Hospital admission. Where do I go from here

[Alec1]

Yesterday I went to my GI with hopes of her telling me to start remicade since I've been having symptoms while on prednisone and 6mp. She shocked me and my parents when she told us that she wants me to be admitted to the hospital for the next week or so.

There, she said they will put tubes down my nose and feed me a liquid diet because I'm not getting enough nutrients. She also said they might give me a large dose of prednisone to help with that.

I'm afraid to take the prednisone because I know that it will make me bloat up and put on fat in my face and back.

I'm going to be missing so much school and sports and this is my breaking point.

After the admission, she said they can start me on remicade which I hope will make me feel good and put an end to this. I'm just worried and scared about what's to come these next couple days:/

 

[mere282]

I'm so sorry to hear about your upcoming
Trip to the hospital. I was just there myself
For just under a week. The iv steriods aren't that bad.
And you probably need the tube feeding.
It sucks but I felt so much better when I got
Out. I wasn't bloated or to puffy.. Maybe you'll have the same luck
Good luckbring things to keep you entertained

 

[Crohn's gal since 1989]

Take care we are all here supporting you! I found that the IV steroids didn't bloat me up too, but once I was home and back on the oral steroids...hello moon face!

 

[shamrock15]

I agree with the above - hospital pred seems entirely different. It still works for me. Oral pred has no effect at all. While it is annoying, especially when you have work to do, the hospital time is probably necessary. Given what you have been through so far, remicade right now sounds like a good idea. It'll likely take a little while to kick in. However, I have heard of some cases where people notice it working within hours of the first infusion. Here's hoping it will work that well for you.

 

[CTB86]

Same here, when I was hospitalized and receiving steroids I didn't get bloated! im guessing because I was on a liquid diet and everything there is healthy. If you watch what you eat and exercise regularly it shouldn't be as bad. I know it's tough! I missed most of the last semester of my senior year, I had to be home schooled for a few months. Good luck! hopefully you get the remicade soon, be pushy pushy pushy!

 

[UnXmas]

I'm sorry. I had to miss a lot of school due to being sick, and I hated it, I felt like I was missing out on a lot. However, it may be the best way to avert a crisis - missing some things now could mean you don't crash and miss more later, possibly in an emergency situation. You won't be able to do sports if you're not well nourished enough.

I just got discharged from hospital - a different situation, I was in for surgery - and I was actually surprised by some of the things that weren't as bad as I'd imagined. For one thing, I had a tube down my nose to me stomach. Mine wasn't for food as I was on TPN (nutrition into my veins, because my digestive system had to be completely rested), the nasal-gastric tube was to drain bile from my stomach, and I had absolutely dreaded the idea of this tube, it made me feel faint just thinking about it. But it went in quickly and painlessly, just a little discomfort. Once it was there, I couldn't feel it at all.

It was also very reassuring to me to know I was getting my nutrition from TPN, as I am so underweight and was too sick to eat. Hospital can be horrible, it's certainly boring and you get homesick, but usually they do take care of you and keep you safe. Your doctor wouldn't make the suggestion lightly, I don't expect.

If you do end up being admitted, make the best of a bad situation. It may put you in a better place so that the meds work more successfully once you are out and back living your life again.