Hi CB,
Thanks for your response.
While I am aware that Crohn's is not curable, I would think that surgery
(including resection of the worst-damaged parts of the small intestine)
would allow for less aggressive drug treatment. AFAIK, Remicade is only
available in my province as a last resort, and there are only 100 Crohn's
patients in Saskatchewan who are currently allowed to receive it. This
would
leave me with the treatment options of surgery, 6-mp, imuran, short-term
steroids, and symptomatic treatments for years before I'd likely be
approved
for Remicade. This, combined with the fact that I will be having major
abdominal surgery this year anyway, makes resection/ostomy surgery look
like
a reasonable early option from where I sit.
All of this, and stories from ostomates with major quality-of-life
improvements, led me to this newsgroup.
--
cms
"C. Berlin" <cberlin@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in message
news:fCZdj.7570$cq5.2213@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> There are two major diseases that fall under the category of "IBD"
> [inflammatory bowel disease], ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease.
For
> ulcerative colitis, colectomy/ileostomy is generally curative, and after
> surgery most individuals live happily ever after. Not necessarily the
> case for Crohn's disease. While Crohn's may affect only the colon, it
may
> also affect any other part of the digestive tract from the mouth on
down.
> It is not at all uncommon for Crohn's to affect the small intestine, and
a
> colectomy/ileostomy will not help this. It is often with involvement of
> the small intestine that multiple later surgeries occurs over many
years.
> Thus it's im****tant as part of any evaluation you have to determine
> whether what you have is UC or Crohn's (sometimes there is a gray zone
in
> between) or something else altogether, and if Crohn's, what part of your
> gut is affected. I don't know what the practice is in Canada, but here
in
> the U.S., the standard of care for Crohn's now seems to be treament with
> the drug Remicaid. This has a better track record than the older
> ASA/steroid medications. I know a number of individuals who are on this
> medication (an I.V. infusion once every several months) who have
achieved
> sustained remissions. I also know some individuals in whom there has
been
> a less good result. Reading the risks and side effects associated with
> this agent is daunting, but most people here seem to opt for this before
> surgery, and individuals who've had multiple surgeries sometimes break
the
> surgical cycle when they go on this agent.
> Best of luck with your situation.
> CB
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