What is my body telling me?

[Adam1971]

Will the following go away if I have 'remission'? I have been on humira for 7 weeks and prednisone for about 4 weeks. I have certainly been getting better and more able to eat and much less frequent diarrhea/symtpoms. What remains, though, is a feeling of tenderness and hardness around the strictured part of my terminal ileum. When I press on the area, I get gurgling and movement of something (gas, food, etc.) My hunch is that the stricture is not getting any better, but not getting worse. Its just weird to feel it, both the mild pain and the change in flow when I massage that part of my lower right belly. Sometimes the place it feels blocked is closer to my bladder. I also feel a bit nauseous and tire easily. I certainly don't feel symptom free, and I am a lot more able to live my life than before dx/treatment, but I am worried that inflammation and damage is still occurring. Maybe I just need to give it time.

Thanks for any insights.

 

[littlefreebird]

sounds like you are moving in the right direction. depending on how badly damaged that specific area was during your flare, i'm not sure that it can heal fully, in my opinion if it was me, even with symptoms improving i perhaps wouldnt expect it to heal 100%, the 'crohn's damage' causes scarring which is hard, and the scarring makes the intestine narrower so from what you describe that would maybe be what's happening here.

i could be totally wrong about the scarring never healing btw. it's just because i was meant to get a resection but ended up with colon removed as the surgeon said the rest of the colon was scarred and thick and there was 'no point' in keeping it.

i hope you continue to feel better!!! all the best!

 

[tots]

Twenty years ago when I was first diagnosed- it seems to me Chrons was treated as mildly as possible and working your way up if it wasnt working. Now it seems from what I have read you start big and work your way down to what will maintain your remission. It makes sense. That being said is there anything else he can give you to get you into remission. I am on Endocort- its a steroid that is absorbed only in the small bowel.


Hope you feel better soon!

Lauren