Concerns - Symptoms Gone Prior to Surgery

Well my friend is going to have surgery. He's has Crohn's. But its like he's feeling better. So my question is since he's feeling better will they do the surgery still? And if they still do it will the be able to tell what to cut out since the inflammation is gone?
But I will say this he has had a lot of flare ups in the last 2 years.
Sorry if this sounds stupid just concerned for a friend.

Hi Andy10

No surgery is carried out lightly. The GI consultant or surgeon would not suggest it unless there was going to be a real benefit to the patient. It should be a last resort once all the medication options have been exhausted. You mention that the inflammation has gone. Has your friend had a colonoscopy or endoscopy that has confirmed this?

Prior to my surgery I went through a period where I started to feel "better" even though I still needed the operation. Since the operation life has improved greatly so whilst surgery seemed scary at the time it has been worth it.

No I thought it was down because he's eating a little now and he said it isn't hurting as bad

Hi andy10 and welcome to the forum!

Crohn's can be so tricky. Sometimes you feel fine or better and other times you're in extreme pain etc. Chances are that he's dealing with scar tissue as well as inflammation and even if the inflammation goes down, the scar tissue is still there and can present problems in the future (blockages etc).

Before my surgery I was feeling perfectly fine. That's a good thing though. You really don't want to wait until its an emergency to have surgery and you also don't want to feel completely miserable until your surgery date. Often times we feel better because we changed our diet so dramatically that its reduced our symptoms a lot. Eating smaller, softer, low residue meals can help reduce symptoms along with going on a liquid diet. I was on a liquid diet before my surgery because I kept having partial blockages over and over from inflammation and scar tissue.

Even though I was feeling better they did imaging tests prior and knew exactly where they needed to cut out. Surgeons aren't going in there blind looking for problem areas, they know exactly where to go and if they find more than expected while they're in there then they will remove that as well. So don't worry about that.

Thank you for looking out for your friend. I'm sure he appreciates it. He's lucky to have a friend like you.

Thank you everyone for your post. I thought he wasn't hurting but hes pretty good at hiding it. He said everytime he eats it hurts so he started drinking one ensure a day

First I'm glad your friend is feeling better but id echo some of the other sentiments here in that surgery is not suggested by doctors lightly.

Surgery is generally a last resort after medications failed and/or the complications cannot be solved through medications ie: scar tissue.

Crohn's is bizarre and so much factors into how we feel. Perhaps your friend is eating less or safer foods before surgery, maybe not even realizing the difference. I find that I fe better often before surgery and I think part of it is the fact that stress decreases knowing that my issues will finally be addressed.

I've spoken with a lot of people who've gone into surgery (after many months of waiting) when they were in remission and otherwise feeling good. When I had my second surgery, I was feeling GREAT going in, but it had to be done.

The good thing about having a surgery when you are feeling well is that you go into surgery strong - there's quite a difference vs. going in sick, weak and in pain.

Did your friend say where his disease is? Mine was in my colon and surgery (an ileostomy in my case), completely changed my life for the best. Hopefully, your friend will reap the full benefits of it too.

It's like going to the dentist with toothache,as soon as you sit in the chair it goes away!probably best having surgery when your well,recovery time is better.good luck

Its in his illuem he had it since he was 8 now he's 23 and he's never really been remission. So the doc said scar tissue and inflamation is causing a lot of problems and he doesn't think any medicine will work .

Hi Andy10, thank you for asking that question, I am in the same situation as your friend I have Crohns in the terminal ileum and am currently on the waiting list to have a right side resection surgery done sometime in the near future I hope. After large doses and 11 weeks of steroid treatment which I finished mid September, I seem to have gone into a partial remission. I am still having some symptons but basically have been feeling quite well for the last month. I have always said that I wanted to go into surgery feeling well as I won't have to pick myself up off the floor to recover, but like your friend I have started to wonder what happens with the surgery if there isn't any inflammation present. Those questions have been answered for me by all of the responses you have received. I have had this disease since 1988 and only managed to find this forum 6 months ago. I wish I had known about it sooner as I have learnt so much from other Crohnies. Thanks guys.