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Well, a lot certainly has happened. Over a year and a half since I've updated - but really, things have only actually started to happen in the last month or so. Humira was a no-go. We measured my Humira levels in November 2018 (yes, they made me wait that long, 14 months after initiating...

I'm in a similar boat to you. I've got a long area of my small bowel which has a bunch of strictures all lined up next to each other (about 50cm?) but, although I have had severe pain from it in the past, and partial obstructions, currently my only symptoms are diarrhoea, fatigue and weight...

Hi, Adam. Welcome to the forum, but I'm sorry you had to be here. Like you, I hadn't heard of Crohn's disease at all before I got diagnosed (and the only reason my parents had was because my mum's best friend has it, although hers is very mild). I was diagnosed when I was 9, and I'm now nearly...

Yes, a torturous bowel just means it was very bendy. A bit of a startling word to see in a colonoscopy report before you know its meaning! Barium meals are also quite standard, although they’re seeing a reduction in use nowadays in favour of other imaging. You’re having the barium meal as a...

That makes sense. I suppose a lot of people would grumble at including an emulsifier in a vaccine or infusion, but honestly, I'd rather have it than not - the thought of trying to inject something that's separated and clumped at the bottom of the bag or syringe makes me feel queasy!

I didn't know much about this myself, so I decided to do some research on the topic. Both sucrose and polysorbate 80 are used as stabilisers in biologic formulation. In the case of polysorbate 80, it's essentially an emulsifier, to ensure that the entire product is dispersed throughout the...

“Reactive changes” means that there’s visual evidence that your gut has suffered some recent damage and is in the process of repairing itself. Crypt abscesses sound more alarming than they are (if my understanding is correct!) – there are neutrophils in the crypts (glands) of your large...

I also had a far more positive experience with IV than oral iron. I've never been able to tolerate oral iron and so I was offered an iron infusion. I had Ferinject (Injectafer in the US I believe, no matter the brand name, it's ferric carboxymaltose) and the infusion took 15 minutes and I had...

I've not been doing too great honestly. I had a couple of good years of remission after surgery nearly 10 years ago, but when I was about 13 I entered a low-level flare that was sort of controlled by azathioprine, but not really well enough. With the stress of my GCSEs and A-levels I buried my...

Hello and welcome! I'm so glad to hear your daughter is doing well. Feel free to ask any questions you might have here!! I was diagnosed when I was 9, and I'm 20 now, so I've been through it from your daughter's perspective. My mum has always been my rock through everything medical, and it's...

I received the meningococcal conjugate vaccine before going to university, while taking azathioprine. I think, since it isn't a live vaccine, you should be fine to receive it while on Remicade.

I haven't had lactulose before, but from what I've read of small bowel MRI I might be able to offer an explanation. Many MRI contrast agents are water-based. Water provides good distention of the stomach and duodenum, but in the jejunum it's absorbed, which makes it sort of useless for imaging...

I actually started Inflectra yesterday, for the same reason: the NHS prefers to begin patients on biosimilars rather than the original-brand biologic now, for cost reasons. The literature indicates that there's no real difference between the original and the biosimilar in terms of effectiveness...

How fascinating! Thanks, Scipio. I'd never heard of this bacterium before and now I have some reading to do :)

I had a listen to this and I'm able to help with some of it. The inulin isn't a 'type' of inulin, rather, it's a list of supplements believed to assist in the growth of bacteria: he said "apple pectin, inulin and NAG" :). These are listed in tandem here...

Oh hey I guess I count as one of these now! I turned 20 in August and completely forgot about this support group since nobody had posted here in so long. So there's someone else in this category still on the forum, at least :)

Unfortunately not! I wish that were the case, but it is very possible (and not all that uncommon) to be completely asymptomatic while the disease is raging inside. I have personal experience with this: I had active disease all throughout my teens (and still do, so I guess I've been flaring for...

Allow me to provide a positive UK scope story! My last colonoscopy was the first colonoscopy I had as an adult under NHS care - I was given 1.5mg of midazolam and 75mcg of Fentanyl. The procedure itself was excellent: I was conscious but felt less anxiety than I had even in my everyday life for...

Please do leave the Facebook group if it's affecting you that badly. They are excellent for hearing the stories of others and gaining education/support, but, as with any support group, the people that gravitate towards them are often the people who are suffering the worst. They do not represent...

I have a stricture and have experienced several obstructions because of it, but I've never had a problem with porridge. That said, being a student lacking in time (and patience!) I tend to go for the quick oats, which are ground more finely to cut down on the cooking time. It hasn't gotten stuck...