When to go to the ER?

So I have been battling a bad flare for about 3 weeks now. Currently on 30mg Prednisone. Yesterday I developed a fever of 102.5, called my GI and he started me on Cipro and Flagyl. Bloody diarrhea significantly decreased, no more fevers, but I feel like my abdomen (especially the left side) is significantly more tender to the touch and I feel a little bloated. He warned me about toxic megacolon and I am worried I am developing this. I don't have a fever, no vomiting, slight nausea (from the antibiotics), only pain with diarrhea, but I only went D 3 times (instead of my normal 10). Does this warrant a trip to the ER (I really don't want to) or could this be because my antibiotics are working? I've sent stool samples in, I should get my results back Tuesday.

Yes you may be going less because of the meds. I would have to feel like I was dying to go to the ER.

it doesn't sound like you have toxic megacolon at all. the antibiotics seem to be helping your flare. it would make sense to go if you were increasingly getting worse but you are improving...

i only go to the ER when i feel like i'd rather be dead than alive. so basically if i'm crawling from room to room because my gut is too inflamed to stretch out and stand/walk. also, if i can't talk, that's a bad sign. i stop talking when i'm in too much pain.

If there's no fever, don't worry about toxic megacolon.

I got it once and I was ill, so very ill. I was getting very high temperatures, despite being on Remicade. (The highest reached 105F on the night before I caved in and went to A&E.) When I was admitted, I was put on IV steroids for a day, which my GI took me off, sounding irritated with the doctor who'd put me on them. I think it was that brief burst of steroids which made me temporarily better; not the metronizadole I was put on, which I hated. To cut a long story short, I was discharged a few days later and immediately relapsed. Saw it out for a few more days, suffering from fevers and increasingly worse abdominal pain. After a sleepless night of intolerable pain, which was no better the next morning, my dad drove me to my GP, who took one look at me and decided to call an ambulance.

Back in hospital for 9 days, put on IV steroids and kept on them that time. It was also when I had the abdominal x-ray that revealed a distended colon.

And if you can't be arsed reading my life story, the take home message from my post is that when you get toxic megacolon, you feel very, very ill. Horrendously ill.

According to my Doc, Toxic megacolon is VERY rare. If you think you may have it go to an Urgent Care and have them check it out. The ER, will look at you however, if you don't have it they will just give you pain meds and fluids.

Your GI should be following you with this, ask to go into his office ASAP. Doc's don't like their patients going to the ER, makes them look bad.

So you did have an infection of some kind it seems...did they do stool samples as well?

With you getting worse, you made the right call.

You are still flaring, so hopefully the meds will have you feeling better by your appointment on Friday.

Again...did they do stool samples as well?



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