Hi everyone,
Well I’m sitting on my bed with the air conditioner on full-blast, it’s so muggy up here because it’s been raining constantly.
Yesterday after my skin-check appointment I took myself to the ER; I’d woken up in such discomfort I was really feeling helpless and desperate for some answers. I was faint and shaky and couldn’t stop crying. I talked to my dad and BF on the phone in the waiting room and said I feel like I’m asking for help and nobody is listening! Well they listened; the guys at emergency were so nice. I had to wait 2 hours before I saw a Dr but I’m glad I hung around. She told me straight away that I’d done the right thing coming to emergency. They took bloods and ran an x-ray of my abdomen, she wanted to do a CT scan but she said being young and having crohn’s, they only want to run CTs when absolutely necessary because they don’t want me exposed to unnecessary radiation, since I’ll be having a lot of those tests done in my lifetime..
Bloods came back with normal CRP which was great, white blood cell count was normal – but I had horrible pain running down my left side and around my back, it went right down my leg and my pelvis and left side of abdomen were so sore. The xray showed impaction higher up (examination had proven no rectal impaction) – so things would take a while to move out. They gave me movicol and I jsut kept taking laxatives. They gave me a litre of fluids and said they would wait for the bloods before deciding to admit me with steroids. When the CRP came back they said I could go home, so that was a relief... I was seen by 3 doctors; a regular general dr who was lovely, had my tests organised and examined me; a head dr who told me I was flaring, because the soreness around my abdomen was severe and if I weren’t flaring it wouldn’t hurt so much; and a 3rd who was from the gastro unit; she said my crohn’s has done a flip and is now presenting as severe constipation and impaction instead of previous diahorrea, and recommended i take daily laxatives. I mentioned the problem with coming to rely on laxatives, but she said for now, don’t think twice just take them.
I felt horrid when I got home and started running a fever. Lucky me had no food in the house so I had to drive myself home nearly falling asleep, shaking with cold and then go to the supermarket to get food! Argh. I found a poncho in the back of my car – must have looked hilarious; it was sunny in the morning, and not planning on going to the ER, I’d dressed in a summer t-shirt and shorts; FROZE the whole time at hospital especially with 1litre cold IV fluids, and then was shaking in the supermarket, stylishly attired in poncho and shorts! With bandaids all over my arms, they couldn’t find my veins due to the cold..
I ran a fever last night and crashed out, slept from 7-9:30 and woke up feeling very delirious. Having a crazy day like that on your own makes you forget what actually happened, it seemed like a blur until I came to. All night I was up and down going to the bathroom, usually just liquids so today my muscles are all very sore in my arms legs and mainly in my bottom (just sitting is so sore, or laughing, my bottom muscles hurt!) but this morning I am relieved to find I am not going as often, and my fever has well and truly disappeared. I’ve already decided I’m taking the day off work tomorrow, after spending a day at hospital on Saturday I deserve a day of rest!
Whilst I was physically alone the whole day, my lovely boyfriend was on the phone to me constantly, and offered to fly up from Sydney, but he’ll be here next weekend for remicade, so that is enough for me 
I’m very lucky. My parents freaked out and that always makes me feel horribly guilty for causing them worry, but they’re ok today because I’m feeling better than I was yesterday and I finally got some answers and mechanisms for coping. For now I am going to take laxatives/softeners every day and just work out what works for me..
Well there’s my update... how are you going Ivy?