I have now destroyed son #2

Darn that is fast OM. My girl got sick hard and fast, but it still took 2 months for the hospital. I bet you are mad that he waited so long, but it human nature to deny and hope for self healing.
I am so glad you are on it. Do get on his electronic chart if there is one, it will save you from begging nurses for copies and driving him crazy with questions. You will know more that most anyone he encounters, so approach carefully. Just predicting that strong egos might get in your way. You've got this, Keep us posted. Hugs.

Hi Old Mike -
I am posting just to send you supportive vibes.

Do you think it's almost harder to think his issue might be UC exactly because you know so any of the potential negatives? Yikes. I know that with my young adult sons, I always worry about the "what if"s.

I am sure you'll update us when you know something. Hang in there.

I am sorry to hear it. I wish the news was better. I hope he gets back to 100% quickly and that things are very easy to manage.

Gosh, OM, so sorry to hear this. Hoping he responds quickly to medical care -

For whatever it's worth. I am your kids age, had uc flare and cdiff about a year ago. It sucked, felt like your son does now, but after an fmt for the cdiff, everything went back to maintenance.

Good luck, at least he has someone in you whose been through it.

Now I here the friggin initial stool test came up negative for c diff.
Now I have to find out what test they used, and if it one that produces a lot of false negatives.
I don't think that did culture.
If stool sat for more than 2 hours toxin will be gone.

Scope verified pseudomembranes.
I think they have pulled the quarantine from his room.
Makes me nervous they are jumping the gun based on false negatives.

Trying to get one of the doc.
Salmonella also produces the membranes, so that is why they need to do cultures.
His main gi asked my son if I was a doctor after I talked to her.
Boy I hate to get into a pi$$ing match,but I need to understand what they
are basing medical decisions on.
OM

Its always frustrating, but just bear in mind that they need to first rule out all that it is not before focusing in on IBD -even if there is family history.

Maybe the formal stool culture will still yield C-diff.

It just occurred to me - You should ask him if he took antibiotics for anything within a month or so prior to his symptoms. Also maybe ask him what his stool is like, though he may not want to talk about it. i.e. is it 'putrid', frothy, grey or normal coloured, or does he have the 'sulfur smell'... It's an awkward conversation, but could point in a direction.

Just trying to think of a few things that might help is all.

OM, I had pseudomembranous colitis 3 years back (identified on scope by yellow ulceration). None of my c diff cultures came back positive and neither did pathogen samples but it cleared for me well with just Flagyl so let's hope he responds this well too. I knew it was not normal flare for me, started with high temp and feeling flu like and the stools/wind smelt horrendous, you know usually we can tolerate our own smells at least but I could not hardly stand it myself. Blood kicked in very fast and when I took a probiotic things went completely nuts.

So hoping that the antibiotics do it for him. I knew they had worked as within a week I had pure D but absolutely no smell. Then took VSL#3 and things formed up within a few days. I was then good for a few months until I got a relapse and then a proper flare started but without a long history of UC he may clear up well with just the antibiotics.

Hoping it clears soon - make sure he really understands about the need to clean all with bleach etc in case it has been c diff.

Took me awhile.

Not all colon membranes caused by c diff, hypoxia, coli 0157 and other reasons.

OM

http://www.hindawi.com/journals/crim/2014/812704/

Sounds very complicated regarding diagnosis with lots of issues that need to be sorted and dealt with....together and in layers as things present and resolve. No, it didn't sound straight forward, but your son's self-monitoring is definitely an issue as well.

I hope he has support business-wise so that he will be able to heal without that mental distress taking over. Very difficult to not, tho.

Its good he has your research and advocating support....that will help immensely on many levels through his scary health crisis.

Hang tough, dad,
q

Maybe add to your son to communicate more with you as well...some have a high tolerance for health concerns compared to common sense. or...he tends to be in denial for a period of time before the aha moment, or the adrenaline carries him with a high pain threshold until it doesn't.

not being cruel here, just stating a possibility of why he responds the way he does.

Regarding the doctor's lack of concern...did your son demand admission at the time of discussion with the doctor? This is your GI?
Awesome thing he went to the hospital when he did. Lots of stuff happens very quickly when the body is in crisis.

thanks for the updates....your shock mode must he in perpetual high gear with minor breather in between.
q

Hard to realise how much is in play when we're "sick"....it's sure a subjective perspective compared to an objective one.

Are your sons close in communicating?

Sounds as though your son's health crisis will take a while to sort out. Hopefully, he'll be in the hospital long enough for the proper testing and treatment and follow-up afterward.

I guess you're also learning a lot more about your son as well.....light bulb moments never cease to amaze me.

q

Quincy:
Yes they are good friends, just like brothers.

Songlady thanks for the support.

Yes I have been able to do it, I have Pi$$ed off his nurse of the day.

I also find out from him when they started solumedrol it was 6 hours late, the
nurse missed the STAT order,but that was yesterday.

I also find out from him, the scope only went half way up the colon, the doc was afraid

to go any further,too dangerous, quite good sense on her part. I don't think she expected to

see what she saw.

I still say this is an atypical early onset UC presentation,but who knows what

living at 7500 feet does for hypoxia and UC. Looks like it makes it much worse.

OM

Post Edited (Old Mike) : 4/14/2016 7:59:57 PM (GMT-6)