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Hello everyone my name is Denise 40 yrs old. I am an Army wife, mother of 2 daughters and a Nana to 2 beautiful boys. I have had symtoms which was always chalked up as IBS according to many doctors but was recently diagnosed with Crohns about a year and a half ago after finally seeing the right doctor and getting the right tests. I was put on steroids in the beginning and was feeling better than I had in many many years but of course I couldnt stay on them. I was taken off and put back on them a few times then finally completely weened off. My doctor finally talked me into trying Humira along with taking Welchol for diarrhea. For the most part I have been feeling ok. I do not have the aweful pains i used to have but I still feel icky. Stomache is always gurgly, feel nauseous and frequent trips to the bathroom. But recent tests have shown severe narrowing in several areas and I have surgery scheduled for Nov 5. After reading alot of these blogs I am having second thoughts about having the surgery now. I dont want to feel worse after surgery than I do now. I really dont know what to do and I think I am going to go get a second opinion. Doc didnt want to do surgery at first cause he said I am fine and feeling good but then did another upper GI and found other areas that were not there before. What do you all think? Whats better, waiting until I am really sick or do the surgery now?? HELP
 
I was faced with a decision for surgery and decided against it.
Trouble is the crohn's comes back to the site which was cut.
A second opinion is the right of every patient and I would opt for it every time.
Sometimes though ---surgery becomes the only answer and can be vitally necessary.
Fortunately my crohn's was labelled "mild". When I get a bad flare it does not feel at all mild.
So far so good and I have evaded the surgery for now.
The trouble with narrowing is the danger of blockage and other complications.
You may feel a lot better for the surgery.
Feel better soon
Hugs and Best wishes
Trysha
 
Hi Neesey and welcome to the community. I'm sorry to hear of the choice you face, it's no doubt a tough one :(

One of the biggest variables when it comes to surgery is determining if the narrowing is due more to scarring or more due to inflammation. If the narrowing is due to a lot of scarring, then surgery is the best option for most as it's just plain not going to get better, will likely get worse, and can lead to a whole host of complications. If the narrowing is more due to inflammation, then I'd definitely run the gamut of medications, lifestyle and dietary changes to see if you can get that under control.

Point being, the million dollar question for your doctors is: is my narrowing due mostly to scarring or inflammation. If they don't know, there are tests that can help make that differentiation.

We're here for you!
 

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