HealingWell
Search Close Search
☰

Might be time for hospital

Support Forums
>
Ulcerative Colitis
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply
❬ ❬ Previous Thread |Next Thread ❭ ❭
Posted 5/15/2009 5:32 PM (GMT 0)
Well, not good news today about my Adam. Was feeling better earlier this week,and once again I thought he was finally coming out of this flare, but today is feeling terrible again. Just exhausted, no energy, laying on the couch, still has diarreah, etc. Has a doctors appt. on Monday, and we are all kind of getting resigned to the fact that hospital stay might be next. Prednisone just isn't kicking this thing anymore. He has planed out, and not getting any better. Jaw is still hurting, and having such a hard time eating. Talk about a double whammy for this poor kid. Guess my post is to ask about what we should expect with this first ever hospital stay if the doc decides he needs to do that. What do they usually do, how long should we expect him to be in there etc.?Thank you all for your support and answers to me during this horrible time for our family. Thanks, Lisa
Posted 5/15/2009 6:40 PM (GMT 0)
I actually welcomed my hospital stay when I was first diagnosed. My ex wasn't capable and/or willing to take care of me. I stayed for a week and was given IV antibiotics and fluids and inundated with cans of Ensure. Everything that I passed had to be collected and measured to determine how much blood I was losing. I was given demerol injections for pain.
Posted 5/15/2009 8:52 PM (GMT 0)
I was given IV steroids, regular suppositories, and other bits and pieces of medication. They kept an eye on what and how much I was eating, and also took stool samples. They also gave me a stomach scan and a flexi sigmoidoscopy. Wasn't particularly fun but it was the best place to be at the time!

Posted 5/16/2009 3:35 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Luvfraz,

My son, who is 17, has been hospitalized once. He was given IV steroids, antibiotics, suppositories and, as qwerty1 said, they keep track of what you eat and drink and also keep track of all your poop and urine. They need to make sure that dehydration is not a problem and also need to get a handle on how much blood is being lost. At the time, my son's hemo was 105 so we had some time to try to get the bleeding to slow down before there was going to a real problem. It ended up that he had to be in the hospital for 10 days. They did not want him to go home until they saw that switching to oral pred would not cause him to regress.

My son was quite ill at the time and having bowel movements, most of which were just blood, every hour...including all night long. He therefore was very content to be in the hospital and have someone looking after him all the time...only the push of a button away!...This was very reassuring to him and I must say that the nurses were wonderful.

Something that I learned from this....I previously had the misconception that IV steroids were so much worse than oral ones. Not the case. The amount he was given was equivalent to the 40mg that he would have taken orally, but since it goes directly into the blood stream it works that much better. He did not have any more of an issue with side effects (night sweats, mood swings, moon face) that when he was just on oral steroids. This was a huge relief to me and him.

We wish you and Adam all the best. If he is really unwell, the hospital is really the best place to be...for everyone's sake.
Posted 5/16/2009 12:52 PM (GMT 0)
As was the case with Princesa, I was grateful to go to the hospital. I received the IV steroids, my food intake was monitored (even had an interview with a nutritionist), as was my poop (which I ended up doing myself once the nurse showed me how). In addition, and the primary reason for my going to the hospital, I received a blood transfusion due to severe anemia. I was there for three days.

Upon my release I was a little shaky, but the cycle of bleeding/cramping had stopped and the oral prednisone became effective. All considered, it was a positive experience for which I am very thankful.
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply