Surgery may be best for teen with Crohn’s

December 12, 2010 By

DEAR DR. GOTT: My 19-year-old grandson was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease two years ago. At that time, he was a 234-pound linebacker entering his senior year of high school. Now he is a 174-pound 19-year-old struggling with life in general and would easily pass for 40. He has practically missed two years of his life due to extreme pain, which resulted in hospital trips and everything else associated with this condition.

He has taken every medication I can imagine, including Humira injections into his stomach. At present, he is taking hyoscyamine and Apriso plus pain medication when it gets too severe. He has a colonoscopy every year. When he has one of these “attacks,” the pain is so severe that he gets in a fetal position and can barely walk. He has been to the hospital at least 15 times in the past two years. He recently went twice in one week and before that, in just a three-month span, he went seven times.
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Sunday Column

July 6, 2008 By

DEAR DR. GOTT:
Please provide your professional opinion on the following extreme concern I have.

My 45-year-old son is prescribed Oxycontin monthly. He suffered a brain aneurysm eight years ago that left him partially disabled. He has no use of his left arm and has a bad gait on the left leg. He also had surgery for Crohn’s disease when he was 14 years old. He’s used numerous drugs since the age of 12, most of which I don’t even know the names or types. As of this date, he only uses the Oxycontin, but he doesn’t use it according to physician direction.

I know this addiction has to be extremely dangerous. Please print your response as soon as possible so I can prove to him that he is killing himself.

DEAR READER:
Oxycontin is a habit-forming narcotic similar to morphine that can be prescribed in liquid or pill form for the treatment of severe pain. [Read more...]

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