Cynthia McFadden's Crohn's Story

[Mom2oneboy]

http://celebrityhealthminute.com/20...e-big-news-on-crohns-cynthia-mcfaddens-story/

Here is a link to a story about Cynthia McFadden who has Crohn's. It states that she is not on a maintenance med. How can this be? Any thoughts?

Shelley

 

[littlemissh]

It's reasonably common after bowel resection for very localised disease to have very mild disease. Therefore no maintenance meds are required. This is why surgery is not now seen as a last resort for particular disease locations- mostly terminal ileum.
Some people are 'lucky' enough to have really mild crohns that requires no medication - just what's called a 'watch and wait' approach.

 

[DustyKat]

Hey Shelley,

Both of my children have had resections done and although on maintenance medication they are both in remission since those surgeries were performed. I do wonder though if my daughter takes her meds, she is away at university, but either way she remains solidly in remission. As LMH has said, for many people surgery does induce immediate remission and for some this can last a significant amount of time. A couple of years ago I spoke to a lady that said her sister had the same surgery as my daughter, under the same circumstances (emergency) and at the same age, 14, and her sister was now 50, on no medication and had never had another flare.

That's the thing I find the hardest about this disease, the watching and waiting and never knowing how much luck you have on your side. Of course I hope both my kids are like the that lady's sister!

Dusty. xxx

 

[CLynn]

I discussed maintence meds with my GI after my resection. I, too, had mine in a pretty localized area of the ilieum. And it wasn't really active when they did my resect, just too much scar tissue built up. I asked Doc what he thought about maintence/preventative meds and he answered me that honestly from what he saw, just as many say the meds don't work as say it does, so he wasn't going to encourage it if I didn't want the meds. It was pentasa or asacol, I don't tolerate those well, so I chose no meds. Made it 8 years before I had my flare this fall that I am currently in.