Stricture?

[Kaz]

Hi, I have had crohns for 25 years now and have been relatively well for the last few years until recently. I have been experiencing worsening symptoms i.e. increased diarrhoea, sometimes bloody, mucus and nausea. I was put back on Humira after being taken off it a year or so ago following a normal colonoscopy but this time it is not working so well. I recently got admitted to hospital following a sudden decline of bowel movements and the feeling of wanting to go to the toilet but couldn't. The hospital said there was faecal loading on xray so I was probably constipated. They put me on laxatives (for the first time in 5 years) and sent me home.
I am wondering if I have a stricture. I have another colonoscopy booked next month but has anyone had a stricture and what were the symptoms? I have now got increased bms again with mucus but wonder if a stricture caused this. I am getting more frequent cramps and nausea too. Bizarrely my blood results have always been normal even in flare!

Previously had right hemi colectomy, gall bladder removal, multiple perianal abscesses drained, fissures

Currently on Humira, Budesonide
Previously on Azathioprine but stopped due to skin cancer, Pentasa, but couldn't tolerate it.

 

[Pointy_ears]

Hey Kaz, sorry to hear your not feeling too well at the moment. It is not uncommon for blood results to come back as normal during a flare as blood results can depend on symptoms, it's just one of the things that makes the disease so hard to detect and treat.

Increased watery bms can effectively bypass a loaded colon but not sure if that would be a symptom of a structure. What has been found though is you can get scarred tissue at the site where you have had a resection which may now be causing some problems. This scarring would show on an MRI, CT scan and colonoscopy.

Hope this helps and you feel better soon