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Some of my concerns

Hey,

I was diagnosed with moderate Crohn's Disease during the middle of my junior year in high school after having some pretty serious pain and shortly after my GI confirmed it after receiving a colonoscopy. After being put on predisone for two months and asacol for a year I've only had one other flare up since the original one when I was first diagnosed. I have currently been in remission for the past year and a half and never felt better! I live a completely normal life and the only thing to cause a flare up (that I'm aware of) is artificial sweetner which I obviously stay away from now. I am now a freshman in college and honestly thought I would flare up often with all of the stress and poor quality of food with a limited variety to choose from, but i have to say I feel great all the time with very minimal symptoms and I am currently off all medication. However I have concerns. Although I do not feel discomfort whatsoever I always worry about damage being done even if I don't feel it. I haven't been to my specialist in almost a year because I feel there is no reason to go. Should I worry about possible inflammation even if I haven't flared up in almost two years and what, if anything should I do about this?
Thanks for the help and support everyone!
 

theOcean

Moderator
I feel like you should still regularly check in with your specialist, even if you're feeling fine. It never hurts to keep in touch, especially if your health is involved.

I go every three/four months even though I'm in remission.

Also inflammation can be present even if you aren't experiencing any symptoms, which is another good reason to go. You should be regularly getting colonoscopies every three years, as well.
 

Jessi

Moderator
Hello yankee and welcome.

I'm glad you're feeling so great! I have been in remission for 3 years now, but I sometimes have the same concerns that you have. And even though I am in remission, I still see my doctor for 3 month check-ups and annual scopes. If anything, it's worth it for the peace of mind that it brings. :hug:

I hope you are able to feel at home here and get all of your questions answered. :)
 
I agree with everyone. You need to see a GI even if you are in remission. It means if anything goes wrong, you can push an appointment forward rather than wait for a new appointment. I go every six months, three at the moment as I am not well. Blood tests and checks are important to make sure everything is fine. I have never been med free sadly.
 

valleysangel92

Moderator
Staff member
Hi there

The best thing to do is keep regular contact with your GI doctor and have them run bloods every so often to look for signs of inflammation such as elevated CRP levels. They can also check to see if you are developing any nutritional deficiencies which can be an indicator of damaged intestines stopping you absorbing your foods.

I understand that you feel well, but crohns is sneaky and tricky and it can creep up on you with no warning at all if you don't stay on top of it.
 
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