please advise

[lovis]

Iam a 45 year old male who has had crohns disease for 11 year,but think i had it at lest 15years.I have had a stricture at the hepatic flecture for the last 2 years but have been hospitalised a few times when disease has flared.My last colonoscopy my gastro was unable to get through the stricture and took a heap of biopsys which had dysplasia,i was refered to a surgeon who said it was pretty serious that dysplasia is precancer,so he suggested removal of half my large bowel with the possibility of taking it all.dose this sound the right thing to do.thank you

[lizziecee]

Hi lovis - As a 64 yr old who has had Crohn's since 1970 with many hospitalisations, but until March this year, no surgical resections, I do understand where you are coming from. I had an ileocaecal resection - last part of my small intestine, the ileo-caecal valve, and the first part of my large intestine, predominantly because of many strictures in the distal ileum, and also to remove some abscessed and ulcerated areas.  It was no fun!

My gastro and surgeon both explained that neither diet nor medication (I was 9 yrs on weekly injections of methotrexate) could clear the strictures and surgery was the only solution, so it follows that your surgeon is giving you the same professional advice. If you are unsure whether to go ahead with surgery, you could always get a second opinion.

As you most probably know, having Crohn's does increase one's risk of bowel cancer, particularly if a close relative (parent/siblings) has had bowel cancer. My father died of bowel cancer, aged 59. Not sure, but think the risk is 20% more than those who don't have Crohn's. Additionally, in my case, I had breast cancer which had spread to my lymph nodes, and my doctors felt this was an additional risk. After much thought, I agreed to the surgery, hoping I would not end up with a stoma, which fortunately  didn't.

The only problem I have now is urgency and some diarrhea which is being addressed with daily Questran as I understand that with the removal of the ileo-caecal valve (which is between both intestines) I unable to absorb bile salts naturally.

To answer your question - yes, absolutely yes, surgery is the way to go now.

Hope all turns out well for you - let us know what you decide.

Liz.

[utilaman]

You get the results from the biopsys?
Are the cells malignant or benign?
ARE YOU A COFFEE DRINKER?

In your case with IBD, your chance of getting colon CANCER is 20 Times Greater or 2,000%!
http://www.medicinenet.com/inflammatory_bowel_disease_intestinal_problems/page7.htm

From what I've found:  If you are NORMAL without IBD, then dysplasia may not be malignant........http://coloncancer.about.com/od/glossaries/g/Dysplasia.htm

ARE YOU A COFFEE DRINKER?
Did they make a video of your colonoscopy or just took pictures?

How much TIME did they give you to make up your mind since you DON'T HAVE CANCER YET?   Surgical treatments....
http://www.medicinenet.com/colon_cancer/page6.htm
Surgery is the most common treatment for colorectal cancer. During surgery, the tumor, a small margin of the surrounding healthy bowel, and adjacent lymph nodes are removed. The surgeon then reconnects the healthy sections of the bowel. In patients with rectal cancer, the rectum is permanently removed. The surgeon then creates an opening (colostomy) on the abdomen wall through which solid waste in the colon is excreted. Specially trained nurses (enterostomal therapists) can help patients adjust to colostomies, and most patients with colostomies return to a normal lifestyle.

My opinion:
ARE YOU A COFFE DRINKER?
If I were you, I'd ask the doctor or better yet another as to how many months I have to make up my mind to have the surgery.   Say there is a concensus of 6 months, I'd eat alot of hot peppers and drink alot of powdered cayenne pepper in a glass of water to see if it can have an effect.    Capscacin is capable of killing prostate, but I don't know about colon cancer  and research has just started the past few years.  Then at the end of say 5 months, I'd get another colonoscopy or any other test to see if anything has happened.  IF NOTHING, I'D PROBABLY HAVE THE SURGERY above.

Good Luck and best wishes!

[utilaman]

Here is another:
Is the dysplasia High Grade or Low Grade?
If High Grade then READ LAST SENTENCE OF THIS ABSTRACT
http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=1433679
We report the results of a prospective study of screening for colorectal epithelial dysplasia by regular colonoscopy in patients with longstanding, extensive colitis (DET group: 112 patients, 366 colonoscopies) together with the findings in all other patients with colitis who have undergone colonoscopy in our unit (non-DET group: 77 patients, 196 colonoscopies). Thirty six DET patients had dysplasia on at least one examination: two patients with high grade dysplasia (HGD) were colonoscoped on suspicion of carcinoma, one asymptomatic patient had HGD at first colonoscopy and one patient had HGD on his sixth colonoscopy, all having carcinomas resected at surgery; the remainder had low grade dysplasia (LGD). Of the DET patients, 100 constituted an ongoing surveillance group (354 colonoscopies) in which LGD was common, being seen on at least one occasion in 33% of patients (16.4% of examinations), but HGD was noted only once with a Dukes A cancer found at surgery. Six non-DET patients had dysplasia diagnosed, this being LGD in all. Even in a carefully selected group of colitics the incidence of HGD is low, but its detection may enable the removal of a colorectal carcinoma at an early and curable stage.


If LOW Grade dysplasia then you have some time to try stuff like putting a 1/4 to 1/2 tsp of cayenne pepper powder in a glass of water and drinking a few times/day until you get another colonoscopy probably in 6 months!

Google search of:
hot peppers cancer
You can add MD Anderson or UCLA TO HOT PEPPERS CANCER TO SEE great RESULTS!

HAVE YOU BEEN DRINKING 4 TO 5 CUPS OF COFFEE DAILY?????????


Take care!