Crohn's Update and Crohn's Webcasts

I'm feeling better today which is awesome! I also got my lactose tolerance test results back- no, I am NOT lactose intolerant. Yippee. I already knew that, but oh well, now my doctor knows it too. It doesn't change anything b/c milk still sends me running to the washroom the next day. Oh well. I also asked my doctor what the plan is and he wants to keep me on the Salofalk (5ASA) for the foreseeable future since it seems to be keeping my IBD under control. My next question was, what are the long term side effects of Salofalk? He said it's an old drug and the medical community has gathered a lot of research about it's long term effects. There are almost no long term issues, except for a very small chance of kidney problems- which is why we monitor my blood work regularly. So, that sounds pretty good to me.

I also asked him about the random, maybe once a week periods of about 2-5 minutes of sharp pain right around the spot of my ileum. I said it feels like a big gas bubble passing through my bad section of ileum. He said there's no way to know for sure, but it could indeed be that. And to let him know if it happens more often or for longer stretches. So, all in all an informative appointment and some of my concerns have been alleviated. The trick, my readers, is to bring a list of your questions- and don't let the doctor leave until you've asked them all!

On a more interesting note... Crohn's sufferers may be interested to check out this link. I followed a link on Kathryn's Blog (thegutsygirl.blogspot.com) and browsing around there found this page. It is a wonderfully extensive list of many, many audio webcasts about Crohn's Disease. I love audio- I can listen to it while I work.

A List of Crohn's Disease Information Audio Webcasts:

http://www.everydayhealth.com/crohns-disease/webcasts/index.aspx