8 years and still sparring

[Tayrob]

well I'm not sure how to begin so ill just dive right in and maybe it will flow

my name is shawn , I'm 23 and i was diagnosed at the age of 15 with crohn's disease. I started showing symptoms as young as 9 but they didnt start getting severe until i started high school and thats where i drew the line. you name the drug and i have probably been on it, asacol remecaid infusion etc. it finally got to the point where in 2007 i had a large portion ( if not all of it) of my intestinal track removed due to the serverity of the issue , for 5 years now i have struggled to maintain a normal life as a teenager and nowa young adult . thanks to a balance of my surgery , one of the greatest GI doctors to walk the earth (RIP Dr. Belknap) and Humira injections i have been able to find a balance


recently things have taken a turn for the worse however , with the passing of my childhood GI doctor and a development of a fistula on the surface of my skin where my surgical scars things aren't looking pretty right now.

Aaaaaand that's what brings me here! as a car nut I'm very familiar with forums and I'm hoping that maybe if i find a group of like minded individuals will help me understand these new treatments my new GI doctor has recommended , Methotrexate :stinks: COMBINED with my Humira I'll be able to discern something new or at least lend a helping hand to others or vice versa


.I'm VERY wary of this new drug as everywhere I look I read nothing but doom and gloom but I'm hoping for the best, but hope is sometimes hard to find in the middle of a hurricane as many of you are sure to know


cheers and look forward to speaking to you all

 

[Angrybird]

Hello and welcome to the forum, I am sorry to hear you are having troubles again I have not had a fistula myself so could no say what has worked in this area but do have a look at our fistulas/abscesses forum so you can have a chat with the folks here about it: http://www.crohnsforum.com/forumdisplay.php?f=76. I have been on methotrexate myself and all in all I just noticed that I would always feel a bit heady and like I had the sniffles a lot, my main issue with it was that having kids on it are a definite no no which is one of the reasons I stopped it.

Am really pleased you have decided to join and I hope you can be feeling better soon.

AB
xx

 

[Tayrob]

thank you , I am def. looking for just some real experiences with treatments and meds to make sure I'm not wlaking into something over my head, the forum has been great!

 

[David]

Hi Shawn and welcome!

Hmmm, I'm not a big fan of the Methotrexate/Humira combo to treat your fistula but it may work. I did a review of an article in a book intended for medical professionals that had lots of data on Methotrexate. You can find it here: http://www.crohnsforum.com/showthread.php?t=37572

Enterocutaneous fistula like you have at your anastomosis can sometimes be a little hard to close. I'd personally hit it from every angle to increase your chances. I think one of the most important angles would be to also utilize enteral nutrition. I suggest reading up on it and discussing the idea with your doctor if you think it might be up your alley.

It's great having you here, let us know anytime we can help

 

[Tayrob]

hey David thanks for responding! I'll def. be looking into that article , at this point I'm looking for any option that will be increasing my chances of the fistula closing. I did a brief overview of the enteral nutrition and it seems very promising , i just wish i could get a better view on my phone hahha , however once im back home in Detroit I will be def. looking into it , thanks!:thumright: