Small bowel not absorbing water

My Daughter has crohn's and had 2 resections and 5 surgeries to remove lesions. She has not ate in over 2 years and is on TPN. We cannot get any straight forward answers, she has had 3 different Doctors. She lives in her recliner and is in constant pain, this is no life for anyone. Has anyone ever heard of this problem?

[S. Kaul, MD]

Hi there!

I am sorry to hear about your daughter. Crohn’s has a highly variable course and can affect any portion of the GI tract and can be a very debilitating illness in a few patients. As doctor’s we can just try our best to control the condition and prevent complications. Unfortunately the treatment may not work well in a few patients. In such cases out efforts are directed in sustaining the formal function of the GI tract and controlling inflammation. Since each case tends to vary, it would be best to speak about the condition and the expected prognosis in detail with her treating gastroenterologist.

Take care!