Average time between onset and first surgery

[chrisnsteph1022]

I'm hoping I'll be one of the lucky ones that never need surgery. But given the severity of my last flare, I'm not holding my breath. I'm just curious how long after the disease started up was your first surgery (notice I didn't say diagnosis-I know lots of people get diagnosed as they're having surgery). I've had Crohn's for 8 years and no surgeries.

 

[Lisa]

30 plus years and no surgeries...although I had one GI who was trying to talk me into it during multiple flares...I always resisted and am pretty thankful I did!

 

[chrisnsteph1022]

Wow, that's amazing!

 

[Lisa]

yup - and I have moderate to severe crohns' colitis.....thank God for Remicade!!!!

 

[glum chump]

13 years since the onset of symptoms and first surgery. I'd been resisting surgery for several years, which is when my GI started talking to me about surgery. However, YEARS of a flare categorized as "severe", I decided that it was time for surgery. Because of my symptoms, I rarely left my house, could hardly do anything around the house to help out, haven't worked, quit school, couldn't eat anything, etc. and felt I had to do something to get some control over my life.

I had a permanent ileostomy about three months ago, and haven't had a single cramp, no nausea, no temperature/fevers/fistulas/abscesses, have accepted several dinner invitations to friends' homes, taken the dog for a walk, and so forth. Although I'm still getting used to the bag, I'm incredibly thankful for this reprieve from the symptoms.

 

[tiloah]

Four years after I was diagnosed. I don't know when my disease started but I wasn't aware of symptoms until a couple of months before my diagnosis.

 

[Mark63]

20 years, but clocking them up on a regular basis now.

 

[Nyx]

3 1/2 years between diagnosis and my permanent ostomy. My Crohn's was very aggressive, needless to say.

 

[DustyKat]

Sarah - Yeah she was a diagnosed on the table. Symptoms became obvious about 6 months prior but were niggling away for about 12 months.

Matt - Was diagnosed after only 2 weeks of being ill and we knew surgery would be required 5 weeks after diagnosis. The surgery took place 4 months after the diagnosis.

Dusty. xxx

 

[Jessica]

I've been diagnosed for a little over 3 years. Had symptoms for maybe 4 years prior.

No surgeries yet. But doc has mentioned it since I have too much scar tissue.

 

[Jefferson]

I went from the fall of 1989 to December of 1995 before my first resection. Gave me 10 symptom free years!

 

[scoutfinch]

This thread is both uplifting and terrifying.

How many of you had emergency surgery (i.e. had to have it immediately during a visit to the ER, or at least very very soon after your doctor "highly recommened" you have surgery) and how many of you elected to have it after a period of consideration during which time surgery was not "highly recommended" per se?

 

[Nyx]

Emergency surgery here..I blew a hole in my sigmoid colon and distended my bowel. Never take constipation lightly is what I learned from that....lol

 

[archie]

6 months after 1st onset of symptoms , all very sudden due to abscess i tried to avoid it but surgeons told me 100% I needed it, 10 months post surgery i have a few symptoms back nothing serious though so hoping to avoid further surgery.

 

[ThanksP]

5 1/2 years and no surgeries (knock on wood)

 

[DustyKat]

Sarah had surgery within 12 hours of being admitted via the ER.

Matt's surgery was held over for 3 months as they were waiting for the inflammation to settle from acute to chronic. It was always going ahead as he had an ileal fistula. As it turns out when they opened him up he had a second fistula and abscess that they were unaware of.

Dusty. xxx

 

[AndiGirl]

This is my sixth year of having CD. No surgeries so far, though my last scope results weren't too hot.

 

[Carrie]

For me, it was about five or six years between the onset of symptoms and my first surgery. I had my second surgery four years later, and I think it was about six months between the start of the flare that lead to that surgery and the resection itself. I'm now facing my third surgery as soon as I'm healthy enough for it, but I've had a lot more warning this time--it's been over two years and counting since I was initially told I would need the third surgery.

 

[archie]

Carrie just wondering what meds you take?