How is this possible?

[KWalker]

My (soon to be) father in law has had crohns since his early 20's and he is now almost 50. Out of the whole time he has only ever been on a very short course of prednisone at the beginning of the diagnosis but then after not having many symptoms or being bothered by crohns he stopped taking the prednisone and hasn't been on any other medicine for crohns.

He had a scope a little while ago and just got the results back yesterday. The results showed no active inflammation at all and the only thing they found was a small fissure. How is it possible that somebody could go that long without medicine and now have no inflammation. I know he's never really had any probems with crohns and he doesn't follow a diet either.

It almost makes me wonder if he never had crohns to begin with and it was more like ibs and he got misdiagnosed.

 

[Ozboz]

There are people like that they just have a flare at the start and thats it doesnt bother them again its like any medical condition some have a very mild case while others have major trouble with it there are always people like that out there

 

[KWalker]

Well I understand how some people can have mild cases while others have severe cases but why do most people say that inflammation will just continue to spread without medicine. Doesn't that now prove you don't need medicine for crohns?

 

[Grumbletum]

I'm afraid I think it's just the luck of the draw. Like with other chronic conditions. Asthma, excema etc. Some will have problems with them in childhood, then they clear up. Others develop them later in life and can have severe symptoms. Life's health lottery.

 

[Ihurt]

I think it is like with any disease, paticularly autoimmune. Just like lupus. My friends wife had it pretty bad, she actually died a few years back due to lupus complications. But yet I have another friend who has lupus and she is doing ok, not really needing to take many meds at all. She does not flare up very often. I think it all depends on the person.

My sons friend was dx with Crohns when he was 17. He was put on predinsone for like 2 months. He got completely better while on the steroids. He has not taken ANY meds for his crohns except for the steroids that he was on for 2 months when he first got dx. He is now going to be 21 and he is doing well without any meds. I hope he continues to do well...

 

[Sailorluna]

Hi all,
I agree that everyone is different. I also think that you can still have issues without inflammation. I had a scope that showed a couple ulcers and no inflammation and a few months later I got my first abscess. I was on Azathioprine the whole time I guess it was not enough.

 

[Catherine]

My daughter gi says there is a small percent of people maybe up 10 percent of people who have only one attack and this why after two years of maintenace treatment if sarah has tests showing muscul? healing. She will need to decide whether to come of all meds because that the only way to tell if you fell into the small group that has no further a attacks after the first.

 

[KWalker]

Hmm.. See I haven't had any "attacks" in years and if it weren't for me having a few problems with abscesses you would have no idea I have crohns. Sometimes I think I forget that I do....and I'm not on any medicine either, but my colonoscopy shows inflammation according to my doctor.

I'm in the process of getting a new doctor so I want to see what he says about my results

 

[Catherine]

That the problem with this disease it can attack the body silencely. The gi also saying you need regular monitoring even when not activitely treating the disease and hopefully faecal cal will be the test that allows this.