Crohn's is back;now what?

[SusanB2001]

Hi there,
I have been away from the forum for a while. I had to have my 2nd bowel resection after a 14 year remission. I was not on any meds during that time.

After the surgery last April, and now after a colonoscopy follow up, the Crohn's is back; albeit mild. During the post surgical year, I switched to a gluten/refined sugar/95% dairy free diet which cured some food allergies but surprisingly to me, not the crohns.

My GI doctor wants me to go on Humira to prevent the disease from progressing further. I am torn about this. Do I try and go vegan now instead?? Do I throw my hands in the air and try big pharma drugs?! Do I chance it and hope I don't end up needing another surgery?

I'll take any advice anyone wants to offer!!

Thanks.

 

[ronroush7]

My thought is that if you are not on some medication that the disease might get worse. Best to you. Let us know how you are. Everyone is different.

 

[worriedboy]

It's not an easy decision. I am heading a resection myself right now and I cannot not think that if I had been on "mucosal healing" policy maybe I could have avoided or at least postpone it ...
Good luck with whatever you choose and keep us updated !

 

[ronroush7]

It's not an easy decision. I am heading a resection myself right now and I cannot not think that if I had been on "mucosal healing" policy maybe I could have avoided or at least postpone it ...
Good luck with whatever you choose and keep us updated !

Best to you with your surgery, worried boy. I had a resection six years ago and I am almost convinced that if I had stayed on Remicade I could hsve avoided surgery. Everyone is different though.

 

[worriedboy]

Best to you with your surgery, worried boy. I had a resection six years ago and I am almost convinced that if I had stayed on Remicade I could hsve avoided surgery. Everyone is different though.

Thank you for the kind wishes, Ron.
It makes me feel a bit better that you guys are around.

 

[ronroush7]

Welcome.

 

[danmc]

I've been eating a vegan, WFPB diet for several months now (I'm a vegan for ethical reason anyway, but used to eat lots of oily foods and also gluten) including being gluten free, and although overall I think it's the healthiest way to eat it hasn't helped my anal fistula to heal at all.

So I'm coming to the conclusion that I may need to go on one of the biologics.

 

[drewpalermo]

Hi, Susan hope you make it through. Last year, I had a nasty recurrence of an abscess that opened up on its own, and the fistulas thereafter healed without surgical intervention. I marked it down to the phase of eating meat pretty much raw (lamb, beef). No more of that! After my hospital visit I was underweight, still had the fistulas, and stuck with a very clean diet with plenty of organic vegetables (cooked), sardines (very low in mercury compared to salmon or tuna), lamb, beef, eggs, my daily organic carrot juice (high in bioavailable calcium), certain supplements, organic aloe vera juice, and actually a little bit of organic reishi powder.

The only drinks I have today is spring water and one serving of carrot juice. Organic milk I'll have on occasion.

Please stay away from a vegan diet. Just include some ox bile and pancreatin (digestive supplements) when you eat animal protein. TMG is also worthwhile (I'll take 750mg or less with most of my meals).

 

[DougUte]

Hi SusanB. I personally would hate to be off my Humira at this point. That drug, along with my resection 5 1/2 years ago has brought me around. I have had a flare in the last couple of months and my GI put me on budesonide for 2 months. I would recommend checking into meds if I were you.

 

[ronroush7]

Hi SusanB. I personally would hate to be off my Humira at this point. That drug, along with my resection 5 1/2 years ago has brought me around. I have had a flare in the last couple of months and my GI put me on budesonide for 2 months. I would recommend checking into meds if I were you.

Agree

 

[Scared1]

Hi there,
I have been away from the forum for a while. I had to have my 2nd bowel resection after a 14 year remission. I was not on any meds during that time.

After the surgery last April, and now after a colonoscopy follow up, the Crohn's is back; albeit mild. During the post surgical year, I switched to a gluten/refined sugar/95% dairy free diet which cured some food allergies but surprisingly to me, not the crohns.

My GI doctor wants me to go on Humira to prevent the disease from progressing further. I am torn about this. Do I try and go vegan now instead?? Do I throw my hands in the air and try big pharma drugs?! Do I chance it and hope I don't end up needing another surgery?

I'll take any advice anyone wants to offer!!

Thanks.

Hi Susan, 14 years remission is great Maybe you can do like a "compromise" - sorry lack of a better word, does he have milder medicine you can take instead of going to Humira? Or maybe have you considered LDN?