Need advice

[sam0sick]

I was diagnosed as having UC in 2009, started on a mesalamine enema which worked wonders. I weaned myself off all medication and lived a happy UC-free life till 2011. Late 2011 brought on another flare, which I assumed was due to the stress of planning a wedding ( got married January 2012) and not being on my meds. My fiance was terribly worried, but supportive. I assumed that since I had led a med-free life for two years, the same would happen again. But that was not to be. Two weeks after the wedding I had my third flare, but again I assumed it was due to stress (we were relocating to the US from India) and being irregular with my meds. Last month I flared again and that's when hubby and I started reading extensively about UC. I saw a GI in Texas who told me that based on my previous colonoscopy results he felt I had Crohn's and not UC. But could two biopsies be wrong? My main question (sorry for the rant) is we're just realizing that I could give UC to our kids. All the reading I have done is about parents whose children, some newborns have been diagnosed with UC...which is heartbreaking. I want to know, are there parents out here whose children do not have UC or any other form of IBD? My dad has Behcet's syndrome and I don't know whether this would increase my risk of passing IBD on to my kids...Any advice would be much appreciated..

 

[ameslouise]

Hi Sam0sick -

It is not unusual to have a diagnosis of UC only to be switched later to Crohns, or vice versa. For some folks, it takes years to nail down the correct diagnosis. It's frustrating that it's not an exact science. I was diagnosed as UC for several years, and after having my colon removed and living happily for 6 years, I was re-diagnosed with Crohns.

You can poke around the forum for parents of kids with IBD and find out there how many of them do - or do not - have IBD. I'm not sure if both Crohns and UC are considered hereditary. You should discuss with your GI the risks of passing it along to a child. Also obviously you want to make sure you are in a healthy place and in remission before conceive.

Good luck, I know it's scary, especially without a firm diagnosis.

Keep poking around the forum and ask questions - there are a lot of really knowledgeable people here that will be happy to answer questions.

- Amy

 

[TheyCallMeRC]

I am not claiming to know for certain, just what I was told by my diagnosing doctor, but he told me that Crohn's isn't passed down directly (like from parents to children) but indirectly to other relatives. My uncle on my dads side has UC and that's it. You would have to do some research to find out more and if I find out more in detail then I will post in here.

 

[Thermo]

I think once stomach problems creep into your lineage it stays there in one form or another as they have proven there are genetic mutations associated with IBD and IBS. Crohns is still rare even once a family member has it. Sure you have an increased rate of transmission to your kids but the same can be said with any number of ticking time bombs in everyones DNA. I make the analogy there is a chance you could pass Crohns onto your child, but there is also a chance your child could cure cancer odds are odds I'm glad I'm up and living even with Crohns.

 

[sam0sick]

TheyCallMeRC: I've found that different doctors have different ideas on that; the second doctor I saw confirmed that it is not hereditary, the third told me the chances are higher. I am in the process of doing as much research as possible and so far, the information is inconclusive and more so because I guess with UC or Crohn's, you can never tell when it's going to pop up.

 

[sam0sick]

I make the analogy there is a chance you could pass Crohns onto your child, but there is also a chance your child could cure cancer odds are odds I'm glad I'm up and living even with Crohns.