Hello everyone, I'm Ralf. I got diagnosed in 1996 with Crohn's. Now I know why I was so miserable as a kid. I got worse in my late 20's, hence the reason why I finally had to figure it out. those 102+ degree fever days and night sweats were getting worse. Flagyll took care of some of the stomach ulcerations at first and Prednisone the more serious flare-ups. The only good thing about all the procedures were the drugs they gave me before I crashed out. I was hospitalized the first time in early 2001 for a bleed that dropped my Hemoglobin below 10. I was on short term disability for a short bit with Iron infusions and Procrit. In October or 2001, right after 9/11 I fell out again in the middle of the night, not knowing how serious it was. By the time I made it to the ER I was in serious trouble. They tried to stand me up for an x-ray and I passed out. I had to use the restroom and I just bled, and passed out again. A radioactive test showed a massive bleed in my colon. By the time the started the blood IV's on me, my blood pressure no longer registered on the machine and when trying to start the IV, light pink fluid was coming out of my veins. That's when they turned the bed on end and my body upside down and squeezed blood in on both arms. I'm not sure how I stayed conscious through that, I really really don't. The doctor said I should have died.
Anyway, I was on blood IV's all night in the hopes I would clot. The surgeon the next morning had to go in and operate. He pulled the whole colon out and found several smaller bleeds in the small bowel. He gave me a 50/50 shot at survival. I didn't have a clue! What I did have was an illiostomy bag that kept filling with blood and a really nervous doctor and scared family. A couple of days later it stopped and the bag just got green digestive fluids. What a ride! I was in the hospital a month on TPN and out of work for three months. The doc left the rectum in place and managed to get the small bowel reconnected to the rectum nine months later. A series of Remicaid infusions and Prednisone treatments kept things well enough to operate. All I know is that when I woke up from the surgery and managed to feel where the Stoma was, there was only a bandage.
I have been on Remicaid ever since. I had two bouts of small bowel obstructions this year, two months apart and no one knows why. I had never had them before. After a week in the hospital for both, with antibiotics and no food, they cleared up. My Gastro and my surgeon have no explanation.
Well, another infusion tomorrow. Sorry for the long post.
Anyway, I was on blood IV's all night in the hopes I would clot. The surgeon the next morning had to go in and operate. He pulled the whole colon out and found several smaller bleeds in the small bowel. He gave me a 50/50 shot at survival. I didn't have a clue! What I did have was an illiostomy bag that kept filling with blood and a really nervous doctor and scared family. A couple of days later it stopped and the bag just got green digestive fluids. What a ride! I was in the hospital a month on TPN and out of work for three months. The doc left the rectum in place and managed to get the small bowel reconnected to the rectum nine months later. A series of Remicaid infusions and Prednisone treatments kept things well enough to operate. All I know is that when I woke up from the surgery and managed to feel where the Stoma was, there was only a bandage.
I have been on Remicaid ever since. I had two bouts of small bowel obstructions this year, two months apart and no one knows why. I had never had them before. After a week in the hospital for both, with antibiotics and no food, they cleared up. My Gastro and my surgeon have no explanation.
Well, another infusion tomorrow. Sorry for the long post.
