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Pain when I walk! Help, no insurance! Doc wants me to go to ER!

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Crohn's Disease
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Posted 9/16/2011 5:01 PM (GMT 0)
What should I do?

He changed my Imuran dose 10 weeks ago and I've been in an active Crohn's flare ever sense ... four weeks on Entocort did not help. Magic Mouth wash and 40 mg prednisone cleared up mouth ulcers and yeast infection ... but after a week on prednisone, my symptoms are only getting worse in the abdominal area. I can't walk without bad left flank pain.  I had explosive D yesterday that I lost bowel control and had to throw my panties in the trash at work. Feel flu like now and not going to work today ... can hardly walk.

GI doc wants me to to the ER .. thinks if prednisone isn't workign that there is something going on ... but my new insurance doesn't cover Crohn's until Oct 1 (date I got married last year) ... so what is a gal to do?  I also was in the hosptial for similar symptoms two years ago with Ilieitis.

Argh!!!! My new husband is trying to be empathetic but it is hard for him too. The financial end of it is hard ... my GI doc wants to do a $2k CT scan and I'm refusing. 

Thanks.

Posted 9/17/2011 3:24 PM (GMT 0)
Just wondering if there is something else he could add in for the mean time until the insurance kicks in? I really think you need the ER now too, but I also understand the financial situation. Hugs!
Posted 9/17/2011 3:51 PM (GMT 0)
I have no idea if this is an option, but is there any way that they can put you on the insurance now if you're willing to pay a bit more? I mean, it has gotta be cheaper to get you on an insurance plan sooner than it is to pay a 2k scan bill! (at least I would hope so...) I would give the insurance company a call, and see if they're willing to work with you, since you'll have it in 2 weeks anyways.
Posted 9/17/2011 4:59 PM (GMT 0)
Ask if the hospital will postpone billing until you have insurance. Your health is number 1.
Posted 9/17/2011 9:05 PM (GMT 0)
Has your doc ordered a stool culture? Maybe you have c. difficile or an infection and need antibiotics, not just steroids. I was very sick several years ago,and they kept increasing the prednisone while I got worse and worse. We finally found out I had salmonella (food poisoning). Once I took the antibiotics, I finally got better. I hope you feel better soon. If you have to to to the ER, you can probably at least work out a payment plan with the hospital, or sometimes If you talk to the hospital billing office and explain your situation, they may write some of it off. I'm sorry for all you are going through. Feel better soon
Posted 9/18/2011 3:17 AM (GMT 0)
THanks for all your feedback ... isn't it too sad that I'd be willing to pay for this insurance and can't get it?

I finally went to the ER and settled on having an XRay as it picked up my obstruction due to dehydration last time I was hospitalized where a CTscan didn't pick up anything. A XRay is cheaper.

However, they didn't find anything. The Nurse Practiionare, however was awesome. He knew I was in pain and treated that. Consulted with two on call surgeons, listened to me in detail and put me on a IV fluids (a must wiht pain ...) and gave me additional IV steriods and then a course of Flagly. They wanted to do a CTScan but agreed that if I called in the next day and had any increase in symptoms I should have more blood work and then probably look at possible other problems. I'm still not out of the woods, still very sore but have some pain relief.

What I learned is that Vitamin Water does not have enough or adequet electorlytes in it ... and he said to switch to Gatorade. I wonder how much of my pain was due to lack of electorylites. I still may have a narrowing of my bowel or other problems, but time will tell ... right now, I'm not acute.

As for C. Diff, I got that the last time I was in the hospital and had it for five months while I was on steriods and it didn't occur to me until I was tested ... so, yes, always something to suspect. However, I don't have the excessive D .. in fact, I have not had any bowel activity for three days and just started passing gas as I'm starting to eat a little yogurt and rice crackers ... so I'm worried more sbout low bowel mobility ...

I'll keep you all posted and thanks for the reply ... and my new husband is so patient ... he is learnign and we are learning together. God, I hate Crohn's!
Posted 9/18/2011 4:30 AM (GMT 0)
Oh my!! NO to vitamin water. That stuff is fine in a pinch, but honestly, I found out a little while back it's really not much better than Koolaid!! I never knew, then one of my friends saw my drinking some and said, "Are you sure you want to be drinking all that sugar?" So, I suggest Gatorade or Pedialyte. Both seem to provide the needed electrolytes for me :)
Posted 9/18/2011 5:45 AM (GMT 0)
I couldnt walk once cause I had a abscess start in my abadmon and come out my back side area. Man you just never know. I thought I had a sore hip from prednisone turned ouit i had a huge infection. Gooooood luckkkkkk
Posted 9/18/2011 6:13 AM (GMT 0)
Gatorade works well, just be careful of all the sugar. Too much sugar in the gut can trigger diarrhea. Might be a good thing if you are stopped up, but once things clear up, mix it with water, or just be careful how much you drink. I had to do gatorade for a while after a particularly bad gut bleed episode.

Another thing you can look for, for emergencies, is "rehydration salts". You can find them online, and in some good outdoor supply stores (REI, etc). They can be expensive, but if you shop around you can find them cheap. Basically its powdered electrolytes you add to water and drink. I keep some in all my vehicles, and take it with me when I travel, just in case. If you search rehydration salts some more, you can also find "recipes" for home made rehydration drinks using small amounts of sugar, salt, etc. It works in a pinch.

Good luck, and I hope you feel better soon.
Posted 9/18/2011 4:13 PM (GMT 0)
Hey never knew about rehydrated salts ... will look out. Do you know a good source online?

I am worried I have not had any bowel activity since Thursday and it is Sunday although I've been taking some pain meds with stool softners ...

How do you know if you have a partial bowel obstruction? Or narrowing? I guess I will not really know until I have a colonoscopy Oct 1 ...???
Posted 9/18/2011 6:01 PM (GMT 0)
the doctors always ask that if you able to fart then you're ok.

narrowing is easier to see via xray than colonscopy though.. but oct. 1st is right around the corner!

when i dont poo after a few days, my GI dr told me to take lax-a-day to release the pressure (my problem is that i have a "lazy" sigmoid).

good luck!!
Posted 9/18/2011 6:27 PM (GMT 0)
Is xlax really a good thing for someone with Crohn's to take? I've always been scared so I take stool softners ... ???
Posted 9/18/2011 6:33 PM (GMT 0)
If it's a partial obstruction, a little bit of stool and gas can still get through, especially if there is gas or stool in the colon, although it's less likely things will move a lot.

I've looked at the vitamin water at Walmart and passed when I saw the sugar content. For me, anything that is liquid sugar (including Ensure) would be a very rare treat, indeed, and only when the "d" ain't too bad. ;-)
Posted 9/18/2011 6:57 PM (GMT 0)
What about Smart Water. It doesn't have any sugar in it. Just some added vitamins and electrolytes. Not sure exactly what, someone told me to try it once. I bought some, but the bottle is in my garage, not really handy at the moment....
Posted 9/19/2011 1:01 AM (GMT 0)
Have you tried Coconut Water? That has all 5 essential electrolytes, it is more hydrating than water and if you get plain only has natural sugar from the coconut. It is a really good source of potassium. I drink it when I am in a flare and feel like I am not hydrated enough.

And you do have to watch how much you drink because too much can cause D, so maybe it would help you with that too. I have had one or two servings a day without a problem but I did read that outdoor people or folks using it as a sports drink should be careful not to over do it or they could have some D.
Posted 9/19/2011 1:57 AM (GMT 0)
THanks Cupcakespinkgal ... is coconut water the same as coconut milk in this case?
Posted 9/19/2011 2:04 AM (GMT 0)
No it is actually the water from inside the coconut. I think the milk is pressed from the meat of the coconut. Most grocery stores carry it now because it has become quite popular. But I have also found it at The Vitamin Shoppe, Trader Joes, and Whole Foods. I find Trader Joes has the best price overall and carry small ones and the 1 liter, the 1 liter is usually the best deal. But some brands at Whole Foods also go on sale and if it is on sale for the week it is usually a pretty good price.
Posted 9/19/2011 2:06 AM (GMT 0)
Oh and my brother loves the taste, finds if it is really cold it is really refreshing. I personally don't really care for the taste, but I make smoothies a lot to get liquid nutrition and I have found several smoothie recipes to use it in and then I like the flavor it adds. I just don't seem to like it straight up!
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