had a bad day, very sick again

severe cramping...rash back on stomach. lots of diarrhea today. and the odd thing...I've been drinking fruit punch gatorade only, red. any other time I drink that it turns things bright red, not like blood though...I can usually tell the difference between that red and blood red...anyway today my bowel movements have been almost yellow. family doc is out of town with no associate to cover for her, my GI doc appt isn't til Sept 9 and they can't get me in sooner and won't do any testing before that.

called every dermatologist in the phone book about the rash and they either are only seeing patients for things like warts and moles and the only 2 who are taking any conditions are booking into Dec and Jan. my rash isn't predictible enough, usually, to make an appt so far in advance.

the strage thing about the rash that I've noticed...the only type of connection to anything I can make...is that it shows up 2 weeks into my menstrual cycle. this has happened the last 3 months and wouldn't you know it 2 weeks to the day I started my last period it's back. I called the ob/gyn about it and they've never heard of such a thing supposedly then told me they won't even allow people with rashes in the office because of the pregnant women. I only talked to a nurse...she wouldn't even give the doc a message because it was so out there.    have an appt with them next week that I'm probably going to have to cancel now. the rash is in the same spot every time, doesn't spread, and no one around me has caught it which leads me to believe it's not contagious.

I'm just a mess right now and very miserable.

trust me I tried everything with those dermatologists and they didn't budge. my family doc is out of town, but I've seen her numerous times for the rash...I've had it off and on for well over a year now...and she has no clue what it is. I don't know if them referring me would get me in any sooner with those packed dermatologists, but I guess it's worth a try. unfortunately I think she's out of the office til the first week in Sept. I think it's crazy that the two major practices in the city and all but 2 of the private practices, are only seeing patients with moles, warts, or severe psoriasis. 4 to 5 months is a long time to wait to see a dermatologist!

my stomach is just getting worse and worse as the night goes on and still no red to be seen...blood or food coloring. obviously I'm happy about the blood thing, but baffled by the coloring thing. the cramping I'm having is almost as bad as when I had my colonoscopy prep and had to take 4 ducolax along with the full bottle of miralax I took hours before that.

I think I'm getting dehydrated though...getting dizzy. ugh! back to the fluids I guess.

the ER is in the back of my mind, but the last time I was there I got there at 10:50pm and was released at 7am. most of that time was spent in the waiting area...actually a good majority of it was, just for them to tell me I was dehydrated and that I should follow up with my specialist. I have so many symptoms they don't know what to focus on. you would think they could put 2 and 2 together to try to figure something out, but they've got these new forms where the nurse has to put down 1 main symptom and that's usually the only thing they focus on. it's pretty annoying actually because they don't even listen when you tell them there's more. so I'd probably get a cream for the rash and maybe an IV for the dehydration. not my idea of a good time. I'm just frustrated.

Closure, I hope you are feeling better and do go to the ER if you feel necessary. I have heard some herbs cure rashes and plan to try tea tree oil myself. I just need to order some from somewhere or find in the stores. Good luck! Karen