How do you define remission?

What do you define as remission? Absence of pain and other symptoms? Absence of pain and other symptoms AND all tests come back normal? Or something else?

My remissions
normal once a day BM's no blood, mucus etc
no pain
weight maintained or increased (weight at highest 9st following pred, lowest 4st bad flare)
positive mental outlook, wanting to be part of life not fearing it
Not going mad with food choices but not really having to worry about food

On a separate note David, have you ever considered doing a exercise/ yoga dvd for crohnies??? I have wanted to exercise for a long time, to tone stomach muscles etc distention from flares leave stomach muscles loose and recovery for me seems to take longer but I afraid I will do myself more damage, I haven't found anyone who can help me as they are nervous and don't understand CD.

Thanks Gwen xxx

I hope remission doesn't mean only going to the bathroom once a day. Mine never has blood in it, but I absolutely never go to the bathroom less than 5-7 times a day, comptely water too. (Grosse I know). For me, that's what I'm used too, and its been like that my whole life. I have no other symptoms though, and medication free for about a year now. I can also tolerate any food I want to eat, and maintain a normal weight.

Gwen pippy said:

On a separate note David, have you ever considered doing a exercise/ yoga dvd for crohnies??? I have wanted to exercise for a long time, to tone stomach muscles etc distention from flares leave stomach muscles loose and recovery for me seems to take longer but I afraid I will do myself more damage, I haven't found anyone who can help me as they are nervous and don't understand CD.

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I've thought about it (some sort of yoga offering). I'll think about it more

Would be great if you did, I'd pay for a copy.

When all tests are normal and the disease is not active. Anything else is a flare no matter how mild it is.

I'm going to bump this to get a few more opinions on how everyone defines remission since it tends to come up occasionally.

Weeeeell since I don't have IBD I will offer up my observations.

Seeing both my children from both perspectives I would have to say that remission is being asymptomatic of anything CD related. No pain, no EIM's, loads of energy, happy, healthy, being able to do what they want each day without a thought and GI visits remaining annual!

Dusty.

Hello, to me remission is: normal BM, definitely no diarrhoea, no tummy aches or other pains in the abdomen, no tiredness or aches and pains and all tests back as normal. If I could get to this stage I would be one happy camper.

Straight easy answer: feeling like a normal person. If I am comfortable, not having pain, have at least some energy (seems like I can never have enough), and mildly normal BMs.
aka right now. Feels great! Haven't had to see my GI in 6 months, and like Dusty said, I am now being seen on a yearly checkup basis. yay!

My son is feeling great in every way, but he's been out of the hospital for less than a month. Is it possible that he could have achieved remission already?

Or does the fact that he's feeling great, but only drinking Peptamen mean that there is just no way to tell, yet?

I agree that is it basically like being a normal person. Feeling very well and not having any symptoms. For me personally as well its being able to eat what I want.

I also think you can be in remission and have a bad day, even a bad hour. I think the disease is always there even if you are "in remission". If im ok for weeks, I don't count having one day of stomach pain and diarrheah "a flare".

Normal BMs. Diarrhea only very rarely, at most once every few months.

Generally no pain.

Normal blood works.

xX_LittleMissValentine_Xx said:

I don't count having one day of stomach pain and diarrheah "a flare".

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I thought so too until about a year ago. I thought stomach pain and the occasional diarrhea was inevitable in remission. I was wrong, you can go without any pain for months and years in real remission.

As to "eating whatever I want", I abandoned that thought a few years back. No matter what, that just isn't possible. I can't eat onions or oily pizza or brownies. Period. And i have accepted it.

Well I've recently had a visually and histologically "normal" colonoscopy. Generally 1-2 bm's/day, occasionally 3.. Big D once or twice/week, almost always mid morning. No PR bleeding/mucus.
So guess this is technically "remission", and I'm certainly not complaining!
Work full time, plus manage household
Eat almost anything except lettuce.. And don't pick the chili off the Asian prawns any more
As for the "extra-intestinal area" - no uveitis since the bowel is quiet. Joints continue to ache and grumble, wake me up at night without prophylactic analgesia.. some days I'd almost kill for an oral NSAID!!
But then again, I've never been quite this old before..


HD

PS Normal bloods, no abd pain


HD