Well I've posted here some time ago, probably before I had my surgery. I had terminal ileal Crohns which needed resection surgery back in February (after a year of trialing medication which didn't work). After a few complications whilst healing, I felt fantastic - and I wasn't on any pills. I was so happy, except that I had been made redundant just before my operation. But at least I was healthy and I started to jobsearch.
About a month ago I had the worst attack of abdominal pain I've ever had in my life. It steadily got worse and became totally unbearable, and I had to go up to the hospital. I was hyperventilating, they gave me morphine and it was still hurting me to breathe - I was just too tired and dizzy to protest any more.
They kept me in for over 24hrs (went in on Saturday night, stayed all of Sunday and left Monday afternoon). I improved, although I was still in pain somewhat, but being back in the hospital depressed me. I was desperate to go back home because that week was supposed to be a week off with my fiance - the first week off for months - in fact, since I was recovering from my operation.
They did a couple of scans and told me that it was a flareup of the Crohns. I had a high white blood count (higher than anything on record for me) and a high temperature, but the temp went down and the pain became bearable, so I was allowed to go home.
I ended up finding out the pain was caused by something in a Chinese takeaway, because my mum had a similar episode of pain caused by the same dish. I suppose my pain was exacerbated due to the disease and the recent operation.
Cut to now - the pains had got better, but over the past week or two have steadily become worse. I have been trying a food-combining diet which is meant to help people with digestive tract problems but still I get waves and waves of severe pain. My pain was actually not as bad as this before my operation. The only symptoms I'm getting is pain, and occasionally nausea. No diarrhoea.
I went to my GP yesterday and explained that there had been a flareup and that there was one steroid that seemed to help me before my surgery, and I asked if he could prescribe this. What he ended up doing was calling the GI clinic at the hospital who (obviously) wanted me to come in for an appointment. The appointment is tomorrow. I was almost in tears, I needed something to help me with the pain straight away! All he could give me was Tramadol, the painkiller they gave me after I left hospital.
Shortly after the GI nurse called me to confirm thhe appointment on Thursday and she made a comment about "not thinking it was the Crohn's". But the doctors who did the scans said it was, what am I now meant to think - do they now want to put me through *more* tests?!
Even the Tramadol doesn't help much, because the stabs of pain are so intense. It's like a dull ache most of hte time and then every 5-10 minutes a sharp pain will build up until I actually have to voice my pain, until it eases off.
The worst thing is that I should be happy - I was offered a job last Thursday. I'm ecstatic about it but so afraid that I will lose out because of this pain or because of tests/hospital time.. and to be honest I don't know how I'm going to get through this next week if the pain doesn't improve. It is the kind of pain that makes it hard to even think or talk straight, let alone do anything.
I am just hoping they can give me something tomorrow that will help...
About a month ago I had the worst attack of abdominal pain I've ever had in my life. It steadily got worse and became totally unbearable, and I had to go up to the hospital. I was hyperventilating, they gave me morphine and it was still hurting me to breathe - I was just too tired and dizzy to protest any more.
They kept me in for over 24hrs (went in on Saturday night, stayed all of Sunday and left Monday afternoon). I improved, although I was still in pain somewhat, but being back in the hospital depressed me. I was desperate to go back home because that week was supposed to be a week off with my fiance - the first week off for months - in fact, since I was recovering from my operation.
They did a couple of scans and told me that it was a flareup of the Crohns. I had a high white blood count (higher than anything on record for me) and a high temperature, but the temp went down and the pain became bearable, so I was allowed to go home.
I ended up finding out the pain was caused by something in a Chinese takeaway, because my mum had a similar episode of pain caused by the same dish. I suppose my pain was exacerbated due to the disease and the recent operation.
Cut to now - the pains had got better, but over the past week or two have steadily become worse. I have been trying a food-combining diet which is meant to help people with digestive tract problems but still I get waves and waves of severe pain. My pain was actually not as bad as this before my operation. The only symptoms I'm getting is pain, and occasionally nausea. No diarrhoea.
I went to my GP yesterday and explained that there had been a flareup and that there was one steroid that seemed to help me before my surgery, and I asked if he could prescribe this. What he ended up doing was calling the GI clinic at the hospital who (obviously) wanted me to come in for an appointment. The appointment is tomorrow. I was almost in tears, I needed something to help me with the pain straight away! All he could give me was Tramadol, the painkiller they gave me after I left hospital.
Shortly after the GI nurse called me to confirm thhe appointment on Thursday and she made a comment about "not thinking it was the Crohn's". But the doctors who did the scans said it was, what am I now meant to think - do they now want to put me through *more* tests?!
Even the Tramadol doesn't help much, because the stabs of pain are so intense. It's like a dull ache most of hte time and then every 5-10 minutes a sharp pain will build up until I actually have to voice my pain, until it eases off.
The worst thing is that I should be happy - I was offered a job last Thursday. I'm ecstatic about it but so afraid that I will lose out because of this pain or because of tests/hospital time.. and to be honest I don't know how I'm going to get through this next week if the pain doesn't improve. It is the kind of pain that makes it hard to even think or talk straight, let alone do anything.
I am just hoping they can give me something tomorrow that will help...
