I was admitted.

[Kittee]

After a month long horror story (was blocked last month, almost had emergency surgery in a podunk small town while on vacation) I've landed in the hospital. Thurs night I became blocked again, same symptoms, extreme pain, vomiting etc. My GI doctor sent me to the ER yesterday at about this time. (noon)

We've been trying to manage my symptoms with pred and humira until my surgery towards the end of Sept (no date set) I have to very severe strictures that need removing, but obviously the pred etc isn't enough.

Thurs night was horrible. But apparently they believe that my blockage resolved itself so I'm not an emergency anymore. They won't let me eat food and they have me on a IV drip for fluids etc.

I'm scared the will try to send me home this way. How can they if I can't eat food? When I try to eat teh smallest thing, it ends up blocking me. 8( Horrible pain, vomit etc.

What am I supposed to do? It doesn't help its a long holiday weekend.

If you were admitted to the hospital for Crohns before, what's your'e story? Did they keep you a few days? etc? Let you eat?

Thanks!

 

[If*]

Hi Kittee, so sorry for what you are going through.
Have they ran any test, scans, CT, MRE, imaging? Is there a actual G.I on ER staff? What about a CRS? Ask to talk to one or either if you can. Ask if what you are feeling or going through is caused by scar tissue or inflammation. Ask if you can eat something before being released to see how actual food effects you.

Hope you start to feel better!

 

[SarahD]

Could you try enteral nutrition? I was put straight on that when I was admitted to hospital with a suspected blockage, and I was sent home on a liquid only diet so that foods could move through my gut easily. It wasn't fun, but then neither is having a blockage! It might just mean you can go home and last until your surgery date.

 

[tzvia]

I was admitted for an obstruction 2 years ago. They thought I might need surgery, but I didn't. They stuck a tube down my nose/throat and sucked out everything in my stomach and gave me morphine and IV predinose and fluids. I wasn't allowed to eat or drink anything for about 5 days. I was allowed to eat low residue foods for 2 days before I left the hospital. I had all sorts of tests, x rays, MRE, blood tests everyday. I hope my account of my experience helps you in some way. I hope you feel better soon!

 

[Kittee]

I should have posted the full story earlier, sorry, I have in other parts of the forum but not here. Duh.

Ok...

At the end of July while on vacation I got an obstruction. I'd been feeling poorly for a few days before that but I figured it was just my flare symptoms. Bad pains etc, I was just pushing through it like we all do. But then the violent vomiting started and extreme pain. I went by ambulance to the local hospital, which was very small, back woods type hospital. They did a CT scan and they wanted to do surgery on me that very moment due to the blockage. I declined because I was in the middle of nowhere, on vacation. They gave me a bunch of steroids over IV and pain meds. I checked myself out the next day AMA and drove home with my family.

When I got back home, I saw my GI doctor and told her what happened. It took a few weeks for the small town hospital to send over my records but in the mean time I got an MRE which showed this:

I had a surgical consult a week later and the surgeon wants to remove those two strictures. The catch is that she wants another surgeon present due to the location of the upper stricture being so high. I have a consult with that surgeon on the 10th of Sept.

Well my body didn't make it that far. I've been taking pred and still on my Humira but I slowly couldn't eat any solid foods. I tried drinking only juice and that worked but I missed food so I tried introducing bland, safe foods like grilled chicken breasts which seemed to be ok until Thurs night when I tried chicken breast and pasta.

A few hours after eating that, I knew I was in trouble. It was the same horrifying pain and vomiting that I had in GA. I was going to call 911 when I had a sudden vomiting session that seemed to give me a little relief. So I held off until morning to email my GI doctor to tell her and she sent me to the ER. She told me to get checked in because she can't do admissions.

I headed to the ER, it took forever to get checked in. When I finally got checked in all they did was an xray to check for a blockage, they didn't see one. They did however give me IV fluids and some pain meds, (morphine is a joke, doesn't touch the pain at all, so I had to beg for something stronger) and I was finally able to sleep.

I saw probably 10 doctors total since my admittance last night. One of them was like "I don't think you need any pain meds. It's Crohns and pain meds won't really work for that." I said "EXcuse me? Whatever they gave me in that other hospital sure worked..." and he was like "Oh well hmm, it's not really that bad right?" He also said "I don't believe you're having a flare. Your markers are really high but I don't think its a flare." I said - Uhm so you think my GI doctor team is wrong then?

He ended up leaving the room, giving me no answers except that I would be admitted and moved up stairs.

This morning I saw the head GD that's here (General Doctor) and he said that since its the weekend, it's complicated. I am not to eat food and I need to expel any poop I have left inside me. So he ordered me a suposidtory which hasn't done anything ... and some stool softners. Which were HORRIBLE. I won't do it again. It was this pink, vile, liquid that they had me drink. It burned my throat like fire.

Then I saw the surgeon on call and she said that since I don't have an active blockage right now, I'm not in need of emergency surgery to correct it. She said she would talk to her boss and email the surgeon that I'm supposed to see for my actual surgery to get her opinion. She also mentioned my great timing, (Labor day weekend) and that it's going to be hard to get anything accomplished.

Meanwhile, I'm supposed to not eat anything. I can have sips of water/ice.

That's all the info I had! I asked the nurse who came in here earlier if they thought I was staying tonight, and she said, yes for sure tonight, and that my notes in the computer mention surgery and stuff.

My husband is upset because he wants more answers, but I don't have any to give him.
He doesn't want me to come home, if I can't eat and I'm going to end up back in the ER again if it goes acute mode.

Moral of my story? Never get sick on a holiday.

 

[shamrock15]

To be responsible, they should hold you until they can see you have some way to eat. They should keep you a couple days to let things settle and then work you up through special diets until you can eat something.

Pred isn't going to help you too much - strictures aren't swelling and inflammation, and you will need to have them addressed. Fingers crossed for a competent surgical team for you, and make sure they get you onto some form of maintenance plan post-surgery.

 

[Kittee]

To be responsible, they should hold you until they can see you have some way to eat. They should keep you a couple days to let things settle and then work you up through special diets until you can eat something.

Pred isn't going to help you too much - strictures aren't swelling and inflammation, and you will need to have them addressed. Fingers crossed for a competent surgical team for you, and make sure they get you onto some form of maintenance plan post-surgery.

I get the feeling that is kinda what is going on here.
I was begging tonight for anything just a simple cup of hot TEA for christs sake. I haven't had anything since Thurs at 5pm!!!!!

They aren't doing the surgery over the long holiday weekend, so it's irresponsible to expect me to remain NPO until Tues???? NUTS.

Anyways, I'm still fighting for some liquids, if I don't get them, I'm going to march down to the food court and get some myself.

 

[tzvia]

They really should keep you there on an IV so you don't get dehydrated

 

[Kittee]

Oh I'm on a stupid IV. With potassium and dextrose.

Still here this morning. Docs should be making rounds in a bit. Hope I get some answers.

 

[Kittee]

Ok saw one of the surgeons.

He needs to talk with my actual surgeons partner and I'll get some answers in a few hours.

They are concerned that I've lost 20lbs in the last month. And they are concerned about my upper stricture/blockage area because its so high up he said that it makes the surgery complicated.

If they mess that up, I could be put on a feeding tube for months and months.

Its tough because it's the weekend and everyone is out, so I'm in a holding pattern until Tues.

He said they may end up sending me home with an IV in my arm unti they are ready for surgery. (fun...)

 

[Kittee]

Kinda the same news. Still here stuck but I was allowed to go get some Starbucks ! and they have put me on clear liquids. It's not much but it's better than nothing. I also scoped out the food court downstairs so I'm thinking I might sneak down there later and scarf down some grub.

Since I'm in the hospital, if it gets stuck I'm in the best place right? HAHA


I did speak with the surgical partner to my actual surgeon. I hope to hear from my actual surgeon tomorrow. But the info is that since I took Humira last Sunday they are really nervous about doing surgery until it wears off some more. They are definately going to do surgery soon. It's a question of this week soon or start of next week soon and what to do with me until then.

They don't want me to go home without a secure line of nourishment. They don't want me to go home and eat and have to come back to teh ER with a blockage again.

But they don't want me to languish here either unnecessarily long if the surgery is not until next week.

Jesus why does it have to be so hard?

 

[If*]

Wow, you are going through it. It is such a bummer when you have strictures that are causing blockages and are hungry. So sorry! Can you ask for a nutrition drink? Vanilla is usually the better tasting. It might help with the hunger and hopefully help keep some weight on It can't hurt to ask, can it?

I hope you get some relief soon.