ER or not yet?

[jt5]

Hi, I've been feeling bloating, loss of appetite, weight loss, nausea, chills, and occasional adominal pain (a few times a week). The pain comes and go, and develope mouth ulcers. It happen almost a month already. It hasn't bother me very much, but i think it gotten abit worst and the pain is coming more frequently. Is it that sign of a flare up?? My appointment for a colonoscopy is on Nov 26, but I'm not sure if I should contact my GI earlier. Because I remember calling the Gi office that my crohn is getting and they say I still have to wait til my app or go to ER if the condition is THAT bad. I really want to avoid ER because I still have school. So what do you guys do when you guys are suspicious a flare up?

 

[DustyKat]

Hi jt5,

It certainly sounds as if you having an exacerbation of your symptoms and with the degree of symptoms you are having I would have to say that you are flaring. I don't think you need to go to the ER but your GI should definitely be aware that your symptoms are ramping up.

I don't have Crohn's but my children do and given your situation I would be contacting the GI. If the symptoms you are experiencing have not changed and the GI is already aware of them then I say you would fall under routine but you still need to ring and explain that they are increasing in frequency. If on the other hand you have developed new symptoms then it is an urgent call that needs to be put in.

This is a useful guideline that the GI gave to us when my daughter was diagnosed:

When to call the Doctor:

Once you get to know your Doctor you will have a better understanding of what he/she wants you to phone about. These guidelines should be followed for most situations and it is hoped you will find them useful.

Telephone calls to your Doctor need to be separated into there categories-

Routine

Urgent

Emergency

It can also be helpful to take time to get to know your Doctor's secretary or any office staff. This can assist when you are trying to reach your Doctor, whether you are telephoning or visiting personally. You should prepare a clear list of questions to ask, be concise, do not make the list of questions too long and decide what is important before you telephone or visit.

Find out your Doctor's timetable, i.e. when he/she is available at the consulting rooms/surgery you attend. Remember they may attend more than one surgery during the week. Endeavour to ascertain:

Telephone numbers (one or more)
Surgery hours
Most convenient time to call
Whether convenient to leave a message asking the Doctor to return your call

Routine Call

You should arrange to call your Doctor's surgery after a visit, to obtain results of blood tests, laboratory tests, or to report any changes in your symptoms or side effects of new medication.

Urgent Call (but not an emergency)

Any symptom, e.g. nausea, headache, a rash on your body, which you think might relate to your disease or its treatment. It may even be a new symptom of your illness, such as painful tender bumps on your legs which often indicate the start of a flare up (erythema nodosum).

Emergency Call

Dramatic change in your illness could include any the following:

Severe abdominal pain which persists for longer than 1 hour
Significant or new rectal bleeding
Persistent vomiting, accompanied by stopping of bowel movements
Drastic changes in bowel movements without passing gas
Sudden weight loss of over 2 and half kgs in a few days

If you are unable to contact your Doctor in an emergency, you can go directly to the nearest Public Hospital Emergency Section, or the hospital you usually attend. Explain your illness, etc. Give your Doctor's name and identify any medications you are presently taking.

Hope that helps.

Dusty. xxx

 

[jt5]

Yes the guidelines helped me, I think I will try calling the office and see what happens. Thank you!

 

[Gobucks2014]

I was in the same situation last week, pain, vomiting, curled up in a ball for two days. Finally didn't want to deal with the pain any longer and went to the ER. After an entire day in the ER they did admit me and ended up staying for 5 days. If the pain is unbearable and you can't eat or go to the bathroom I would suggest you go get checked. At a minimum they will likely do a barium test and see what's happening. Good luck and I hope your situation changes quickly.