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Please help, i feel like i'm drowning

I've been here before, its been a few years and im not sure if anyone would remember me. my old username was Spoonninja or spoonie. Well there is a reason ive not been on in years, a lot has happened. apart from graduation high school (still not sure how i pulled that off with all time i missed) ive gotten a boyfriend going on 3 years with him and he has a now 7 year old daughter. ive taken to them both and stepped in as a mother figure to his daughter because her bio mother is basically a dead beat. (maybe more on that later should anyone be curious ;) ) Ive talked with him and his family about my Crohns and they are all understanding and comforting, but recently i have been having a lot of problems and i need some advice and this was the only place i knew i could turn.

so here it goes

ive been on remicade since 2009 last year in november my remi nurse who i have every time i go, said my veins were getting too hard to get they even had a picc team come in with an ultra sound and still had to poke me 2 times to get a vein because they were rolling because they had thickened so much and were blowing when they did get a vein. so she suggested a port. i readily agreed having researched them previously when i found out i would be on remi for a while and would probably need one eventually. so on october 1st i had one put in my left side just under my collar bone. everything seemed great, accessed fine but the scar had some slight oozing but no smell fever or redness to indicate infection. the remi nurse and the sugeon who put it in said it was probably the internal stitches not dissolving right and it was my body trying to reject them, it would be fine, no signs of infection. ok awesome, right? not awesome. it took me until february to get answers, i went in to the surgeon he was going to lidacane me up and cut out the scar tissue and stitch it up, because it was still oozing but no stitches had come out. im laying there fully conscious and he is cutting and gets really quiet and calls a nurse in. he whispers something to her then tells me,"we are going to have to cut the whole port out, there is infection underneath it" so fully awake only numbed, i hear and feel him cutting my skin off and then feels like he is trying to pull my ribs out then crushes me pushing so hard after the port comes out, im in tears but laying still and quiet, until i try to get up and am shaking uncontrollably i couldnt even get my coat on. and the kicker? he left the wound open so i had to pack it every day. this lasted 4 weeks, then he puts a new port in my right side, because "infections rarely happen" (which by the way he didnt tell me what the infection was just that is was a common skin infection that shouldnt be there and was very unusual.

NOW. now it is march and my new port, the scar is doing the same thing as the first, but he didnt use any stitches and glued the incision closed. so what the hell right? I am completely lost on what to do, i go see him monday and i also am going to see my GI. im worried being on remicade so long is casing the infections because i have taken every precaution, he had me on antibiotics 2 weeks before surgery iv antibiotics during and oral 2 weeks after, i have been showering with antibacterial soap and been very careful to keep it clean.

The worst part... i believe the stress from dealing with this bs of trying to get a port put in has caused me to go into a flare up which ive been in remission about 2 years.

I need advice i need something idk i feel like im drowning trying to get this crap figured out, if this port had to be removed i dont think i can handle feeling him cut it out again i dont think it is worth trying to have one placed in my arm leg or stomach if its the remicade making infections more likely and if thats the case should i stop remicade to get the port to heal and if i stop remicade is there even still a reason for the port? i feel so lost and i dont know anyone who i can turn to for answers and anything would help at this point.
 

Trysha

Moderator
Staff member
Sorry to hear of the pain and trauma you are enduring.
I would talk to the GI, if you trust him/her and ask for a new surgeon.
What is happening to you does not sound right to me.
You could also talk to your personal family physician and ask advice and referral to new specialist if necessary. I would not be going back to that seemingly heartless surgeon.
Feel better soon
Hugs and best wishes
Trysha
 
Hello MTsubby so sorry you are having a difficult time sending :ghug: your way. I agree with Trysha definitely talk to your PCP to see if he he/ she can refer you to a surgeon.
 
Oh bless your heart! I think the main advantage you have this time is preparation and the opportunity to advocate for yourself. You'll be able to communicate with the surgeon and prevent it from being cut out with only local anesthetic. I'm sure that was horrific!
 
yea, it wasn't fun. ill let you all know what happens tomorrow ive got my list of questions and things i want to say to both the surgeon and my gi, hopefully something productive gets figured out tomorrow, and if i have to have this other port cut out and no one can give me answers my boyfriend thinks i should sue the surgeon, but i dont know, i do have pictures from day one, and when it started to get infected and the hole where he cut the other one out from. so maybe? i really have no idea and im really anxious about tomorrow...
 

afidz

Super Moderator
I am no stranger to infection, I have had several very bad post op infections. I know during the healing process (at least in the abdomen) the muscles create a lot of fluid. If the fluid doesn't get reabsorbed by the body it will find its own way out. If it can't find a way out, it gets infected. But I am not sure about your situation. The port is just under the skin correct? I would definitely at the very least, speak to a lawyer about what happened. You should of been put to sleep to remove the port, even if its just twilight anesthetic, it was obviously a traumatic event. An infected port (an infected anything, really) can be dangerous. Its giving the infection direct access to your heart and other vital organs. Keep close watch on your symptoms and be aware of the signs and symptoms of septicemia in case it is an infection so you can act quickly. I am sorry, I don't want to scare you, but sugarcoating isn't really beneficial to anyone. So sorry you are going this
 
oh no i know how crazy infection can be, ive had 4 other surgeries, none crohns related though, and all before i started remicade, and yes the port is just under my skin, the previous one is almost healed but the new one is behaving just the same, and if its infected i think the surgeon will just say oh lets try 2 more weeks of antibiotics, but im worried if he just puts me on antibiotics and waits its just gonna get worse, like i said earlier i dont know if its the remicade causing the infection or the surgeon and should i just ask him to take it out if he just wants to try antibiotics because i was on them for 4 weeks and had iv antibiotics during sugery, so if anyone could give me an idea of what i should do before tomorrow it would really really help
 

afidz

Super Moderator
Remicade (and several other meds for Crohn's) weaken the immune system, so it probably isn't helping you in that sense. If you don't trust this surgeon, its ok to go to someone else. The surgeon may get offended but who cares, its your body and your health, you have to deal with whatever the outcome is, not him
 
i know that it weakens my immune system ive been on it about 5 years now, and my problem is if this port is taken out i dont have any other option but to have one put in on my arms or legs and thoes are supposed to be more...hindering, i guess. so im starting to wonder if the port is worth it, because ive read on here that the remicade can loose its effectiveness and i belive i have some of that going on because im starting to feel my symptoms more, but im not sure if its just stress from the ports themselves. and i dont believe there is another surgeon in my area to put ports in i would have to make quite a long drive and dont have any options for that right now, and i dont think the antibiotics help the infection so should i ask him for it to be removed and talk to my gi about another route (even though pentasa didnt work and i was on prednisone for a year and a half) or what? because i am 90 percent sure this is the same infection and it is under the port itself which means it will have to be removed...at least thats what the surgeon told me last time
 
by the way, the surgeon is dr.koizarski in case anyone thinks about going to him i would suggest a big DONT DO IT lol
 

afidz

Super Moderator
There are other options, you could try humira, thats an injection. It is very similar to Remicade, I believe the main difference is how it is made (what it is made of) and how it is administered. Remicade can become less effective over time, your GI can do blood work to see if it is at theraputic levels. If it isn't then he will either up the dose or switch to a different med.
 
well talked to both of them koizarski says it doesnt look infected but it does look like the other and is draining similarly so he is putting me on more antibiotics for a week, then i go see him the 7th to see if it heals (i highly doubt it) even my gi didnt think it would work she said in my blood test my inflammation markers were high so i am in a flair up so remi may not be working anymore but the blood test for that is very expensive and we dont know if we will do it, she said depending on if i have the port removed that she thinks it best to try humira or cimzo (i think thats it idk) but for now she is going to put me on entacourt if my insurance will cover it if not ill be back to lovely prednisone, until we get this figured out and the flair under control. chances are when i go see him the 7th if it is still draining i will ask for it to be removed because i dont want to chance the infection getting into my bloodstream and if the remi isnt working as well i might have to stop it anyway and then there is no need for the port so yea...we will see what new meds i get lol
 
yea i really like my gi i went through a few before i found one i liked, they are very willing to work with me, but im not so sure about koizarski he said antibiotics but wouldnt listen to me on anything else, im really hoping when (if?) i have to have the port out he uses something more than just lidacane
 
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