UPDATE-Still in hospital, no surgery yet.

I know being in the hospital is miserable, but it is the best place to be when you are really sick because they can get the tests done quickly instead of waiting days. I was in the hospital once for about 3 weeks while the doctors went back and forth on surgery. They actually scheduled it then canceled it hours before, only to reschedule it a few days late. I was on TPN for most of the time I was in too. The steroids might do the trick to bring the inflammation down and buy you some time to at least decide what your options are. It is always best to go into things having considered every path instead of as an emergency. In my case it turned out that my stricture was scar tissue and needed to come out, but we needed to try the TPN and the steroids to make sure. It just was hard for me because it was over Mothers Day and my daughters were little and couldn't come in to see me. I was a bit scary with all the tubes.

Just remember how long it would be taking them to figure all this out if you weren't in the hospital, weeks and weeks to schedule these test. That should make it a little bit easier because for every test that gets done faster, you will be feeling better that much sooner. See there is a silver lining!

((((((Big Hugs)))))))

((((((Dana)))))). I hope they'll figure it out soon. It was sort of the same with my husband too - he was in the hospital for 45 days, with c-diff and then diagnosed with crohn's on top of that. Once they did a colonoscopy and figured out how severe the inflammation was, he was followed by a surgeon as well, who went over all the details of the possible surgery with us, while the GI did everything possible to prevent that surgery, including 120mgs of solumedrol, bowel rest, and Remicade. It was remicade that saved my husband from surgery.

I hope the steroids, will help calm down the inflammation. Ask your GI about remicade and if it will be appropriate for you (it may not be the best if you have stricture forming or scarring disease). It really is best if you exhaust every medical option, before resorting to surgery. While it is very hard to wait these days for them to figure it out, it is unfortunately sometimes necessary. They must try something, and see if it works, then move on to the next thing to try, and wait, etc. If nothing works, is when they'll go to surgery.

(((Hugs)))) Hang in there sweetie. The TPN hopefully will give you energy. Do insist on some pain meds to help get through each day. Also, something to sleep at night maybe. This too shall pass honey. It's only a matter of time until you are out of the hospital and on the path to recovery.

PV

Im so sorry your going through this Dana! As most have said, your in the right place. I had a hospital visit 2 weeks ago, emergency doc's thought I was possibly septic, ended up just being a flare. I was in for 24 hours and the second day, a dr. came into my room, looked at me and said....."we know you are having a colostomy done on the 23rd, so what do you want us to do?" Im not kidding, "what do you want us to do?" was his question. Let me say, quite a few nasty horrible things went through my mind as to what I would LIKE him do have done, but family was in the room and I coudn't show them that I can turn into a potty mouth sometimes! lol. Waiting is the worst thing, but try to walk around, keep your mind as busy as possible!

Latest News: Still in hospital, steroids for two days, antibiotics since Sunday night, TPN, and now my blood sugar has sky rocketed and I'm getting insulin. Doctors are still on the fence as to surgery, but my GI and I are on the same page to do everything we can to avoid it if possible. Thanks you everyone for responding and all the well wishes, that helps so much :)

Resection and then repair a fistula. That surgeon was wanting to do it 2 days after I got here, had it not been for my GI doctor I think he would've too. And I know now I was so inflamed it would have not been a good idea at all to do it. Thank God my GI doctor was here.

Yeah that's what my personal GI doc is saying to the surgeon. He told me that if they went in now with all the inflammation he wouldn't be able to tell good bowel from bad. Bottom line it's my decision and if my GI says no I am not going to do it. I trust him, been with him for years and I know he wouldn't lead me down the wrong path. As to the fistula, I've had it about 4 years and I did remicade which worked on it, but it's back with this flare. I am on Humira right now but going back to remicade. I'm on IV steroids right now and antibiotics. I haven't eaten since Saturday night last week and they have me on TPN. I'm in the big city at a good hospital. I just think this surgeon is gung ho to cut, but I have the last say unless there is an emergency or something. Thanks for your input.

I did see it and OH boy was the incision bigger than what the surgeon had even showed me it would be. I do not want to go down that road until all other options have been exhausted. I really don't see the surgery happening this time around.