update -- actually spoke to the GI dr today
 

DH and I had a post-colonoscopy appointment with my GI doctor. For whatever
reason, I found him much more approachable this visit, and we were able to
have a pretty decent Q & A session.

Here's the scoop.

I do have Crohn's. The biopsy showed granuloma, which is a definite
indicator. I'm lucky with this, because the biopsy doesn't always show
the granuloma, which then makes the condition harder to diagnose. There
was also another indicator that is more commonly found but also slightly
ambiguous -- structural changes in the lining of the cecum. Between the
two, the diagnosis is definite.

My case of Crohn's is about as minor as it gets. There is only one spot
that he found, which is in the cecum, and the damage level is very low.

What this means to me:

I shouldn't take NSAIDs (advil, aleve, etc). I can take Tylenol,
though. It's okay for me to take NSAIDs very occasionally, but I should
avoid it.

I should take the medicine he has prescribed, Asacol, every day for
the rest of my life. He admitted that other GI doctors would only
prescribe it during flare-ups, but he feels that lowering the
inflammation is the best way to prevent further damage. The medicine
itself doesn't have any side effects I've noticed; it's a form of
aspirin that affects only the colon.

No more tests in the near term. Unfortunately, studies show that
there's an increased risk of colon cancer after living with Crohn's
for several years, so eight years from now, I will be looking at
yearly colonoscopies. As I recall from a website somewhere, about 10%
of Crohn's patients eventually have colon cancer. I'm hoping that the
extremely minor form mine took somehow implies a reduced risk, but I
don't think there's any data to support that.

No surgery. As mentioned, my case is extremely minor, and he says that for
Crohn's, surgery is the last thing you want to do. He says surgery is only
indicated for extremely, extremely severe cases. There is no reason to expect
that I would need it.

Um, what else ...

I can keep doing all the things I do (mountain biking, hiking, etc) -- in
fact, they really want to keep me as active as possible. Since stress is such
an obvious trigger for me, I should certainly find ways to minimize it. He
isn't aware of any cases, ever, in which Crohn's just disappeared, although I
happily volunteered to be the case that launches him into GI stardom. But
having Crohn's does not necessarily mean having the symptoms all the time. My
goal, then, is to find ways to prevent the symptoms from recurring.

He recommended www.ccfa.org as a great source of information.

He said that while he would never argue with a low fat, low alcohol, etc diet,
it's not likely to matter much to this disease. He says that all dietary
studies so far have been inconclusive, or not specific enough to be helpful.

That's about all I can think of right now.

--
monique, who spoils Oscar unmercifully

pictures: http://www.bounceswoosh.org/rpca

update -- actually spoke to the GI dr today
 

"Monique Y. Mudama" wrote:
DH and I had a post-colonoscopy appointment with my GI doctor. For whatever
reason, I found him much more approachable this visit, and we were able to
have a pretty decent Q & A session.

Here's the scoop.

I do have Crohn's. The biopsy showed granuloma, which is a definite
indicator. I'm lucky with this, because the biopsy doesn't always show
the granuloma, which then makes the condition harder to diagnose. There
was also another indicator that is more commonly found but also slightly
ambiguous -- structural changes in the lining of the cecum. Between the
two, the diagnosis is definite.

My case of Crohn's is about as minor as it gets. There is only one spot
that he found, which is in the cecum, and the damage level is very low.

I'm so glad to hear this! This hasn't exactly seemed like the
greatest month so far, but maybe things are looking up. Dear God:
Some successful surgeries, found kitties, and some more good diagnoses
like this would really cheer me up.

I hope that they can help you calm down your temperamental tummy.

update -- actually spoke to the GI dr today
 

Well, that sounds like it's about as good as it could possibly be,
considering the circumstances. I'm so glad to hear it's a very minor
case and probably won't impact much on your lifestyle. I'm also glad
that the med you're taking doesn't have any side effects. Best of luck
in controlling it and I hope you don't have anymore pain.
--
Britta
Purring is an automatic safety valve device for dealing with happiness
overflow.
Check out pictures of Vino at:
http://photos.yahoo.com/badwilson click on the Vino album


Monique Y. Mudama wrote:
DH and I had a post-colonoscopy appointment with my GI doctor. For
whatever reason, I found him much more approachable this visit, and
we were able to have a pretty decent Q & A session.

Here's the scoop.

I do have Crohn's. The biopsy showed granuloma, which is a definite
indicator. I'm lucky with this, because the biopsy doesn't always
show
the granuloma, which then makes the condition harder to diagnose.
There
was also another indicator that is more commonly found but also
slightly ambiguous -- structural changes in the lining of the cecum.
Between the
two, the diagnosis is definite.

My case of Crohn's is about as minor as it gets. There is only one
spot
that he found, which is in the cecum, and the damage level is very
low.

What this means to me:

I shouldn't take NSAIDs (advil, aleve, etc). I can take Tylenol,
though. It's okay for me to take NSAIDs very occasionally, but I
should avoid it.

I should take the medicine he has prescribed, Asacol, every day for
the rest of my life. He admitted that other GI doctors would only
prescribe it during flare-ups, but he feels that lowering the
inflammation is the best way to prevent further damage. The medicine
itself doesn't have any side effects I've noticed; it's a form of
aspirin that affects only the colon.

No more tests in the near term. Unfortunately, studies show that
there's an increased risk of colon cancer after living with Crohn's
for several years, so eight years from now, I will be looking at
yearly colonoscopies. As I recall from a website somewhere, about 10%
of Crohn's patients eventually have colon cancer. I'm hoping that the
extremely minor form mine took somehow implies a reduced risk, but I
don't think there's any data to support that.

No surgery. As mentioned, my case is extremely minor, and he says
that for Crohn's, surgery is the last thing you want to do. He says
surgery is only indicated for extremely, extremely severe cases.
There is no reason to expect that I would need it.

Um, what else ...

I can keep doing all the things I do (mountain biking, hiking, etc)
-- in fact, they really want to keep me as active as possible. Since
stress is such an obvious trigger for me, I should certainly find
ways to minimize it. He isn't aware of any cases, ever, in which
Crohn's just disappeared, although I happily volunteered to be the
case that launches him into GI stardom. But having Crohn's does not
necessarily mean having the symptoms all the time. My goal, then, is
to find ways to prevent the symptoms from recurring.

He recommended www.ccfa.org as a great source of information.

He said that while he would never argue with a low fat, low alcohol,
etc diet, it's not likely to matter much to this disease. He says
that all dietary studies so far have been inconclusive, or not
specific enough to be helpful.

That's about all I can think of right now.

update -- actually spoke to the GI dr today
 

On 2006-06-26 22:02:28 -0500, "Monique Y. Mudama" said:


DH and I had a post-colonoscopy appointment with my GI doctor. For whatever
reason, I found him much more approachable this visit, and we were able to
have a pretty decent Q & A session.

Here's the scoop.

I do have Crohn's. The biopsy showed granuloma, which is a definite
indicator. I'm lucky with this, because the biopsy doesn't always show
the granuloma, which then makes the condition harder to diagnose. There
was also another indicator that is more commonly found but also slightly
ambiguous -- structural changes in the lining of the cecum. Between the
two, the diagnosis is definite.

My case of Crohn's is about as minor as it gets. There is only one spot
that he found, which is in the cecum, and the damage level is very low.

What this means to me:

I shouldn't take NSAIDs (advil, aleve, etc). I can take Tylenol,
though. It's okay for me to take NSAIDs very occasionally, but I should
avoid it.

I should take the medicine he has prescribed, Asacol, every day for
the rest of my life. He admitted that other GI doctors would only
prescribe it during flare-ups, but he feels that lowering the
inflammation is the best way to prevent further damage. The medicine
itself doesn't have any side effects I've noticed; it's a form of
aspirin that affects only the colon.

No more tests in the near term. Unfortunately, studies show that
there's an increased risk of colon cancer after living with Crohn's
for several years, so eight years from now, I will be looking at
yearly colonoscopies. As I recall from a website somewhere, about 10%
of Crohn's patients eventually have colon cancer. I'm hoping that the
extremely minor form mine took somehow implies a reduced risk, but I
don't think there's any data to support that.

No surgery. As mentioned, my case is extremely minor, and he says that for
Crohn's, surgery is the last thing you want to do. He says surgery is only
indicated for extremely, extremely severe cases. There is no reason to expect
that I would need it.

Um, what else ...

I can keep doing all the things I do (mountain biking, hiking, etc) -- in
fact, they really want to keep me as active as possible. Since stress is such
an obvious trigger for me, I should certainly find ways to minimize it. He
isn't aware of any cases, ever, in which Crohn's just disappeared, although I
happily volunteered to be the case that launches him into GI stardom. But
having Crohn's does not necessarily mean having the symptoms all the time. My
goal, then, is to find ways to prevent the symptoms from recurring.

He recommended www.ccfa.org as a great source of information.

He said that while he would never argue with a low fat, low alcohol, etc diet,
it's not likely to matter much to this disease. He says that all dietary
studies so far have been inconclusive, or not specific enough to be helpful.

That's about all I can think of right now.

Well, I think that it is good at least you know. Maybe this site will help?

http://ccfa.org/

A horse racing friend who is real involved with this organization gave
the site to me.

update -- actually spoke to the GI dr today
 

On 2006-06-27, Karen penned:
On 2006-06-26 22:02:28 -0500, "Monique Y. Mudama"
said:

He recommended www.ccfa.org as a great source of information.

Well, I think that it is good at least you know. Maybe this site
will help?

http://ccfa.org/

Yes, perhaps =P

Thanks, Karen. Just goofing =)

--
monique, who spoils Oscar unmercifully

pictures: http://www.bounceswoosh.org/rpca

update -- actually spoke to the GI dr today
 

On 2006-06-27, Takayuki penned:
"Monique Y. Mudama" wrote:

My case of Crohn's is about as minor as it gets. There is only one
spot that he found, which is in the cecum, and the damage level is
very low.

I'm so glad to hear this! This hasn't exactly seemed like the
greatest month so far, but maybe things are looking up. Dear God:
Some successful surgeries, found kitties, and some more good
diagnoses like this would really cheer me up.

Glad to hear that I can be of service =) I'm still not thrilled about
having a life-long condition, and I will have to mourn that somehow
and come to terms with it, but it doesn't sound nearly as bad as I at
first thought Crohn's must be.

I hope that they can help you calm down your temperamental tummy.

Thank you. Actually, my tummy calmed down before the colonoscopy,
even -- I had a really intense session with my therapist, and the next
day my tummy started feeling better. Supporting evidence for the idea
that stress is a big factor for me. I have felt mostly okay since,
with a little bit of discomfort but nothing anywhere near as bad as I
had before.


--
monique, who spoils Oscar unmercifully

pictures: http://www.bounceswoosh.org/rpca

update -- actually spoke to the GI dr today
 

On 2006-06-27, badwilson penned:
Well, that sounds like it's about as good as it could possibly be,
considering the circumstances. I'm so glad to hear it's a very
minor case and probably won't impact much on your lifestyle. I'm
also glad that the med you're taking doesn't have any side effects.

That's exactly what I'm thinking.

Best of luck in controlling it and I hope you don't have anymore
pain.

Thank you!

--
monique, who spoils Oscar unmercifully

pictures: http://www.bounceswoosh.org/rpca

update -- actually spoke to the GI dr today
 

Monique Y. Mudama wrote:
DH and I had a post-colonoscopy appointment with my GI doctor. For whatever
reason, I found him much more approachable this visit, and we were able to
have a pretty decent Q & A session.

Here's the scoop.

I do have Crohn's. The biopsy showed granuloma, which is a definite
indicator. I'm lucky with this, because the biopsy doesn't always show
the granuloma, which then makes the condition harder to diagnose. There
was also another indicator that is more commonly found but also slightly
ambiguous -- structural changes in the lining of the cecum. Between the
two, the diagnosis is definite.

My case of Crohn's is about as minor as it gets. There is only one spot
that he found, which is in the cecum, and the damage level is very low.

What this means to me:

I shouldn't take NSAIDs (advil, aleve, etc). I can take Tylenol,
though. It's okay for me to take NSAIDs very occasionally, but I should
avoid it.

I should take the medicine he has prescribed, Asacol, every day for
the rest of my life. He admitted that other GI doctors would only
prescribe it during flare-ups, but he feels that lowering the
inflammation is the best way to prevent further damage. The medicine
itself doesn't have any side effects I've noticed; it's a form of
aspirin that affects only the colon.

No more tests in the near term. Unfortunately, studies show that
there's an increased risk of colon cancer after living with Crohn's
for several years, so eight years from now, I will be looking at
yearly colonoscopies. As I recall from a website somewhere, about 10%
of Crohn's patients eventually have colon cancer. I'm hoping that the
extremely minor form mine took somehow implies a reduced risk, but I
don't think there's any data to support that.

No surgery. As mentioned, my case is extremely minor, and he says that for
Crohn's, surgery is the last thing you want to do. He says surgery is only
indicated for extremely, extremely severe cases. There is no reason to expect
that I would need it.

Um, what else ...

I can keep doing all the things I do (mountain biking, hiking, etc) -- in
fact, they really want to keep me as active as possible. Since stress is such
an obvious trigger for me, I should certainly find ways to minimize it. He
isn't aware of any cases, ever, in which Crohn's just disappeared, although I
happily volunteered to be the case that launches him into GI stardom. But
having Crohn's does not necessarily mean having the symptoms all the time. My
goal, then, is to find ways to prevent the symptoms from recurring.

He recommended www.ccfa.org as a great source of information.

He said that while he would never argue with a low fat, low alcohol, etc diet,
it's not likely to matter much to this disease. He says that all dietary
studies so far have been inconclusive, or not specific enough to be helpful.

That's about all I can think of right now.

Glad to hear that it's "minor" (def: what someone else has :) ) and
glad that it's not too much of a lifestyle-altering thing.

--
Sam, closely supervised by Mistletoe

update -- actually spoke to the GI dr today
 

On 2006-06-27, Sam penned:

Glad to hear that it's "minor" (def: what someone else has :) ) and
glad that it's not too much of a lifestyle-altering thing.

I would definitely rather not have anything wrong, but I guess I have
to play the hand I'm dealt, and this one isn't too bad. I guess. I
think yearly colonoscopies sound pretty unpleasant (not the procedure,
actually, but the stuff you have to drink). Especially when you
consider the purpose, which is to be sure you don't have colon cancer.
Eek.

I guess nothing has really changed, though, except that I have a name
for what's going on.


--
monique, who spoils Oscar unmercifully

pictures: http://www.bounceswoosh.org/rpca

update -- actually spoke to the GI dr today
 

"Monique Y. Mudama" wrote in message
...

DH and I had a post-colonoscopy appointment with my GI doctor. For
whatever
reason, I found him much more approachable this visit, and we were able to
have a pretty decent Q & A session.

Here's the scoop.



No more tests in the near term. Unfortunately, studies show that
there's an increased risk of colon cancer after living with Crohn's
for several years, so eight years from now, I will be looking at
yearly colonoscopies. As I recall from a website somewhere, about 10%
of Crohn's patients eventually have colon cancer. I'm hoping that the
extremely minor form mine took somehow implies a reduced risk, but I
don't think there's any data to support that.

Do be aware that there are rapidly emerging techniques of noninvasive or
minimally invasive colonoscopy. The noninvasive use CT or MRI with some new
graphic processing. The minimally invasive involves swallowing a capsule
that contains a disposable color TV camera which transmits to antenna coils
wrapped around your body.

Purrs.