Hello,
I found this forum in Sept when my Crohn's first flared up seeking help. After that thread I was admitted into the hospital and stayed for about a week. Nothing changed. And since it was a teaching hospital I felt I was just poked and prodded with no relief. I was given prednisone via IV, Flagyl, potassium, antibiotics, and more. I also received a 3mg remicade infusion. During a colonoscopy, a stricture (my first in the 10 yrs I've had CD) was found 15 cm up from my rectum and they couldn't continue. They advised for me to have a bowel resection surgery...
I was starting a really good job around this time and against docs advice, discharged. I only lasted two days out the hospital (couldn't keep food down, feet were SWOLLEN, Blood in stool, D multiple times a day, PAIN, etc). I begged my job if there was anything they could do for me, and they offered for me to start instead at a later date...
The next day I went right back to the same ER was admitted once again. They did another colonoscopy and saw that the stricture was gone (maybe remicade?) and they were able to go further, but not too much, since they didn't put me "out" all the way and I kept screaming and crying on the table in pain, so the doc was afraid to continue on. I then had barium scans done as well. At this point, surgery was not needed. I continued with the IV steroids, flagyl and was given remicade once again. I was discharged by docs after 2 wks. At that point I would only have D once a day, so I guess they assumed I was better, but I think the pain meds I received (dilauded) kept me constipated a bit. Then the energy. It was horrible. This time I was so weak I couldn't even hold my head up. Even talking was exhausting. My family would come to visit me and I would NEVER respond to them because speaking a full sentence took everything out of me. That was the most terrifying. And it's really sad, but I really thought I was going to die. I've NEVER had a flare this bad ever. The stricture, unable to eat, unable to drink, the length of the flare, the laying in bed like a zombie. And now I think I have anxiety because I'm still haunted by those thoughts I had in the hospital, PLUS I'm still flaring...
I'm now at home and I'm not sure if things are better. I can eat and drink now and keep everything down. I'm tapering down the prednisone. But I still don't feel better or that I'm improving much. My pain in constant. I've always been told that my CD is located on my left lower side, but I've been having pain on my lower right side. My stomach feels like it's constantly burning...like a dull achy pain...sometimes stabbing. It even feels like my stomach has a heartbeat...maybe the pain is making it pulsate? I've also had a hard time with bloating. My stomach is tight, large and feels like I can't breathe. I'm not sure if it's gas, but if so, my body doesn't seem to want to pass any. For the past couple of days however, I've been passing solid stool. In the morning, i have sharp horrible pains, then first I have some D, then solid stool. And while trying to use the bathroom, I get these sharp stabbing pains along my stomach. There's also still a lot of blood in my stool.
I'm confused because in the past once my stool is formed, I know that my flare has left. This isn't the case this time. I've had CD for 10 yrs ,but now it all seems very new to me and even scarier. And to top it off, I'm still very weak. Walking to the bathroom completely takes the wind out of me. The pain is horrible and sometimes I feel a weird "tight" sensation under my ribs/lower right stomach. I'm not sure if something is going on in there or if I'm just worrying too much.
I'm sorry for the long post. I can honestly say though that in these past ten yrs ( I was dx at 18), I didn't take my CD seriously. I even remember thinking I was cured because I haven't had a flare in almost 3 years. So I guess this time, the severity, the length of time, meds not seeming to work like previously, the thoughts of death in head, it's been a really scary time.
I found this forum in Sept when my Crohn's first flared up seeking help. After that thread I was admitted into the hospital and stayed for about a week. Nothing changed. And since it was a teaching hospital I felt I was just poked and prodded with no relief. I was given prednisone via IV, Flagyl, potassium, antibiotics, and more. I also received a 3mg remicade infusion. During a colonoscopy, a stricture (my first in the 10 yrs I've had CD) was found 15 cm up from my rectum and they couldn't continue. They advised for me to have a bowel resection surgery...
I was starting a really good job around this time and against docs advice, discharged. I only lasted two days out the hospital (couldn't keep food down, feet were SWOLLEN, Blood in stool, D multiple times a day, PAIN, etc). I begged my job if there was anything they could do for me, and they offered for me to start instead at a later date...
The next day I went right back to the same ER was admitted once again. They did another colonoscopy and saw that the stricture was gone (maybe remicade?) and they were able to go further, but not too much, since they didn't put me "out" all the way and I kept screaming and crying on the table in pain, so the doc was afraid to continue on. I then had barium scans done as well. At this point, surgery was not needed. I continued with the IV steroids, flagyl and was given remicade once again. I was discharged by docs after 2 wks. At that point I would only have D once a day, so I guess they assumed I was better, but I think the pain meds I received (dilauded) kept me constipated a bit. Then the energy. It was horrible. This time I was so weak I couldn't even hold my head up. Even talking was exhausting. My family would come to visit me and I would NEVER respond to them because speaking a full sentence took everything out of me. That was the most terrifying. And it's really sad, but I really thought I was going to die. I've NEVER had a flare this bad ever. The stricture, unable to eat, unable to drink, the length of the flare, the laying in bed like a zombie. And now I think I have anxiety because I'm still haunted by those thoughts I had in the hospital, PLUS I'm still flaring...
I'm now at home and I'm not sure if things are better. I can eat and drink now and keep everything down. I'm tapering down the prednisone. But I still don't feel better or that I'm improving much. My pain in constant. I've always been told that my CD is located on my left lower side, but I've been having pain on my lower right side. My stomach feels like it's constantly burning...like a dull achy pain...sometimes stabbing. It even feels like my stomach has a heartbeat...maybe the pain is making it pulsate? I've also had a hard time with bloating. My stomach is tight, large and feels like I can't breathe. I'm not sure if it's gas, but if so, my body doesn't seem to want to pass any. For the past couple of days however, I've been passing solid stool. In the morning, i have sharp horrible pains, then first I have some D, then solid stool. And while trying to use the bathroom, I get these sharp stabbing pains along my stomach. There's also still a lot of blood in my stool.
I'm confused because in the past once my stool is formed, I know that my flare has left. This isn't the case this time. I've had CD for 10 yrs ,but now it all seems very new to me and even scarier. And to top it off, I'm still very weak. Walking to the bathroom completely takes the wind out of me. The pain is horrible and sometimes I feel a weird "tight" sensation under my ribs/lower right stomach. I'm not sure if something is going on in there or if I'm just worrying too much.
I'm sorry for the long post. I can honestly say though that in these past ten yrs ( I was dx at 18), I didn't take my CD seriously. I even remember thinking I was cured because I haven't had a flare in almost 3 years. So I guess this time, the severity, the length of time, meds not seeming to work like previously, the thoughts of death in head, it's been a really scary time.
