A
Aphelps
Guest
Hello all,
I have a few questions.
My mother has Crohn's disease. It took a while for her to get a definitive diagnosis she has had the diagnosis for about 25 years now. For the first few years she did not know what caused her flares and contrary to medical opinion she decided to get a Rast test performed and found out what foods she is allergic too, she avoids those foods and her Crohn's is very well controlled.
My husband is in the Navy. About three months ago my husband suddenly started having severe diarrhea, and cramping, this lead to rectal bleeding. It lasted three weeks and resolved itself. Because of the bleeding his doctor ordered a colonoscopy. This showed inflammation in his large intestine and around the area of the ileum. The doctor diagnosed him with Crohn's and after the biopsy results showed that the inflammation was chronic put him on Mesalamine and Azathioprine. Now from what I read it seems that the doctor immediately put him on the strongest medications available (one of which has some really nasty side effects) without trying any of the lesser measures first. My husband has never ever had any issues with his intestines at all. He had an upper GI scope and an upper GI barium X-ray series, all of which showed no damage and no effects from Crohn's. His bone density scan was normal as well as all of his initial blood work. All of the tests for other causes of the inflammation came back as negative (parasites and bacteria). We asked the doctor how long "chronic" was, he was unable to tell us and told us to ask the pathologist. The pathologist didn't know and told us to ask the doctor. In addition, after going on these medications my husband's blood work has begun to show a drop in his calcium levels. The doctor puts him on a calcium supplement with vitamin D AND Fosamax?
My concerns are as follows:
What are the odds that he would be diagnosed on his first flare, that the flare would resolve itself without any kind of medication?
Why would the doctor put him on such powerful medications right away? (We asked and he said it was the best medication, but it is our opinion that the least medication while keeping the disease controlled is the best medication)
Why Fosamax too?
My husband's future, his career (the doctor told us the Navy pretty much boots you out if you have Crohn's) and his life, depends on correct diagnosis and correct treatment.
We have a second opinion with another doctor an hour and a half drive away next week (the GI doctor he sees now is the only Navy GI in the area) I would like to know what questions to ask the new GI when we see him.
I guess I am just having a hard time with this because, while I know Crohn's isn't exactly rare, what are the odds that both my mother and my husband would both have it. In addition, I know that Crohn's effects people with no history of it in their families. My mother has a strong history and my husband's family has no history of any kind of IBD or auto-immune disease.
I have a few questions.
My mother has Crohn's disease. It took a while for her to get a definitive diagnosis she has had the diagnosis for about 25 years now. For the first few years she did not know what caused her flares and contrary to medical opinion she decided to get a Rast test performed and found out what foods she is allergic too, she avoids those foods and her Crohn's is very well controlled.
My husband is in the Navy. About three months ago my husband suddenly started having severe diarrhea, and cramping, this lead to rectal bleeding. It lasted three weeks and resolved itself. Because of the bleeding his doctor ordered a colonoscopy. This showed inflammation in his large intestine and around the area of the ileum. The doctor diagnosed him with Crohn's and after the biopsy results showed that the inflammation was chronic put him on Mesalamine and Azathioprine. Now from what I read it seems that the doctor immediately put him on the strongest medications available (one of which has some really nasty side effects) without trying any of the lesser measures first. My husband has never ever had any issues with his intestines at all. He had an upper GI scope and an upper GI barium X-ray series, all of which showed no damage and no effects from Crohn's. His bone density scan was normal as well as all of his initial blood work. All of the tests for other causes of the inflammation came back as negative (parasites and bacteria). We asked the doctor how long "chronic" was, he was unable to tell us and told us to ask the pathologist. The pathologist didn't know and told us to ask the doctor. In addition, after going on these medications my husband's blood work has begun to show a drop in his calcium levels. The doctor puts him on a calcium supplement with vitamin D AND Fosamax?
My concerns are as follows:
What are the odds that he would be diagnosed on his first flare, that the flare would resolve itself without any kind of medication?
Why would the doctor put him on such powerful medications right away? (We asked and he said it was the best medication, but it is our opinion that the least medication while keeping the disease controlled is the best medication)
Why Fosamax too?
My husband's future, his career (the doctor told us the Navy pretty much boots you out if you have Crohn's) and his life, depends on correct diagnosis and correct treatment.
We have a second opinion with another doctor an hour and a half drive away next week (the GI doctor he sees now is the only Navy GI in the area) I would like to know what questions to ask the new GI when we see him.
I guess I am just having a hard time with this because, while I know Crohn's isn't exactly rare, what are the odds that both my mother and my husband would both have it. In addition, I know that Crohn's effects people with no history of it in their families. My mother has a strong history and my husband's family has no history of any kind of IBD or auto-immune disease.
