Need more help.

I think the cycle that landed me in the hospital is starting over. They cannot find and infection in the hospital and say my pain is nerve pain. They have pumped me full of antibiotics. First time it was IV Cipro and Flagyl. The second time it was Zosyn. I mean they gave me tons of bags of these. So I got out of the hospital on Saturday. Now the fever has returned. This is what happened last time. I was in the hospital from Jan 27- Feb 1 when I was admitted my WBC were 18000. Then the fever came back on Feb 3rd. The pain got worse on the forth and I went back to the hospital and was admitted at midnight between the 4th and 5th. At that time my WBC were 20,000. I was released on the 9th. Now the fever is back.

In the hospital they could find no source of infection. They said the prednison I am on must be spiking my WBC. However before this started while I was on the same dose of prednisone I am now my WBC were only 14000. Has anyone ever had prednisone spike their WBC this much? Anyone know anything hat could help me? I don't want to end up back in the hospital in two days.

Hi. I am new to the site. I have been stalking since the end of August, lol. (I don't if my sig will show up, but I was DX with Severe Ulcerative Colitis on 081512, from excessive antibiotic use.) I have spent three long stays in the hospital, and joining the site was if you can believe it, was just too much effort. I have learned a lot.

Teddtlove, my initial diagnosis, they loaded me with asulumedral (120mg/24 hrs and morphine) and they released me after 2 and a half weeks. Three days later I was back in with very high WBC, and fevers adn they had no idea of what to do with me. I obviously refused antibiotics. So they did 2 Sigmoidoscopies, took biopsies (twice) and after 3 weeks of high fevers, and no additional meds other than pred (which I was resistant) and Diladid, the pain was quite high, they diagnosed me with CMV Ulcerative Colitis. They took 7 biopsies total, and I was just very lucky that they hit the right spot. I then spent 28 days on Ganglovir thru a Picc Line, and now the CMV is in remission. (Ironically, my fevers started 21days after one of my daughters, who is in nursing school, had just received her inoculations for nursing school, and she came and slept with me each night.)**When CMV is in remission, Pred works. I have not been off Pred since August.

Please excuse my awkwardness, and if I give too much or too little information please let me know. I cannot tell you how much I love this site, and after 5 GI's, the one I have now, ALWAYS wants to know the latest on here from me. I am quite fortunate.

I will post more on where I am at, as I do believe I need a ton of advice!!... possibly later on today, as I am having issues, HA!...and have questions.

Thanks Madcat. Really. And I live on the search, I seriously have been stalking since august.

Several of my docs said, that there are infections that make pred obsolete. CMV is one of them. There is a blood test to take but it is not as accurate. It is worth asking the question.

Mags

it's probably from the humira. that stuff totally threw me down on the ground and stomped on me mercelessly. my fever had been 103 F for a few days before i ended up in the hospital for 6 days. they were able to get my fever back to normal with tylenol and vancomycin. my wbc was 15,000 but now it's down (not sure of the numbers). all the doctors there said never take that crap again and how it would kill me.

Sorry for the late reply. CMV Colitis: http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/173151-overview

That will give a good overview. Biopsies however, are the accurate way to confirm diagnosis. I was disturbed to find out that CMV is not tested on the bloods used for transfusions. But once discovered, and a full course of Anti-VIRALS (not antibiotics) then, colitis drugs and prednisone are free to do their thing once again. I have never had the humira. My thought is, I either got it from my daughter, who was inoculated for nursing school, or I got it from a blood transfusion. I am just glad the CMV is in remission. PathogenKiller, my story seems to be neverending at this point, but working on it.

It just sucks cause they have to make sure to biopsy just the right place. You can get a blood tests for CMV.. almost every good Rheumy runs one, Im told..

The thing Im understanding about blood tests are that these viruses, helminths, protozoal, fungi and bacteria are all so smart by now they evade the human immune system and dont produce the antibiody.. so serology can be sketchy. Its also expensive and hard to get your doctors to order.

What happens is that when you are given an immune suppresive and you have something like this, the virus usually scatters out of the blood and fluids, the best vectors for the meds and into the tissues and brain.. it loves to go to the brain actually cause it can cross the barrier and most drugs cant. Insterestingly, you can usually see CMV in urine, blood and tissues biopsied unless its gone all stealth ;)