Does not having the use of the colon affect immune system?

Hi,

STILL battling flu that started with a head cold. Chest better but dizziness and weakness way out of control.

Do people who have ileostomies have immune system issues as in takes longer to get over stuff, or catch stuff more easily. Would sort of make sense as we are all basically a bit dehydrated from constant loss of water, etc. Let me know.

Also does anyone else have this? A lot of people in my town seem to have this. Starts with sore throat, sinus infection, chest fills, fevers up and down, then feel better one day, worse the next. Some of the kids have had vomitting and diarrhea. This would put me in the ER (a place NOBODY wants to go) as I would need an IV due to having the ileostomy.

Caught this on the ship in the Bahamas and supposed to take off again April 26. Am thinking I may not make it. This next trip is a 6-week Israel bound trip.

Hodaya, Hope I get to see you, but at this point who knows. Everything is up in the air. If I get one more health issue.......... I just can't take anymore.

Let me know if anyone has any immune system stuff that works. I am checking with an allergist to see if they use Sero Bacterin any more as immune system helper. I think I remember getting this as a kid and the stuff did wonders.

Rosemary

I pick up any colds/viruses going around but I take immunosuppresants and Humira so that is a bit of a foregine conclusion in my case. Have to agree with summerstorm on the lack of bowel means stuff can't stay around long enough though as oddly never get the stomach upsets that are going round even if everyone else comes down with them.

Bactrim is good to use for infections, does not upset stomach although I was always told with Crohns more immune to getting things because immune system is not as strong? what do I know.. I am just so impressed with all the travling you are doing!

Crohns desease
Pelvic floor tention
pelvic floor adhesions
severe scoloiosis
depression'
anxiety

oh Rosemary.... so sorry you're struggling so hard still :(( poor thing. do you get immunization (is that the right word?) every year? i do, every year on Oct i get that shot to prevent flu, but i think the main reason they give me that is b/c i have lung disease. but in any case, maybe you should ask your family dr about it.

now pls pls pls...... you HAVE to feel better soon, israel and me are waiting for you!!!

He's at Mass General, in Boston, where I've had some fabulous docs..... very grateful for them.

I can see where the surgery is a whole different thing emotionally when you weren't sick and on a lot of drugs for a long time beforehand.....seems like it's often easier for those of us who were sick for a long time, as it's a way to get better.... not quite seeing that prize yet, but very hopeful.

I was on bactrim for a while for my cutaneous Crohn's (boils on my butt). It kept them in check, but I got a few other infections that were resistant to it. It made me nauseous for a while, and then I guess I got used to it..... I took tigan for the nausea and that helped. But I would not say it doesn't affect the stomach.... maybe in some people, but not everyone.

Rosemary,

I'm not sure where you are and it sounds like you found someone good already, which is great, but if you want, I can email you more specific info about my docs.

It must have been HORRIBLE to wake up and find out what had happened to you in the surgery ..... I can't imagine..... glad you were saved, but you must be or have been so angry....

     Oh Rosemary, so sorry to hear you are ill.  We always loved to cruise too but haven't been on one since 08 due to my battling UP and my operation last year.  I have a friend who contracted the Norovirus while cruising last fall and she was sick as a dog.  I heard the Norovirus could become life threatening for people with ostomies, so I am afraid to take the chance.

     As far as the weakened immune system is concerned, I believe it was more compromised while taking prednisone and the biologics, but I may be wrong.  Since my operation, I only had one cold and seemed to get over it fast.

     I'll keep you in my prayers for a speedy recovery!    God bless!

Thanks Christine. Prednisone would weaken your system so you are now better off. Glad you have been well with only one cold.

You are right about people with ileostomies; getting the Norovirus can actually be fatal IF those people are not given IV's and antinausea drugs. What you would do for the diarrhea, is leave the tail of the ostomy bag open and you would just drain out. Lucky I never contracted it with all the travel I've done, but I worked hard at not catching it as many ships were infected with it. So your concerns are legitimate. Lucky I only have this big respiratory issue going on now. So far no stomach stuff. Knock wood.

Blue,

I am in litigation with the folks who did the original unneeded surgery, (there was a misread on scan) Saw in surgery I did not have the issue identified on the scan and did the surgery anyway. (unreal as that sounds!) on review it was found they even did that incorrectly. Then they did many procedures not consented to, then no follow up to complications. So that is how I lost the use of my rectum and colon and for 7 months the use of my small bowel. They have multiple other similar suits on them unknown to me at the time, or I would not have gone to them. Yet our state med board lets them "practice on"

Whole different hospital in a different locale saved me. BUT any place who even suspects you are in litigation writes interesting things about you. The world of medicine I have fallen into is unbelievable. Nightmarish. BUT am lucky I found a place to deal and am hoping they stay in my corner with the physical help.

Rosemary

I'm a freak hand washer...I get less colds than anyone in my family:) Even while on Imuran I had very few...I don't get a flu shot either...

My husband, on the other hand, is always sick!

I don't think the missing colon helps/hurts our chances. I think it's more the germs you are exposed to...if there are a lot of people in your area that are sick you were just more exposed to it:(

I hope you feel better soon!

Blue,
No class actions as my atty said those can only be done I believe through injury from a drug or something on the market. BUT, yeah, our state med board covers the docs so they can keep on working. The state med boards are all run for and by the doctors, so no surprise there. BUT ours has made one change maybe to do with me and perhaps other patients. PRIOR to my surgery with my defendants I had called the Board and asked about suits and claims with the Board for these 2 docs. The rep I got said no claims, no suits. So I thought OK to proceed. At the time I did not know how to research suits on docs at county courthouses or I would have. They are all public record. Who knew esp in these days of the HIPPA law and so on. Turned out the rep I got was not knowledgable of the database or some issue. NOW they have you write in to one central person for this info. So the board in my state has made a change for the better. BUT, on these guys practice. In the process I have found that really only docs who out and out break the law are ever disciplined by their state board such as non-payment of income taxes, sexual advances on a patient, and things like that. It is rarely done for multiple medmal suits. What each state needs is a Patient Medical Board. An idea for the future???? Want to do what I can to be sure others don't get hurt needlessly like I did. I was a "get paid per procedure" type of thing. What I ran into is not real medicine, not the way it is practiced in most places. Very scary, huh? Normally things like this are needed surgery gone awry, but this is way different. Some of the suits are absolutely horrific. Same theme, unneeded stuff, done wrong, no follow-up to complications. Same old pattern.
Rose

Hi Blue,

Unfortunately suit settlements come with a gag order. That means the minute I get settlement I have to stay TOTALLY MUM. Or as I understand they can counter sue and get their money back. Settlement pays for your silence. What I had in mind was 20/20 or the Today Show But that will be a no-go. That is what perpetuates them being able to do this to others. This is what I had hoped to stop, but not the way things work. Maybe I can write a patient advocacy book or something to still help people. I can put in the part saying patients should skulk about the civil superior court clerk's office of the court house of the city in which the doc practices! Hardly what we as patients are thinking about when we go to a doc to get a problem solved or go on multiple consults as I did. Most patients trust, like we can, with MOST docs. But, it is scary..........R

Hi Blue,
I hear what you are saying. My initial issue was intermittent incomplete rectal emptying. Took about 2-4 hours and about 4-8 trips to the bathroom every morning to finish moving my bowels. Made me late for work. With what I now know I would have just taken early retirement, continued to take Miralax, done this in the a.m. and fully enjoyed my afternoons and evenings. Would not have gone for help. But it seemed extreme. 3 consults, (unknown to me) incorrect diagnosis, then the road I went down. But you are right. We all have an issue we are either sick with or inconvenienced by which we are focusing on. We don't go investigating. we tend to keep it simple: got a problem, go to the doc. Works in MOST cases. A real eye-opener on iatrogenic injury can be found at www.patient-safety.com/blacklisting_patients.htm. Tells how hard it is for iatrogenically injured patients to get help as was my case. Had I not gotten the lysis of adhesions and ileostomy after all my damages, I would have just died. Instead, I am enjoying life the way I can and go cruising a lot and ballroom dancing. So far so good. There are no promises. That is why I am totally in the now. Interesting, my LTD benefits I was getting from my school's insurance group were eliminated because they got wind I was on a cruise. (I had been a teacher for 17 years.) I have never regained the energy and stamina to return to full-time teaching upon which my LTD benefits were based, so even with them cut I just can't go back to teaching. So see there is this spiral downward politically once someone is iatrogenically injured. It's like falling into a well and calling for help. Those 13 months I was trying to get help after my injury until I finally got help were, so far, the worst 13 months of my life. Had I been run over by a truck or had had cancer, help would have been forthcoming much sooner and more rapidly and more openly. I DO have the material to write a best-seller. The made for TV movie is next. (Kidding! but you know what I mean.)

R

christine-you got that ostomy so you could have your life back, don't let the fear that you MIGHT,MAYBE get sick keep you from going on a cruise you want to go on! You could get a stomach virus anywhere, from anyone. See i think, the key on the cruise, is to keep your stomach full of alochol, so the germs don't have a chance :D Nah that won't really work. But take some immodium, take some phenogren, and alert the dr, if you get sick start on the immodium and the phenogren and hit the dr up for some ivs!