Hi all,
My name is Edie and just joined to try and find a solution to help my dear Mother. Let me give you a little background first. This is the only forum anywhere close to fistula/ tpn that I could find. Last year Feb, she was diagnosed with Uterine type II cancer. Complete hysterectomy / staging in March - stage 1B. Dr prescribed 6 rounds of chemo, but after two she became ill. May - took her to hospital for what they thought was pneumonia, but after a week found out it was a huge abscess in her abdominal. GYN/Onc did surgery for abscess, and small bowel resection. Two days later in icu she was leaking. Emergency surgery and another bowel resection. Because of inflammation they put in a biological mesh and wound vac. Amazing it has closed up the hole in her stomach fairly quickly. Sept.. bubbling area in wound vac later diagnosed as small bowel fistula. Ordered for tpn for bowel rest. She has been on it since then and it doesn't seem that it's ever going to close. Went to surgeon for 2nd opinion. Basically she's lucky to be alive.
Two weeks ago she started running 103 fever. I took her to emergency room and she was there for two weeks. CT scan was done no obvious sign of fistula leakage. Could not find any bacteria infection or fungal infection. They have checked for everything. She is very very cold, still running fever where it spikes (usually at night). Oncologist is wtg for more bloodwork results. She does her tpn at night for 12 hours. I don't know what to think anymore. She is 76 years old and has had onehellofa year. Has anyone had this type of complication before? Intermittent fever for 3 weeks now? Dr's think it's viral with some complications of her condition. She is very anemic as well. Even after 2 pint transfusion red blood cells are dropping. White blood cell are stabilized.
Sorry for being so long winded but wanted to give you all the background. They did test her for Crohn and that was negative. Sigh..
Thanks everyone!
Edie