Don't give hope, then take it away!

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Joined
Apr 18, 2011
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3
Hello-
I am new to this forum and I need to vent!!!

I was hospitalized again last week due to 20-30 bloody bowel movements a day and severe pain. (The last 3 Humira injections did nothing.) I had been flaring for over a month, trying to "ride it out".

The CT showed that I have thickening in all of large bowel and inflammation has spread throughout my abdominal cavity. Since insurance stopped me from seeing a Crohn's specialist, I waited in the ER for 5 hours for a GI doc to see me.

Enter a spunky, lively, young GI doc. She immediately took my hand and said, "We are going to get you out of pain." We will scope you tomorrow, start you on steriod and antibiotics and we will change you to Cimzia. I promise not to make you suffer so if in a week you do not fell better we will take out your colon. It will not cure you, but you will be out of pain." She proceeded to tell me that she had UC and had her colon out and she is soooo happy. I had found my guardian angel!!!!

The next day she scoped me and then didn't come to debrief with me. The nurse said I was bleeding from one end to the other. 2 days later she came into my hospital room and said I was worse than she thought but we would move forward and get the surgery consult and change meds. That day I went home still in pain and flaring.

Two days later I went for a follow up and she would not make eye contact. I thought that was strange. She proceeded to tell me that every portion of my GI tract was involved and severe. I told her that I was still in pain and having 20-30 movements a day. She said she hopes the Cimzia works I asked if she thought it would. She said hopefully it will until they invent another medication for Crohn's. You have broken through Remicade and Humira so there is nothing left to give you.

I went home thinking...another GI just gave up on me. I also remembered that I did not get the surgery consult. I called her office and the secretary would not allow me to talk to her. When I asked for the consult the secretary handed the phone to the doc. She said, "No, we are going to wait for awhile...I will see you in two weeks."

Now, I would not mind so much except for the fact that she led me to believe I was going to get relief. She gave me hope!!!!!!

Why did she give me hope and then take it away? I am so done with the pain. I can not bare to think of another 20 years with this disease. I just don't know if I can keep doing this.

Is anyone else going through this...has anyone been given hope and then had it taken away from you? How do you keep on going? How do you not want to just throw in the towel and say, "Let nature take it's course!"?

Still riding it out,
LT:depressed:.
 
Hi LT, I am sorry you are going through this. Im not too sure what to say. Yes, I have been given hope and it been taken away over and over again...seems like every appointment I think.. "this will be the one, they will give me answers and give me some pain relief." I am still waiting for them to give me some sort of medication for it other than pain killers.. My GI is 99 per cent sure but he wants to be 100 per cent. I keep going because this is the only life I get and I dont want to give up because knowing my luck...the day I do ..it will be the next appointment that they give me the medication that works. What keeps me going is reading others stories on here who have a worse time of it than I do; and they continue.
It doesnt sound like your GI gave up on you. Did she give anything for pain until the cimza starts working? How long have you been on the cimza now for? Have you seen any difference at all? I dont know anything about Cimza but I am sure someone on here will be around to chat about it...

anyhow... please dont throw in the towel... maybe this drug will work for you....
I hope you stay around, there are alot of great people on this site and alot who are knowledgeable.
Take care and welcome to the forum :)
Wendy
 
Thank you Wendy

I have been reading the posts and I have to say that as I read each one, I yell out...OMG that is me..this person feels the way that I do. So yes..reading about other people puts things in perspective for me and makes me feel like I am not alone.

I really do want to just give up, but you are right. What if today is the day that they have a new medication to try? I have a doctors appointment today with a new General Practitioner and I will go to it. Maybe she can give me some pain relief and let me konw if I should stay with this GI doc or not.

As for the Cimzia, it should arrive today. The Humira stopped working 2 months ago so hopefully this new med will shock my system and give some relief. The steriods are working a little now. I have gone from 20 bms a day to 5. But now because they are somewhat solid, I am in constant pain as my system passes food. A viscous cycle to say the least.

Thank you for you encouragement. It was a blessing to find this site.

I hope everyone has a great day,
Lisa
 
Hi Lisa - So sorry you are going thru such a rough time. I can understand your frustration at the behavior of the GI.

But it sounds like her original plan was to get you on the Cimzia and if that doesn't help, then the surgery. Maybe based on what she saw inside, she think the surgery consult is premature?

Between now and your appt in two weeks, write down your questions so you don't forget what to ask. It is also helpful to have another set of ears at an appt - someone to ask questions you may not have thought of or to hear what the doctor is saying.

Good luck with the Cimzia. Hang in there and remember, you are not alone!

- Amy
 
Lisa, I am afraid I wont be of much help to you, I have only recently been diagnosed. I feel your frustration. Sunday was a really bad day for me, heck the weekend. I think its hard to have hope when you have an uncureable disease.
Good days give me hope but then they are usually followed by not good days. I feel your hurt and wish all that you are going through wasnt so painfull and hard emotionaly. Dont give up hope and remember Crohns may feel like it has control of us but we are stronger then the disease. Always here, Keep fighting Lisa. :rosette1:
 
Thank you, thank you, thank you again for the support.

I ended up in the hospital for 3 days again getting high doses of steriods and pain meds. It turns out I was wrong about my doctor giving up on me. I guess I was projecting the way previous doctors had treated me onto my current doctor.

On Monday I called her that I needed stronger pain meds and she admitted me into the hospital immediately. She reviewed my stats and did have a surgeon come talk to me. I have decided to hold off on the surgery until I go to the Mayo Clinic on Tuesday. My Aunt was able to get me seen at the Mayo, so we will see if there is a treatment that may work since everything else seems to not be working. As soon as they lower my steriods all of my symptoms come back. I have only been home 13 hours and have already had 12 bm's. Right back to pure liquid.

I am still frustrated at my body, but I am starting to get my hope back.

Thank you for responding to my post, it really made a difference when I was feeling so down. I will let you know what the Mayo says. California to Minnisota...guess I better dress warm.

Still fighting,
Lisa
 
Lisa, when all else fails, have a look through Mr. Ziggy's stem cell treatment journey....

http://www.crohnsforum.com/showthread.php?t=10838

I haven't seen him around much lately. I hope it's because he's too busy living his symptom-free life!!! He too had severe crohns that was unresponsive to all conventional treatment!! Good luck, I hope the Cimzia works but just keep Ziggy's journey in the back of your mind!!
 
Hi Lisa,

I can relate feeling like I have been given up on and THE FRUSTRATION... wow...
I have looked into meditation. I have always giggled at the notion but whenever I became frustrated, the only way I can explain it is; remember those really big thermometer type things at fairs where the man uses a sledge hammer and hits the scale thing on the bottom and the red mercury shoots way up to the top and the bell clangs?? Well.. thats how I started to feel and decided that it can not be good for me.. I would get really hot and my heart would pound and I noticed the day after, I was feeling worse..acid reflux definitely was worse and my sleep was affected... anyhow... meditation has helped eventhough I'm just learning (and yes, I still giggle sometimes)...
Good luck at the Mayo clinic and I hope you get some answers... please keep us posted!

Hang on to the hope my friend :D
Wendy
 
Sorry i can't be of much help either Lisa, but hope you get the help and relief needed and start to feel better soon
 
I fully support what Dexty said - I would seriously consider doing the stem cell transplant. I hope the Cimzia works for you, but if it does not, please look into the sct.
 

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