Many people with Crohn’s disease are looking for a cure. Living with this condition can be difficult, so it’s no wonder. There is no cure yet, but there are several things a person can do to relieve symptoms, and if symptoms are severe, surgery can often help tremendously. A doctor will only recommend it if necessary, and will do everything possible to avoid surgery after surgery. There are times when this is necessary and your doctor will explain why when he presents this option to you. It is not the cure for Crohn’s disease, but surgery does offer a number of benefits.
Most of the mild symptoms of Crohn’s disease can be controlled with medication and lifestyle changes. A person with this condition may not consider any of the symptoms to be minor, but it is compared to those that require surgery. Diarrhea, cramps, and bloating are things that drugs can get rid of, and there are herbal remedies that can help relieve an upset stomach. Reducing stress can help if you’re feeling overwhelmed, and changing your diet can free your diet from foods that tend to make it worse.
When there is blood in the stool, there are usually bigger problems to resolve. It could mean that surgery is on the horizon. Bleeding can mean a lot of things, but the most common reason is tears. These are small cracks in the intestinal walls. They don’t always have to be operated on, but there are times when they are operated on. Fistulas are also possible. These often occur when there is an abscess somewhere in the intestine. Fistulas often develop from these areas. They are like little tunnels and grow from the intestine to other organs or parts of the body and carry infection with them. While some will go away on their own, many will need surgery to remove them.
Another sign that surgery is needed is when a person vomits a lot and begins to lose weight for no reason. This is often accompanied by a feeling of fatigue and periods of extreme weakness. These are signs that the body is not getting what it needs, and often it is because inflammation has blocked the intestinal tract or food is moving too quickly for the body to absorb what it needs. . When a blockage occurs, an anti-inflammatory agent can be helpful, but sometimes surgery is needed to resolve the problem.
In some rare cases, the lower intestine is so damaged that it must be removed. The small intestine is then pulled upwards and attached to the abdominal wall, and the waste flows out of the body into a bag for the patient to heal and replace. This is something that a doctor will do anything to avoid this, but there are times when there is no other choice.