40 years of remission?

[JLL from SC]

In 1975 I experienced a fairly large rectal bleeding incident which put me in the hospital for a week to receive four units of blood and attempt to find the cause. The attending physician performed a sigmoidoscopy and barium enima which revealed no apparent cause. Bleeding stopped and so I was released. In subsequent years I have had numerous colonoscopys--one every five years after age 40-- with one polyp removed and no IBD discovered. This past week at the ripe old age of 75 I had what I thought would be my final routine colonscopy. I have recently experienced some minor bloating and diarrhea but nothing to cause alarm. I was shocked to learn from the physician performing the procedure that I have extensive evidence of Crohns in the small and large intestine and the Ileocecal valve. I am to begin treatment next week.
I would be interested in any similar storys of such a long period of remission and what may have been found to trigger its termination.

 

[sickinlk]

Hi JLL. So are you saying you've had Crohns all this time and you didn't know it? You must of had some symptoms over the years. If there's scarring there there must of been repeated inflammation.

 

[Dunbar]

Anything is possible with Crohns, it manifests in a multitude of ways, some teeny tiny some not so much. I was diagnosed at 45 so yes, remission can last for a long time. And hindsight is a wonder. Only two events in my life(early 20's) stand out now as atypical Crohns as with you and your bleeding. The beginning of my diagnoses started after a year of intense, chronic stress and two rounds of clindimycin (fyi-don't take this, very bad for the intestines). Stress-any change good, bad or indifferent-, antibiotics, infection, diet change, vitamin/nutrient deficiency, any or none. You can look back and see if you can remember anything that stands out ? Here's to hoping you can get on top of it quickly and head back into remission

 

[D Bergy]

I didn't have any serious Crohns s symptoms until I was in my mid forties, although looking back it explains a lot of minor episodes since my teens.

I think it all depends on the degree of infection from a few pathogens that increase over time. For some it's sooner others it's later in life.

By directly reducing these pathogens I have correspondingly reduced symptoms, which are zero today.

None of them are rare, which is why I believe it is a matter of how much, and how long they have been there.

Of course with age. Nothing much normally improves concerning disease unless some intervention takes place.

Dan