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Flaring and can't see my doctor... what should I do?

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Crohn's Disease
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Posted 3/22/2010 9:45 PM (GMT 0)
I am beyond frustrated with my doctor's office. I have been calling to try to get an appointment with ANY doctor and they are booked out until mid-April! I managed to get an appointment at another clinic (45 min from where I live) for tomorrow and they just called to cancel it, the provider won't be there. The only person I can get on the phone is the patient coordinator, who can do nothing but tell me they're booked and write down my symptoms. I feel as bad as I did pre-diagnosis. Bathroom 10-15 times a day, completely liquid with some blood, a cough from bronchitis that won't go away, and for the past week, fevers every morning around 6 am. Yesterday my temp was 103.7! I tried to go to work this morning, but after seeing one patient (I work in outpatient physical therapy), I had the chills so bad that I couldn't type, and standing for 10 minutes makes it difficult to breathe. My fever was 102 when I got home. I'm on cipro, Humira, entocort, and 6mp. Nothing is helping, and I can't keep missing work every day until I can see a doctor in April!

What can I do??? I left a message for my doctor, but generally they don't return phone calls, the patient coordinator does. Should I go to the ER? I am afraid at the hospital they will just try to throw prednisone at me and send me home. Please let me know if you have any ideas, thanks.

Posted 3/22/2010 10:25 PM (GMT 0)
WOW I can't believe you are on all that and still flaring. I wish I had some advice. I would say if you are really
that bad then yes go to ER. Pleae keep us posted.

Also what are you eating???? Try going to a complete liquid diet and see if that doesn't slow things up too.
When I'm flaring and can't get into doc I go all liquid chicken broth, etc....
Posted 3/22/2010 10:28 PM (GMT 0)
umm I am no expert but with that kind of fever i would go to the er
Posted 3/22/2010 10:50 PM (GMT 0)
If you don't go to the ER, I'd walk into your doctor's office and demand to be seen! They won't want someone with a temp that high sitting in their waiting room all day.
Posted 3/22/2010 11:21 PM (GMT 0)
i totally agree n hope you hv either gone to emerg or docs office.....keep us posted..lyn
you should not be working in that capacity with that high of fever imho
also u could hv seizures if temps get too high
get help asap plz
lyn
Posted 3/22/2010 11:22 PM (GMT 0)
I agree with everyone - ER, for sure.
Posted 3/22/2010 11:29 PM (GMT 0)
Skip the doc and go to the ER. Make sure they test your stool. I had Salmonella a couple of years ago, and everyone thought it was a Crohn's flare and missed the diagnosis for several months while I got sicker and sicker. You need to have your stools tested for C-difficile bacteria, and Salmonella. With a fever that high, something is definitely wrong. You may need to be admitted...don't just pass it off as a Crohn's flare. There may be something else wrong! Keep us posted and good luck
Posted 3/23/2010 1:55 AM (GMT 0)
Thanks everyone. I'm going to go to the ER tomorrow night. This sounds weird, but I have to go be fitted for my wedding dress tomorrow and I'm getting fined (I mean, "storage fee") every day I put it off. Trying on my dress with a fever sounds so fun... but I'm hoping they can do something for me tomorrow night.

And, to make my day complete, my toilet clogged and I can't find my plunger- haven't used it since I moved in here. Woooonderful.
Posted 3/23/2010 3:52 AM (GMT 0)
I can't believe that your primary care doctor is booked out for urgent issues. A fever like yours, with you on immunosuppressing meds, warrants an examination. Most primary physicians leave three or four appts open each day for urgent issues like yours. If this is the type of treatment you are getting, I would be shopping for a new primary care doctor! If you are having difficulty breathing and have that type of fever, you could have pneumonia or other lung problem. Wedding dress storage fees be darned - get yourself to the ER now.
Posted 3/23/2010 4:19 AM (GMT 0)
Call your GI and tell them you are losing weight. Tell them you have blood in your stool and you are going to the bathroom with D x times per day. You have to be very specific and graphic unfortunately. Ask the name of the person who is telling you the dr won't see you. Tell them you need to be seen TODAY. Ask them to have the doctor call you back.

That happened to me the first time I was sick; my GI (who up until that point I would only see for routine visits with mild colitis) was on maternity leave and the other drs were booked) - when I finally got in to see the dr (and he put me in the hospital for 2 weeks that afternoon) he told me I should have insisted on coming in to see him. Obviously easier said than done but you really need to insist. Or find another dr who will fit you in when you need to be seen.

If you have a fever though go to the ER. It's serious stuff that needs to be treated sooner rather than later so you don't get really sick. Good luck!!!
Posted 3/23/2010 4:34 AM (GMT 0)
Your temp is too high to ignore, something serious could be happening and you need to find out what it is. Definately go to the er in the morning when your temp is high. Good luck and keep us informed when you can!
Posted 3/24/2010 1:33 AM (GMT 0)
Update... feeling slightly better today, the fever topped out at 101.7 and then went down, stayed below 100 all day! My doctor's office called and I guess the doctor got the message about my symptoms, and they worked me into the schedule for tomorrow morning. I also have a CT scheduled for Thursday. Had they not called me, I was going to go into the ER tonight. My doctor thinks it could be an abscess, so we'll be discussing that among other things. Thanks for the advice!
Posted 3/24/2010 2:06 PM (GMT 0)
Good luck sweetie, and keep us posted on the results of your tests. Hugs!
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