Still in a flare. Should I be doing anything?

[Saralr]

So I found out this year that I have Crohn's in my colon. Some ulcers and diverticula too. I wa on Prednisone for a month. I put off my blood tests but finally went in. I still have inflammation but less than I did.

The nurse gave me the news and that was it. Is it normal to leave some inflammation or should I be calling? I take about 8 pills a day already so I'm not eager for more, but I don't know if diet control is good enough. Any thoughts?

 

[FrozenGirl]

I would talk to your doctor. The ultimate goal is remmision aka no inflammation.

 

[David]

FrozenGirl is correct. Until you have ZERO inflammation and your body begins to heal from that inflammation, then your treatment regimen is not correct. Are you on some form of mesalamine? What is your current treatment regimen?

Chronic inflammation turns into scarring over time and THAT is when the HUGE problems associated with Crohn's begin. You do NOT want to get to that point.

 

[Saralr]

I am currently on Apriso. I take 3 a day. Looks like they are 0.375 GM. The rest of my meds are for depression but that doctor put me on Clonazepam. He said it was good for anxiety and Crohn's. Anxiety can make Crohn's worse and Crohn's can make your anxiety worse and this would help stop that cycle.

I'll call my GI today and see what I should do now. Give her a push. I didn't think leaving the inflammation was ok. Thanks for the reassurance that calling is the right thing to do.

 

[David]

Apriso is a form of mesalamine. The problem with mesalamine is it is topical whereas crohn's affects all layers of the intestines. While mesalamine does lead to remission for a small percentage of people with Crohn's, it has never been shown to be statistically beneficial which is why it has never been approved for use in Crohn's (your GI is using it off label). If you still have inflammation, in my opinion, your treatment regimen needs to be altered.