| JANUARY 16, 1999 This update deals with the addition of two more diagnoses... duodenitis and Crohn's Disease... and the account of my stay in the hospital that lasted five days. But before I start I do need to tell you that occasionally I will skip my periods for months at a time and when it resumes it is generally quite heavy with a lot of cramping. But I just had my period in December, so when it started I thought it would be light and pain-free. JANUARY 10 As you've probably guessed, everything started today with my period. It was light but I was cramping something terrible. In fact, it was far worse than any of the labor pains I had ever had. I started taking Tylenol l000mg every three to four hours without much, if any, relief. My period continued to be light but the pain was incredible, I just couldn't figure it out. Early in the morning, I had increased the Tylenol to about 1500mg every two to three hours until early that evening. It was then that I spoke with a pharmacist friend of mine who reminded me that Tylenol, in that high a dose, was very harmful to the liver so I switched to Ibuprofen. By that night I was taking OTC [over the counter] Ibuprofen every hour and still hurting. JANUARY 12 When I woke up that morning I was still hurting. Shortly thereafter, I started vomiting blood. I didn't know if it was from all the Ibuprofen and Tylenol or what but I needed to see a doctor. I called my GP who said they could work me in the next day. I told them what was wrong and they said to come right in. By the time I got there I was slumped over from the pain and crying. She did a rectal exam which proved to be +OB [positive for Occult Blood]. After telling me I knew better, she told me she was admitting me into the hospital for 24 hour observation. I was admitted directly to a room on the second floor. The first problem they had was getting an IV started. After the first attempt, I just about puked my guts up.... not because of the IV... just timing. In fact, I think I vomited something that was not supposed to come up that way. Three people and four tries later I had a patent IV infusing Sodium Chloride and Dextrose. All the years of taking steroids has made my skin very tough. Labs were drawn [CBC, Liver function profile, and Electrolytes] and I was sent down to x-ray for a KUB [kidneys, urethra, and bladder x-ray] and upright abdomen. Shortly after returning to my room, I was sent back down for a sonogram and back to x-ray for a CXR [chest x-ray]. Up to this point I not had anything to eat that day. I was given a clear liquid diet for dinner which, essentially, I did not eat. JANUARY 13 If you've ever been in the hospital, you know how little rest you actually get. Labs were drawn the first thing that morning. I think it was a sed rate[sedimentation rate] and pancreatic enzymes. My IV was changed to potassium chloride because my K+ [potassium] was low. Since I had quit vomiting, my diet was upgraded to a soft diet for breakfast, which was a scoop of scrambled eggs and a bowl of oatmeal. The gastroenterologist came in and told me I was scheduled for a CT scan and I needed to drink some iodine mixed in juice... 8 cups of juice to be exact. The CT scan was strange. I didn't like it or how it made me feel. They told me I would feel really warm and let me tell you that's not the half of it. I wish I could explain to you how that felt. It was different and somehow scary. Of course, once it was over, the sensation was too. My diet was changed back to clear liquids and I ate some Jell-O and a few bites of a popsicle for lunch. No dinner and I was to remain NPO [nothing by mouth] since I was to have the endoscopy in the morning. JANUARY 14 Naturally, I was awaken by the phlebotomist wanting to draw more blood. The endoscopy was scheduled for early morning. I was taken down to ASC [ambulatory surgical center] where they put me on 02 [oxygen] and ran an EKG strip. To be honest, I was really nervous. I had never had one and didn't know what to expect. As a nurse I have placed numerous NG tubes [nasal/gastric] in my patients and no one ever seemed to enjoy it. I was wheeled into the procedure room and given some kind of IV med and the last thing I remember was the doctor telling the nurse to give me 0.5cc more. I was back in my room by 10AM. I was all right, kind of drowsy and couldn't remember a thing. My GP came in and told me they had found duodenitis and I would be discharged on antibiotics. The IV was D/C'd [discontinued] and heplocked. I was given a clear liquid diet for lunch. Afterwards, the gastroenterologist came in and once again I heard I had duodenitis. However, he said after examining the location and extent of my pain, it did not support that as the sole diagnosis. He said the radiologist said the CT scan was suggestive of Crohn's and he was scheduling me for a colonoscopy in the morning and I was started on Pentasa that evening. By 2PM I was started on the prep for the colonoscopy that was scheduled for 8:30AM the next day. I had to take GoLytely in 2000cc [64oz] of water drinking 60cc [2oz] at a time. The stuff tasted like liquid salt. It made me go nonstop from about 4PM to midnight. I was so sore from wiping and that salt pouring out you just wouldn't believe it. Now up to this point I had been getting pain medication in suppository form. I knew this wasn't going to work very well so it was changed to pill form. JANUARY 15 The phlebotomist came in to draw an H&H [hemoglobin and hematocrit]. And then I was given that lovely pink surgical prep soap to wash up. Once again I was wheeled to the ASC. Another EKG strip was ran, my IV was restarted, the O2 was applied and I waited my turn. My GP came in while I was waiting and said she wanted to have a small bowel series ran but it could be done on an outpatient basis if it couldn't be scheduled for today. And when the test or tests were done I could go home today. Shortly after she left, I was taken to the room for the colonoscopy. Since I had now had an endoscopy, I was certain I wouldn't feel any pain but I was afraid of being embarrassed by having an accident. But, I really wasn't apprehensive, but I should have been. There was an unexpected turn of events. They put the anesthesia in the IV the same as the day before, but this time the IV tubing was clogged and they didn't know it. When it was clear I was not getting drowsy, they put in a second dose. I was still very alert and the doctor kept asking me if I was drowsy and I kept shaking my head no. He then asked the nurse if my IV was running and it wasn't. She took a syringe drew out some IV fluids and returned it to start it running again. I was out almost immediately. My BP dropped to 50/30 before they were able to stabilize me then I started to hemorrhage which was stabilized too. When it was all over, I was extremely drowsy as you can well imagine. I learned all this as the procedure nurse was giving my floor nurse report. The procedure nurse then told her she was going to take me for the small bowel series the doctor had ordered. I don't know what she was told but she lost. I was taken to my room and it's a good thing too. It was 10AM and I didn't wake up until 4PM. And I was still groggy but alert enough for the small bowel series. It's at this point that the gastroenterologist came in and told us he wasn't able to go up much further than about twelve inches but what he saw was normal. He wanted the small bowel series done before I could go home. I was taken down to x-ray around 4PM. After drinking the barium, the series was started but it didn't get done until shortly after 6PM. Once I was taken back to my room, I learned they could not reach my doctor and they did not know who was on call for her. I was going to have to stay another night. I got my first meal at this point. Oh, here's a little side note. I decided with everything I had had done and having had ate next to nothing for four days that I must have lost some weight. You know what? I was right. I had lost 0.2 pounds, that's all. Unbelievable! JANUARY 16 I woke ready to leave that morning. The doctor who was on call for my GP came in around 10AM and said I could leave. I immediately got dressed and went to the nurse and told her I was ready. She told me he had decided I could not leave until the report from the small bowel series returned. By noon, it still wasn't there and I was beginning to think it would not be read until after the weekend. So, I asked her what would happen if I just left. She said it would be all right since the doctor had said if we couldn't get the report back, I could go ahead and go home. I could have shot her. Anyway, long story short, who knows if it's Crohn's Disease or not. They gave me a prescription for Pentasa 250mg and told me to take four pills QID [four times a day] until I saw the doctor in three weeks. The cost for three weeks worth of Pentasa was a mere $180. MY THOUGHTS It is September of 2002 and I am renovating the look of my site. As such I am proofreading all my pages and a few interesting things have come to light.
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You are listening to Memories from the musical Cats, written by
Andrew Lloyd Webber and T.S. Eliot. I felt this song was a perfect
selection
for this site because of the affiliation I feel with Grizabella. Although
for her,
it was age and not health issues that changed her, neither of us are who
we
were before, on the outside, and it can affect how we feel on the inside.
Disclaimer:
The author of this page does not promote, support, or recommend any
particular treatment or medication for any medical condition. The opinions
expressed in stories or links are the responsibility of their authors.
No treatment should be undertaken without the supervision of a physician.
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© 1998 - 2007 Jo Trackler
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This site may be freely linked to but not duplicated in any
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Since December 19, 2003