Another Stricture? BUT u just removed it!!!

[Hawk]

I am new so sorry if I am in the wrong area of the forum here. But this looked like the best place because I am pissed.
I was just in, in Feb. this year to have a stricture of about 3" removed. When he did a colonoscopy, he could only go thru the large intestines before he ran into the restricted area. An upper GI told them approx. 3" affected. So off to the hospital to have it removed. Great!!! I will feel better now right?.. Wrong. Ended up back in the ER about a month after surgery with what to me felt like another blockage/restriction. Surgeon said it was nothing and sent me home. I have had a smaller flair like this about a month back, lasted a day. Now I am getting pains after I eat a meal. On my last visit to Gastro Dr. I reminded him about a followup colonoscopy to see how things went and to be able to go further in and check things out. Well to my surprise.... a stricture right at the same point....
Has ANYONE had a srticture come back that fast???? Proof of it after 6 months, but signs of it a month after surgery. GRRRRR.

Thanks for letting me vent.

 

[Terriernut]

Wow, that was a fast return! What meds do they have you on?

 

[Hawk]

That was my thought too. Right now I am on 75mg Azathioprine. I have had crohns since aprox. 1974, surgery in 1984 (many resections due to tracking and the blockage. they said I was 2 hours from being dead). I was doing good till now. I have been very lucky. But this is ridiculous, something is not right.

 

[Terriernut]

It does sound like it's time to step up to the next level of meds, like Remicade or Humera, or even possibly, more extreme surgery.

I'd post this in the general Ibd discussion as well. Note: weekends are a bit slow summertimes here...so it may be a tomorrow or monday for a response.

I'm sending you lotsa :hug::kiss::hug::kiss::hug::kiss:

 

[DustyKat]

75mgs of Imuran doesn't sound a lot, unless you don't weigh much. It is normally calculated at 2-2.5mg per kilo, does that sound right for you?

Dusty. xxx

 

[Hawk]

The Gastro Doctor started me out at 50mg, recently bumped that to 75mg. He has been drawing blood to keep track of what my body can handle. My enzymes are low, so can't handle a higher dose at this time. I weigh around 165 pounds. I would LOVE to go on Remicade, but I have a high Insurance deductable. The bills are killing me this year, over 11K out of pocket so far. I will be paying those back very slowly...lol. I am trying to get Crohns all settled down this year so I will not have high bills again NEXT year...lol. Hope my plan works....

BUT I still would like to hear from anyone who has heard of a stricture coming back, IN THE SAME AREA, after 6 months (symptoms of it 1 month after surgery)????
Thanks all,

 

[25times]

I'm sorry I can't help you much in regards to surgery.. I haven't had to have any yet. But I do have a very large, twisted stricture sitting very low in my pelvis. It causes me alot of pain, because alot of foods have trouble going through it. Gas hurts too. But my GI is hoping remicade will open it up and allow more food to pass through. I can tell that it's working in that sense, I've been having more (I wouldn't say "better") bowel movements, and I'm no longer constipated. If the stricture is due to inflammation, and you had the inflammed area removed, then yes, I've heard of the inflammation coming back only weeks after surgery. I don't think it's really common, but it does happen. I would keep asking your GI about it. Imuran takes a few months to start working, and you're at a very low dose for your weight. I weigh about 130 and I'm on 150mgs. But if your enzymes are preventing you from increasing, maybe you shouldn't be on it at all. What's the use in being on such a small dose? If you can somehow get remicade, I would try for that. I didn't have medical insurance, so my doctor found a program (government) that would pay for it. If I didn't have this, I wouldn't be able to get remicade. So maybe you should look into that. Sorry I can't be of more help. I know how frustrating this disease is. Hope you feel better soon

 

[Hawk]

Thanks 25times.
Actually you did help. You have once again confirmed to me that I need to be on Remicade. I have insurance, but a high deductible. I have looked into plans that would help my out of pocket costs for it though. I'm going to apply for it. Problem now is, that I don't trust my Gastro doctor or surgeon, I think something went wrong, or they removed the wrong area during surgery. I need to find a new Gastro doctor to get the Remicade. Oh how life is fun...hehe.
Thanks again,