Difference between a flare and active crohns

[cdavidson52809]

What is the difference?

 

[jimcon24]

For me they are the exact same thing. After a period of remission a person may say they are having a flare up of their crohns or that their crohns is active once again. Basically the same thing in my own opinion.

 

[lblair]

I think as it as the same thing too!!!!!

 

[rollinstone]

I think there is a slight difference, you could have active crohns but be in clinical remission (little to no symptoms - maybe pain, cramps etc) and then you could have a flare (blood, d, lots of cramps).

 

[Crohn's gal since 1989]

I understood them to be the same thing too!

 

[cdavidson52809]

The reason I ask is because my colonoscopy a few weeks ago the doctor said that I didn't show any signs of active crohns and now today with my MRI he said that it showed active crohns.

 

[rollinstone]

It could be because maybe the scope couldn't check out your small intestine, I had to have a MRI after the scope. It might be that you have illieitis (crohns in the small intestine) but your colon is untouched.

 

[Maighréad]

Can a colonoscopy not see your small intestine? I had my first yesterday and it showed an ulcer but I've already had my ileum removed.

 

[rollinstone]

sometimes it can sometimes it can't. my 1st scope I don't think they could, the second one they did so its a bit confusing :S. I think it depends on inflammation and what not.

 

[Crohn's gal since 1989]

Can a colonoscopy not see your small intestine? I had my first yesterday and it showed an ulcer but I've already had my ileum removed.

The scope isn't long enough to scope the full small intestine. Usually the doctors just get past where it connects to the colon. If they want to see the small intestine they have to use the pill cam or ultrasound.

 

[lblair]

A colonoscopy can get to the small intestine but they need to know that they need to look there. My 1st one was just a routine one to see if my bleeding was coming from the colon it wasn't until the small pill cam that they said that is were the Crohn's is so and was actively bleeding I had another colonoscopy and they look ant the small intestine and took a biospey. And that was positive for Crohn's.

 

[jimcon24]

I usually watch my colonoscopy on the monitor and the scope only gets a little way into the small intestine. I think the turns and corners are too tight for a scope to travel through.