How predictable are the flares/remissions?

[sibelius]

Do your flares tend to last the same amount of time each time you get them? Or do they vary unpredictably in length and severity?

How about the remissions?


Do you think the meds really help you into remission; or do the remissions come when they come, and meds simply make the flares somewhat easier to bear?


Have you ever counted down the days until you thought the flare would disappear or reappear, to find that you were pretty close on target?

 

[sibelius]

Thanks, Pen!

I'm not sure how long I've really had Crohns -- I was diagnosed in January, and it was really getting into full swing then..... but in August on my 21st birthday I was the sickest I'd been in years (awake all night, throwing up all morning, and no I hadn't drunk anything at all); soon after that I was having acid reflux for a few weeks; and then in the beginning of October I discovered my fissure. The not-as-painful symptoms -- weight loss, appetite loss -- crept up pretty quickly after that, and then the abdominal pains came in December, daily debilitating pains by the end of the year. So when do I pinpoint the start of it all? I don't know if my birthday illness was related to Crohns or not, or the influx, but probably the fissure was. So maybe 7-12 months?

I finally had a remission beginning in May.:luigi:

 

[Aenea01]

I'll tell you one thing - you go through a long period of stress and poor diet, expect a flare incoming. They take a short while to onset and can be months in the going away.

 

[pb4]

Here's what I know according to Dr. Kevin Rioux who studies IBD (from the university of Alberta)...

In the past few yrs, advanced genetic techiniques have allowed scientists to discover at least 9 different gene clusters that contribute to the development of IBD and define the severity and behaviour of the disease over time.

Some of these genes encode factor involoved in recognition and defense against bacteria. Mutations in immune response genes may adversely affect how the immune system reacts to harmless bacteria and this probably contributes to the development of IBD.

 

[Keara07]

I am still sorting out the flare thing as I was in high hopes of a remission after a resection in March and a report thereafter saying the bad stuff was out...however, I am having flare signs again for the last 6-7 weeks (pain, D, nauseau, vomiting)...I just live with things like joint issues etc, for me the other stuff is a flare and can last from 4 hours to a day or two for now (better than before where I was flaring for months straight). I still have some endocet from the operation and that helps the pain (reduces it) - I wait a bit to see if the pain dissiaptes but after about 3-4 hours I take one if needed. Haven't found a correlation with triggers, except maybe stress and a couple of foods but I mostly watch everything i eat and have yet to regain an appetite. I do go liquid after a pain episode though for 24 hours and it seems to help.

And the pain comes on without any warning for me...any time of day, just bammo!

 

[Aenea01]

I feel for your pain I really do. If your resection was just a few months ago, your abdomin is still prolly pretty sore, and your intestines likely still a bit inflamed? Stress triggers another hormone (cortisol?) that really does your digestive system no favors.

My last flare was so aweful that I swore off food entirely. It's this whole Pavlovian thing for me Food=Pain So I went liquid for a month to just give my intestines a break, and then went with the low emission diet afterwards, I forget what the docs call it. Mostly I just eat fruit, with the occasional salad or piece of meat. And chocolate of course, as I consider that a food groups also, heheh.

My long-winded point here is giving the intestines an extended break has really reduced the pain, the digestive problems, and a few of the other symptoms.

I've got to say also that I moved across the country to be in a place that has legal Med420 and an abundance of fresh fruit & veggies. It's made all the difference in the world. There is finally a way to get and feed at least a bit of an appetite.

Post your update when you can, hopefully your pain eases a bit soon.