No hope?

[detroitcrohns]

ive been diagnosed with crohns for about 4 years now. 29 year old male.
I get admitted to the hospital every 6 months for a flare up, give me pain meds and fluids and im there for about 4-5 days. they have done a scope and every other test under the sun. they say they see scare tissue and inflammation and to stay on my meds. 3 pills of budesonide every morning. ive seen 3 different doctors for this and nothing has changed. every 6 months im in the ER. 6 months is coming up soon and im dreading the trip already.

 

[DJW]

Hi and welcome. That's awful. Has there been any discussion about uping your treatment. I'm on imuran and starting remacade soon. I know people who do very well on these meds.

I hope this gets sorted out so you can avoid hospitals.

 

[Daisy123]

I don't understand why different treatment options haven't been discussed with you. If inflammation is ongoing then obviously the steroids aren't working. I am on Imuran and Pentsa, a combination that generally works well with me. You need to ask about alternatives to the steroids.

 

[Saratay05]

Hello Detroitcrohns. Sorry to hear you've had such a rough time and it's gotta be tough worrying about the next hospital visit. It sounds like the Budesonide isn't working very well. I agree with DJW and Daisy. Do you have a GI who you see regularly? I would most definitely ask him/her about taking the next step.

When I was first diagnosed I found the Crohns and Colitis Foundation of America website. There is a lot of good info there about medicines that are available. Here is a link to a pamphlet I felt gave me a lot of information.

http://www.ccfa.org/resources/understanding-ibd-medications.html

Also the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) Institute - had a published article in the New England Journal regarding new guidelines for treatment to obtain remission and maintaining it. Sounds like they recommend a combination therapy with Thiopurines (like Imuran) along with an anti-TNF-a blocker. (Biologic).

http://www.jwatch.org/na33199/2014/01/02/new-guideline-treatment-crohn-disease#sthash.pb4wEaq6.dpuf

Hope you find these articles helpful. And hopefully you can get help from your GI and try something new. Just remember that not one thing works for everyone so it may take some time for you to find the right combination.
Wishing you the best.