Abdominal Pain & Discomfort

[VitaD]

Yesterday, I ended up in the hospital requiring 4 units of blood after fainting (my hemoglobin was at 52). Though I ended up getting it and feel better from it, my abdominal area is sore and I can't really eat much. While at the hospital, I ended up vomiting Bile at least 3 times but the nurses didn't seem too concerned. So far I've been able to keep some Crackers and Ginger Ale down but that's it. My stools have been soft and sometimes there is blood but overall my bleeding has been less. I also tried holding in my stools days ago in order to train my body to hold in bowel movements because I've been going at least 8-10 times in the last week 1/2 or so but that was stupid of me. Still, what should I do?

Thank you.

 

[Honey]

Hi there,
I assume the hospital will have arranged for you to have tests to find out the cause of your symptoms. Discuss how you feel with your Doctor and take the prescribed medicine. You obviously have a problem which I hope you will get some relief from soon. It will give you a very sore tummy if you do not answer the call of nature!! Rest ,and drink plenty to keep you from becoming dehydrated. I hope you are a bit better just now.

 

[FrancisK7]

Hey VitaD!

We'll be happy to help you out with some tips and advice but it'd be helpful if you let us know the whole picture so we can get a sense of where you are at. I know it'll seem like a lot of questions, but we'll waste less time speculating and more time helping!

So here goes!
-When were you diagnosed? Where is the UC located?
-What treatments have you tried? Which worked or didn't?
-Have you ever been in remission?
-Where do you live?

 

[ForeverCrohns]

Hello

When are you supposed to see your GI seems to me like you are going through a flare
Do you have a stricture? Also do not hold too much as I had a problem due to holding stool in .. Try to drink plenty of fluids to replace what you are loosing, Gatorade + salt is recommended to help reduce diarrhea and replace the electrolytes you are losing from diarrhea.

 

[VitaD]

More or less the abdominal pain seems muscle related since taking Tylenol Extra Strength seemed to have relieved some of the pain. Like when I breathe in it hurts to do so unless the breaths are minor or just how I rest on either side there's a sense of pressure. I also got my 2 Mezavant down with little problem (still have to take 2 more later). Perhaps me eating salted tops and some water and Ginger Ale also helped a bit. Still, I recently threw up chicken soup but at least I haven't been throwing up bile since today when I first came home around 10:30ish. Sadly, I don't have much of an appetite and have been irritable mainly due to being up all night and just everything that happened. I'm supposed to see my GE in a week or 2 but the doctor and nurses at the emergency seemed content that I'll be fine, just a little strained out since my stools in the nurses opinion seemed loose but not candida or c. diff related. Also, if there was a problem such as hemmoraging, the blood work would have detected it, right?

& my story can be found here: http://www.crohnsforum.com/showthread.php?t=51094

 

[VitaD]

Started going stools again earlier and there are still clots sometimes. They're kinda bright red and sometimes have bubbles around them too. Just letting you guys know.

Also kept down green tea with little issue at the time of my previous post & my discomfort seems to have died down even more, thankfully.

 

[VitaD]

I didn't write for a couple days but here I am.

Anywho, I ended up back in the hospital last Friday, not expecting to be admitted because I wanted to see if I could get a stool test done for Bacterial Overgrowth which I know now is pointless for detecting that. It turns out I was dehydrated more than anything else though since I felt like shit but mainly just sore, not thinking I was dehydrated. Hell, my hemoglobin ended up skyrocketing to 148, much to my surprise and to the surprise of my GE when I saw him on Tuesday to which he's booked a Colonoscopy for the 17th to see what's goin' on for himself, whether or not I need an increase in my meds or try a new medication. At the hospital, though, I ended up having blood cultures taken and stool testing done of which I haven't gotten the results of either but I guess the blood cultures came back negative. I still believe I'm coming out of a Bacterial Overgrowth and not a Flare Up, however, since I had bubbles in my stool (still do but not as much) and a rash in multiple areas for almost a week now. My bowel movements are also fewer in number, at least 5-6 times if even, are more solid and less runny, and also clots have become rarer, too.

PS. I was also given Flagyl so maybe that helped too since I could be wrong but I thought I felt some relief when they gave it to me.

 

[Cross-stitch gal]

I'm glad to hear that things are slowly starting to work for you. However, also that the GI is willing to do a test on you to see what's going on. Good luck on the 17th and please keep us updated on how you're doing. Xxxx

 

[VitaD]

So earlier today I ended up having my Colonoscopy done. I don't have the results yet but my GE didn't seem too concerned from the looks of things and didn't do another biopsy (though would he have had to?). I did forget to tell him that last week I would notice off an on the Mezavant tablets wouldn't dissolve fully and appear in my Stool, even though it happened once in a Stool with an undissolved tablet weeks ago when I was admitted into the hospital a 2nd time days after my 4 bag Transfusion. I guess such a question'll have to be saved for the appointment I need to make now.

The preparation was rather straining though moreso than last time since I had to do the liquid diet for 2 days this time. The Citro-Mag was something I had little problem drinking, though, despite the strong taste of it (call me weird but I think I actually like the taste). At the hospital when I arrived I needed to use a wheelchair because I was so exhausted mainly due to dehydration but once the procedure was over, I felt energized due to the NaCl solution given, no longer requiring the aid of a wheelchair. I also ended up eating a lot too throughout the day such as Pizza and V8 juice at the hospital, Ice Cream at a Parlor we stopped by to try out located near the hospital, Mixed berry juice at Mickey D's, Spaghetti at my Cousins place, and even a Twix bar. Now I'm having some Green Tea.

 

[Cross-stitch gal]

Glad to hear that you did well today! I think that if he needed biopsies, he would have taken them at the same time as the colonoscopy. My doctor has mentioned doing that for me.

Yes, the prep for these tests can be a real pain in the rear (so to speak). I'm sure there are a lot of us who'd like to celebrate afterwards if possible. Thanks for keeping us updated I hope you're next appointment will go just as well. Take care!

 

[VitaD]

Well I ended up seeing my GE yesterday. Just like I thought, it wasn't an emergency, at least not in a sense (it's Moderate). However, I have already been taken off the Mezavant (especially since they would appear undissolved/partially dissolved as of recently) in favor of the same meds but in the Pentasa form to which I'm taking 3 3 times daily with, starting tomorrow, 1 Imuran a day for a week, only to increase it to 2 if blood work comes back positive (ie My Pancreas, Liver & Bone Marrow are unaffected). I still believe it's all bacterial overgrowth that is making me feel like S^$t though, since it just seems too coincidental in how I felt better with antibios (including earlier in the year when I took Tetracycline for over a week but for acne reasons while following the SCD partially) and even my GE said the possibility is there but he wants to see what happens with the Pentasa/Imuran first since he doesn't want me on antibios if I don't need them (if only the latter didn't take 8 weeks to work). Still, he did order a stool test to rule off things like parasites and C. diff which is good but I would have to go out of town to do the hydrogen breath test, sadly .

Whatsmore is I am also being tested to see if I by any chance have Celiac disease too. Ah well.

 

[723crossroads]

Can you tolerate probiotics? If so, maybe try some for 6 weeks or so. That might help too. Glad you are feeling better!

 

[VitaD]

I was on probiotics for some while but am off them for now. Still, I look to get back into them soon enough.

 

[VitaD]

So I ended up going to the ER yesterday in which bloodwork confirmed my sodium levels were low so I guess that's why I've been feeling like S%^t again for almost 2 weeks & not bacterial overgrowth. My appetite for solid foods hasn't returned yet and all I've been really eating is Jello, Lactose-free milk, Boost, Water and Powerade (oh, & chicken broth). I've also vomited some bile/stomach acid but I was still able to keep down what I had eaten/drank which is good I guess & I'm feeling rather gaseous too. I'm hoping to get in contact with my GE tomorrow though to see what he thinks needs to be done, though.

Update: My appetite has returned slightly as of last night (July 7th).

Update #2: Ended up fainting yesterday (July 9th) & being sent to the emergency but my blood count is still as good as ever (went down from 115 to 114) and my appetite has come back even more. Possibly fainted due to low blood pressure.

 

[723crossroads]

Hope you are doing much better now!!!

 

[VitaD]

So far I am.

 

[VitaD]

So on Wednesday, I ended up seeing my GE once again and he was content with how the Imuran seems to be working. Both my blood test and stool sample came back negative for Celiac and c. diff and/or parasites, respectively, which is also good. I still believe I have SIBO, though, since when I eat whole grain foods and abstain from refined sugar for the most part or altogether, I notice things like stools being bulkier overall, bleeding being miniscule if at all apparent, urgencies being reduced or virtually non-existent and I feel better, too. It's just this past week I seemed to have had a bit of a relapse since I had consumed a little too much of products with refined sugar and wheat in them which I am now doing what I can to avoid once again.