Is going to the ER a dumb idea?

I've been pretty sick for the past few days.  Fever, more pain than usual in the rectum.   The last few suppositories made me cry.  I've got a hemmorhoid that is killing me and the acid reflux has been bad.  Not so much after I eat, but after I go to the bathroom.  I'm shaky as all get out, have no energy and quite frankly am sleeping more than my cats these days. Yesterday, my eyes started acting funky as well.  No idea if its related, but probably. I called my GI doc yesterday - everytime I call him, I talk to the nurse and I have a new Rx.  It seems to me that he's treating the symptoms, but we've never had a discussion on how to get this under control and he's never really done much more than sit and listen to me.  I had a colonoscopy back in February through another GI doc who wanted to be a little more personal than I did, so that's when I went to this new doc.  I had an appointment a couple of weeks ago and the only thing he addressed was my hemmorhoid.  Said he didn't think my Proctitis was causing problems and didn't want to see me back until I saw a surgeon and had the hemi taken care of.  The thing is that I'm no doctor, but running a fever of 100-102 and being uncomfortable nearly every hour of the day is not something you want to let go for a month.  I need someone to talk to me and let me know that there is a plan of action under way and I don't have this with my current GI doc.

So I'm thinking about going to the hospital and letting them treat me.  I figure if I try to call a new GI doctor, it will take weeks or months to get in and going to the hospital may cut some corners as well as get some diagnostic work done to find out why I feel so bad.  Dumb idea?

I would definitely go to the ER.  I would also tell them you are not leaving until you get a new GI Dr.  When I was diagnosed in 2004, the Dr. I was seeing seemed to have been doing the same as your current Dr.  I called everyday and the answer was always let's try this....I ended up 10 days in the hospital with a TPN and a blood transfusion.  I also had lost 22 lbs ( I only wieghed 125), I had not an ounce of energy.  I could not do anything but get myself to work and home and slept....plus 2 young kids and like you, ran marathons(never an ironman ).    I feel for you.  I really hope you go to the ER.  In the end, I ended up on Remicade.  It gave me my life back!  Good luck!

You may also have a fissure, which are extremely painful.  I have already had 2 fissure surgeries.

I'd go to the ER, with all that's going on maybe they can knock it all out at once.

Hubby thinks I should wait until Monday and call my regular family doc and get his opinion. My feeling is that the pain is bad enough to warrant a hospital visit.

Christine: Yes, I have urgency and bleeding. The pressure isn't so bad right now. I do have to wear a pad because I'm always oozing something.

Mikkieb - Congrats on the marathon! I did my first one last year. Made me feel like a total stud!

have a definite diagnosis of UC, so going to the ER this past Sunday proved fruitless for me. they took 5 vials of blood for god only know what -- that is probably more blood than i lost during my flareup. I called 911 because spent the whole night going to the bathroom and thought they would give me an emergency remicade treatment-- that is actually what i was thinking. But they were not even familiar with UC, the attending emergency room doc did say that it was a very dangerous disease. he also told me something i didn't know-- that surgery would result in an internal pouch being made out of healthy parts of the intestine. i always thought i'd have a plastic bag hanging outside my body for some reason. but, nonetheless if the diagnosis is clear, ER i found doesn't do a lot and that they just said to make an appointment with a GI doctor. They asked me the most absurd questions too when the ambulance brought me-- like "how long have you experienced abdominal pain?" umm... i don't know, since like 1998! but if you don't have clear pre-existing diagnosis then i would imagine ER is always good option. i never had trouble making appointment with GI doctor within 2-3 weeks if you call a large enough clinic-- like a practice with 7-8 GI doctors.

You should go to the ER...if you have a good ER with board certified doctors in your town. You should also go someplace that has GI doctors on call. An academic medical center may be best for you. Weekends are always tough, especially if you are not critically ill. But, if you have a fever on presentation, with abdominal tenderness, you deserve a CT scan a the minimum. Your hemorrhoid can be examined, too.

Please don't sit home with fever and pain. Those are signs that you may indeed need hospitalization.

Good luck.

I would call the er to inquire if there is a GI on service. It's great if there is one, and there usually is. If not, I would probably go anyways if I was this sick. You need help, and the er might be the quickest way to get it, you will wait but you will be seen. Then they can do blood work, check you bp..and try and help you. You'll feel better knowing you're doing something about it.