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Crohn's and e.coli in water

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Crohn's Disease
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Posted 9/1/2018 1:26 AM (GMT 0)
I haven't posted in forever because I have been feeling better, until this week - my "concerning" Crohn's symptoms started back a few days ago, aside from the normal diarrhea etc - I've had blood and mucous in my very watery diarrhea. I've had a lot of gas (more than the ton that is usual) and it feels like my rectum is just holding water. I thought it was stress but just found out there is e.coli in the town water and has been for 4 days so we're under a boil advisory.

My question is: has anyone with Crohn's been exposed to e.coli and gotten thru it by just being sick for a few days or has in your personal experience gotten worse? My insurance changed and doesn't cover my drs visits (another issue I'm working on so please don't suggest the doctor 😟)

Any relatable experiences would be very helpful, I'm getting nervous with this news. sad
Posted 9/1/2018 2:11 AM (GMT 0)
I guess also part of the question to clarify is: Is being exposed to e.coli the same as food poisoning or getting the flu; like it could possibly trigger a flare depending on other factors but doesn't need special treatment, right? I'm on Humira if that makes a difference. Thanks for any help!
Posted 9/1/2018 11:09 AM (GMT 0)
Being exposed to ecoli in water is not the same as food poisoning. There are various strains of it. Since you are having issues not doing anything puts you at risk & you have symptoms. You need to ask yourself this question. Do I want to risk doing nothing & possibly end up with a huge hospital bill? It’s an infection, you can’t be on Humira with an infection like ecoli. Whether you want to hear it or not, you need to see your dr. This is something your pcp can handle.

I would not take a chance with this.
Posted 9/1/2018 4:35 PM (GMT 0)
Can you call your doctor and ask them to order a stool test without going in?
Posted 9/1/2018 5:07 PM (GMT 0)
Thank you! I don’t have the insurance to cover a lot of tests; in the past when I had great insurance (thru a good but stressful job I left) it seemed like they would just do every test imaginable for anything. And I always had to go in; even during a bad flare I had to see the dr once a week and he was 2 hours away. I guess I was wondering how they would even treat e.coli in a crohn’s patient. It gets too exhausting to even deal with sometimes.
Posted 9/1/2018 5:54 PM (GMT 0)
They can order a stool test as the other member posted. Ecoli like this would be treated with antibiotics. The stool test paying cash should not be that much.
Posted 9/1/2018 6:30 PM (GMT 0)
You can call your local lab and ask what they charge. I also found this online for $99. I don't know if that's better or worse than your lab.

https://requestatest.com/stool-culture-test?gclid=CjwKCAjw8ajcBRBSEiwAsSky_W14Wy6r3wiTVRKrNe_bm7dV7v-Lveiia4DtvDor10bmO5TASKHKlxoCmFwQAvD_BwE
Posted 9/1/2018 6:53 PM (GMT 0)
I had no idea you could order a test like that without a doctor; thank you! I’m going to check it out - obviously something’s off right now and it’s the first time I’ve found myself in-between insurance (and jobs) where this has come up. Even with insurance it felt like they would just order test after test without any clear conclusion. One bad bout in the early days after dx I was in and out of the hospital and finally had to refuse the 5th MRI over three weeks. The bill for the prior 4 was crazy even with my insurance and it didn’t tell them anything. Aside from a colonoscopy it was usually always “let’s start prednisone, cipro & flagyl” and I am kind of considering not going that route anymore.

Thanks so much for your replies, this is not a fun disease to deal with alone. sad
Posted 9/1/2018 7:05 PM (GMT 0)
You missed the part about calling & asking your PCP to give you a lab slip for the stool test. You must have a script.
Posted 9/1/2018 7:13 PM (GMT 0)
It looks like you can possibly get one without a dr. It says it's a direct to consumer lab testing, and they're obviously limited in what they can test, but I am looking for something specific (e.coli) they provide.
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