication will open up the segment. It does...
You should be looking for a psychologist whose specialty area is health. Look for a teaching hospital that has a unit that specializes in gastroenterology and ask them if they have IBD clinics. Many...
Cheryl, you mentioned the discrepancies on the internet. One of the reasons for the discrepancies is that crohn's comes in many forms and the dietary issues of concern to people suffering with one...
Hi Rider: I guess I'm still not sure I see the correlation between bleeding -- your primary problem -- and food. I do see that you have been on humira for a relatively short period. Were you on...
Sorry to seem really stupid here, so if I do, hope you can educate me. Are you eliminating/ limiting foods because you are bleeding from colon or because it is giving you diarrhea? You keep saying...
PB4: Thanks for the info I will pass it along to my sis. As for me and fibre -- I have to walk a very fine line with the fibre in my diet and when I'm able to tolerate it, I just increase the amount...
HI PB4 My sister is having terrible issues with constipation -- not my problem, that's for sure -- I am recommending fibre supplements, but she says she's heard detrimental things about metamucil....
Sorry about the news, but glad you have a diagnosis. Welcome to the club. You will find that this is a caring community for those of us with this disese....
One of the things I always focus on when filling out forms regarding my disability is the unpredictability and fluctuation in the symptoms. You might want to discuss your functionality in terms of...
What does your gastroenterologist say? What medications are you on currently? Why is your surgeon advising surgery now? Surgeon's cut -- that is their job. You should be discussing all of this with...
Fitzy unless you have a stricture, you might want to try a fibre supplement temporarily and lots of water. Might make you more comfortable if you can get some bulk in those stools while you are...
It can sometimes take a long time to get a diagnosis. Crohn's presents in so many different ways. The good news is, if you have crohn's it sounds like it is a mild form. Remember constipation is one...
Ileus does not specifically mean a bowel obstruction. Ileus means that the bowel is not working efficiently to move material through. This can be due to a number of things, partial obstruction being...
This does not sound like a side-effect of imuran, at least not one that I am aware of. How long have you had crohn's? Have you ever had extra-intestinal symptoms?...
Is your pain on one side or centred. Is it deep (in the back) or shallow. Does it hurt when you go to the bathroom (not cramp) but hurt. Is it constant or does it come and go. Is it positional...
LMIlls: I am more than twice your age, have been married for 36 years and normally would not insert myself into this kind of discussion with a young woman who is 10 years younger than my youngest...
Oral prednisone is absorbed into the bloodstream very quickly, so I don't think there is a problem with absorption, but IV steroids are a better way to deliver the medication, no doubt....
Do you know whether your daughter's fistula is a result of her stricture? Is it between two loops of bowel? With regards to the pentasa, I suspect your GI will want her to continue on her maintenance...
People are having great success in healing fistulas with the immuno-modulating drugs like humira and remicade. These drugs, when the patient responds, can heal crohn's lesions very quickly....
It would be unlikely for your physician to recommend remicade or any other immuno-modulating drugs unless you have active disease. There are many serious risks associated with these, relatively new,...
Do you find you are suffering swings in energy through the day? Even "healthy" people will suffer if they eat foods that have a high glycemic index -- that is foods -- mostly in the form of simple...
I agree with PB4 but with a caution. Some of us are prone to "push through" too much. It can be a disease in itself. I had to learn to surrender to my disease first, instead of constantly pushing....
If you fast, do your symptoms ease? I don't know what to suggest except to do an elimination diet and see if you can get your symptoms under control. Then slowly add things back in a controlled...
These are questions best directed at your gastroenterologist (not a surgeon). Your decision will have to be based on how long you have had the disease, the severity and your quality of life. Having...
When Crohn's disease was first identified, it was commonly assumed that it was found more often in people who had problems with anxiety and stress management. In the same way, for many years ulcers...
My advice is not to bother taking all that electronic stuff with you. You will probably be out of there before you feel well enough to concentrate on it and it will just be another thing for someone...
The problem with all these "diet cures" is that none has so far been shown to effectively change the course of the disease in double blind research studies. The testimonials are great, and I have no...
Welcome to the forum ROIDS. It must be tough to develop crohn's so young. I'm sure you've developed many strengths by being tested so young....
Saying to someone after surgery that "there is no crohn's" is about providing the patient with a psychological boost. Sort of the same way many physicians treat cancer patients. How many times have...
You should be having a conversation with your GI about maintenance meds, not your surgeon. Your surgeon is an expert in surgery, not in medicine. As for you having no crohn's, I'm not sure what it's...
I suspect it depends upon where you live and how urgent your surgery is considered to be. I had my last surgery within four weeks of seeing the surgeon, but my surgery date was decided by a clinical...
You probably need all these medications to help you in the short term -- entocort kicks in almost immediately, pentasa takes a bit longer and immuran typically takes between 3 and 6 months to reach...
I don't know if stricureplasty and balloon dilatation are the same thing, but I have had a dilatation and it is a relatively straightforward procedure that involves the same prep for a colonoscopy....
There are many medications that do not affect mood. Steroids, unfortunately are among those that do. Pain is not always a significant feature with crohn's -- at least not in the beginning. Much more...
The definition of "flare" is very subjective. For some, "flare" is used to describe every time they have a symptom. For others "flare" means a clinically significant event that requires aggressive...
Have you checked with your ob/gyn about medications? Best to make sure the baby's doctor is aware of the medications you are on and the ones that are being recommended. Remember, your...
Have you had children? That is the most common cause of uterine prolapse. The pelvic floor muscles can be damaged during childbirth and once you lose muscle tone down there , it is pretty difficult...
It sounds to me like you are suffering from dehydration. Do you have problems with diarrhea? Try drinking more water. Coffee, colas, tea -- anything with caffeine doesn't count. You need at least 8...