Posted 8/31/2016 10:42 PM (GMT -5)
So I don't know how to shout this over the internet, but YES you definitely need to get into the next step with meds. Colozal is a mesalamine, a 5-ASA, which trials and studies have shown to be no more effective than a placebo in the treatment of Crohn's. I'm amazed your old GI even prescribed it, let alone left you on it. Your new GI is absolutely right. If you don't get into remission quickly, your chances of surgery increase significantly. I am not trying to scare you, but the facts are that up to 75% of people with Crohn's will one day have surgery. Now, many of these are NOT to remove intestine or colon, but it is not uncommon either.
Your next step is going to be the biologics: Remicade, Humira, etc. Remicade is the go-to for Crohn's diagnoses right now. No matter what you're prescribed, your immune system is going to be affected. This is, after all, an autoimmune disease. However, we have had many nurses and doctors on this forum before who are able to work just fine with proper hygiene practices (washing hands properly, etc.). As you do research into the biologics, look FIRST through this forum and THEN Google it. Whenever you Google a medication, you're hit with all of the worst-case scenario side effects and then people freak out about it. Just because chances of cancer triple (I'm making this statistic up), doesn't mean anything - if the odds were 3% before, now they're only 9%. It's all in how it's phrased.