Hi all,
I have Crohns myself but (fingers crossed) it's ok at the moment after a resection last Feb and a lot of drugs and worries last year. I'm here because I'm wondering if anyone has a similar experience to me and thus any advice what to do?
My gran is 88 and had a resection operation last November to remove a potential obstruction, although she didn't actually have symptoms (also to remove a potentially cancerous growth - thankfully that's all clear). She was in great shape, eating decently with a bit of extra weight, getting around well, bright and chirpy and completely aware, good mind for her age etc. My partner has lived with me for almost 4 years and thought she was 10 years younger than she was!
Unfortunately although the surgeon tried not to, they had to give her a temporary stoma - which she desperately didn't want. She is supposed to have it for a few more months but she has had a lot of trouble since. She recovered very well from the operation to start with, but ever since, she just hasn't been eating properly. They let her out of the hospital about 2 weeks after her op, but then she had to go back in because her kidneys failed, severe dehydration etc. Part of the problem was that her stoma output was too watery so they put her on a drug to help "firm it up" - we were told this is common - so why did they not think of this before she was discharged! Argh!
They managed to get her fluids back up again and she was discharged Christmas Eve, only for the same thing to happen again - not keeping any food down, not drinking enough etc, thus another renal failure. So she was readmitted via ambulance around the start of January (during a really snowy spell - pretty dramatic really!), and has been in since then, without much improvement.
The problem is that she just won't, or can't, eat. She is still being sick a lot and isn't really keeping down any food, and she has lost so much weight. She must be half the weight she was before. We have tried taking in all sorts of things for her but nothing seems to help. They put her on build-up drinks and food but because she doesn't like them, she hasn't had them.
Of course she would feel better after the stoma has been reversed but they can't even consider doing that when she's in as poor health as she is now.
What I would like to know is, has anyone had a similar experience? And what have you done about it? I really don't think the hospital is doing enough. They are giving her anti-sickness pills, but she says the sickness isn't because she's nauseous... the food just comes back up again. It's to the point where she doesn't even have to see what the food is they give her - she just says she doesn't want it or thinks she will be sick just looking at it. This happened whilst she was at home too, so it's not only hospital food. This is surely bordering on an eating disorder? (Consider that this has been going on for around 3 months now.)
I'm really worried at the moment because not only is she not eating, she's not drinking enough either. She was on a drip because of this but they tried to change hands, and couldn't get it in her vein. This was last week sometime and she still hasn't had the drip put back in because of this difficulty.
I'm worried if she keeps getting dehydrated like this she will get the renal failure again, and how many more times can her kidneys cope with this?
Would really appreciate any advice - doesn't matter if you aren't elderly or even if you haven't had a stoma, I'd just like to know how people get back into eating again when they go through a traumatic time with their disease.
I have Crohns myself but (fingers crossed) it's ok at the moment after a resection last Feb and a lot of drugs and worries last year. I'm here because I'm wondering if anyone has a similar experience to me and thus any advice what to do?
My gran is 88 and had a resection operation last November to remove a potential obstruction, although she didn't actually have symptoms (also to remove a potentially cancerous growth - thankfully that's all clear). She was in great shape, eating decently with a bit of extra weight, getting around well, bright and chirpy and completely aware, good mind for her age etc. My partner has lived with me for almost 4 years and thought she was 10 years younger than she was!
Unfortunately although the surgeon tried not to, they had to give her a temporary stoma - which she desperately didn't want. She is supposed to have it for a few more months but she has had a lot of trouble since. She recovered very well from the operation to start with, but ever since, she just hasn't been eating properly. They let her out of the hospital about 2 weeks after her op, but then she had to go back in because her kidneys failed, severe dehydration etc. Part of the problem was that her stoma output was too watery so they put her on a drug to help "firm it up" - we were told this is common - so why did they not think of this before she was discharged! Argh!
They managed to get her fluids back up again and she was discharged Christmas Eve, only for the same thing to happen again - not keeping any food down, not drinking enough etc, thus another renal failure. So she was readmitted via ambulance around the start of January (during a really snowy spell - pretty dramatic really!), and has been in since then, without much improvement.
The problem is that she just won't, or can't, eat. She is still being sick a lot and isn't really keeping down any food, and she has lost so much weight. She must be half the weight she was before. We have tried taking in all sorts of things for her but nothing seems to help. They put her on build-up drinks and food but because she doesn't like them, she hasn't had them.
Of course she would feel better after the stoma has been reversed but they can't even consider doing that when she's in as poor health as she is now.
What I would like to know is, has anyone had a similar experience? And what have you done about it? I really don't think the hospital is doing enough. They are giving her anti-sickness pills, but she says the sickness isn't because she's nauseous... the food just comes back up again. It's to the point where she doesn't even have to see what the food is they give her - she just says she doesn't want it or thinks she will be sick just looking at it. This happened whilst she was at home too, so it's not only hospital food. This is surely bordering on an eating disorder? (Consider that this has been going on for around 3 months now.)
I'm really worried at the moment because not only is she not eating, she's not drinking enough either. She was on a drip because of this but they tried to change hands, and couldn't get it in her vein. This was last week sometime and she still hasn't had the drip put back in because of this difficulty.
I'm worried if she keeps getting dehydrated like this she will get the renal failure again, and how many more times can her kidneys cope with this?Would really appreciate any advice - doesn't matter if you aren't elderly or even if you haven't had a stoma, I'd just like to know how people get back into eating again when they go through a traumatic time with their disease.
