Only one flare?

[tracey]

Is it possible to have only one flare of Crohn's in a lifetime?
My son has had Crohn's since he was 10. Lately i have been wondering if it could be me that passed it to him.
About 14 years ago i was really unwell for about 4 weeks. My left knee was swollen like a ball, i lost my appetite and lost about a stone of weight, i had a rash on my legs, fever and going to the loo a lot.
I was tested for arthritis which came back negative. No other tests were done because i recovered.
I am only asking because my son was just the same, but went on for a lot longer.
I do have bowel problems that i have never told anyone about but put it down to just IBS.
When you get asked by hospitals about family medical history it makes you think.

 

[Jeff D.]

It's always possible to get only one flare although unlikely. Crohn's is a genetic disease so it is quite possible to pass it on to your son. I can't remember if the Crohn's gene is dominant or recessive but if it's recessive both you and your husband would need at least one allele to pass it down to offspring. Also, it's quite confusing because there may be more than one gene that causes Crohn's and if you get different genes it could cause different systems and such. Sorry for such a long answer but I wanted to answer what you didn't really ask a question about as well.

 

[Isla]

Yes you can have a single episode or have many many years between flares. I had a flare when I was 20 and didn't get one again till I was 28 - with no meds and not being aware of what it was. I think I have an odd form / mild case of it (luckily) but then again everyone seems different on this forum. The only thing that seems to be similar for all of us is the emotional confusion and heartache it can cause.

There is a simple blood test that may help you rule out if you have Crohns at all, it is a pANCA and ASCA blood serum test. Maybe you can ask to have that test run to help ease your mind! I was diagnosed through this test.

 

[tracey]

Thanks for your replies.
I thought it was a silly question to ask if you could have just one flare. I imagined that it would just get worse and worse with no meds.

 

[Jeff D.]

This disease is one of the strangest diseases. Sometimes things clear up with out medications or sometimes something has harsh as surgery. You can never tell. All you can do is once you have a slight problem from the norm is go to your doctor and hope for the best.

Best of luck

 

[butt-eze]

I agree with Isla. The blood test is a good indicator. I had it done through prometheus labs.
If you have IBS symptoms it is likely you actually have crohn's. However, my mom has IBS and me crohn's.
It can't hurt to find out.