Amy, did you go to med school too? Either I've a terrible memory (which I do) and I forgot, or I just never knew! Anyway, send me your email, Amy. I'll email you and tell you everything. For now,...
Hey everyone, I promise I didn't disappear...I just lost my password!! :-P. So, some good news first: my fistula has pretty much closed up. For those of you that are pessimists, don't be!! It can...
Angela, good to hear that the surgery is done and over with. I will hope for a speedy recovery for you and NO MORE darn relapses! So frustrating, hey? As for the pain, my friend, I'm so very sorry to...
Angela, Good luck to you, my friend...I hope everything goes well for you. I had an open laparotomy last year with the original surgery...it was done on July 30th, with a repeat resection done on...
i agree with celey....call em chipmunk cheeks...i had the moon face n i started to look like i was 10 again. ironically, when i was ten, i was also on prednisone and had those cheeks :o) don't be...
pb...I am very sorry for your loss. that saying is so true: god couldn't be everywhere so he made mothers...and your mother will always be with you as your guardian angel. bless her soul and the life...
I thought I'd start a fresh post on enterocutaneous fistulas being that I am forever wanting to know more about others' experiences and am getting flustered just searching :o( I've an ECF in my lower...
Hey Valerie, I'm just reading your posts for the first time and was wondering what type of surgery did you have? Was it a partial enterectomy because of your crohn's or did you also have a fistula? I...
ohhh, randynoguts, you're totally right. sorry!! i didn't mean to misinform everyone :o/ it is true, indeed, that tpn can up your weight but that's not TYPICAL, i guess, is what i meant...it's only...
To Rose481 and Crohnspt... I'm sorry I haven't been on lately as I've been a bit pooped (literally) and quite in the dumps...my fistula drainage had gone down to about 50 mL/day around the last time...
CROHNSPT, are you eating regular food? and has your doctor considered octreotide/somatostatin injections? it's supposed to lessen the secretions of your GIT. I wanted to start that medicine but am...
CROHNSPT, why did your doc put you on antibiotics? and i totally understand the joy you feel about getting them bandages and fabric tape...i use this pink tape stuff that's waterproof so it protects...
METHOTREXATE CAN MAKE FISTULAS WORSE. use it with caution. it made my fistula worse. and caused neutropenic fever. it dropped all of my blood cells ---WBCs particularly and I had to be readmitted...
I am presently on TPN and will tell you that TPN actually doesn't make you gain weight...it just helps you maintain your vitamin/mineral input. whatever you eat IN ADDITION to your TPN is what causes...
@ CROHNSPT, I forgot to ask, what'd your doctor end up saying? You saw your GI today as well, right?...
going to my surgeon this monday to see whats up with the fistula. He said he doesn't want to intervene surgically at all until this december, which would be 1.5 years after the start of the fistula...
to CROHNSPT, I actually don't have pictures of my fistula...I've really just been watching it and from time to time I see a wound care nurse to assess the fistula and how better to treat it. I've...
to kmfm, I actually do not have Crohn's disease. It was initially thought that I had it but I had no signs or symptoms of it, and I know that because I am a medical school graduate. I actually had...
CROHNSPT, I just wrote an extremely long response to your message but it got deleted! So I'll be short now because I am oh so sleepy. I am being tapered off of my TPN at present but I've had it since...
CROHNSPT, I'm not presently on any antibiotics but I've been on TPN since July 09. I originally had two picc lines in but that was because at the time of my surgeries in July, I had a whole bunch of...
I've had my fistula since July 09...I still have my PICC line in and am getting TPN thru it. What antibiotic were you on? The size of my fistula was originally quite large, now it's about the...
I see...I'm wishing I could just cover mine with gauze. I have an ostomy bag over my fistula for the drainage, and it leaks once a week at LEAST if not 3 times a week, so the skin around my fistula...
I have kaiser insurance and I love it but am paying an arm and a leg for it. I would say, though, that, from what I hear, their employee benefits are outstanding. I live in California, though, and...
I was on Methotrexate in November 09 for 6 weeks. It worsened my fistula, resulted in the induction of another fistula, and it dropped my WBC count massively (normal is 4-11...my WBCs dropped to...
to whoever was asking about the wound-VAC...It may not have hurt MAG, but it MAY be painful to some...My doctor/ostomy nurse attempted a wound vac with me on two separate occasions: once while I was...
@ MAG, what surgery did they do? and by open hole, what do you mean exactly? do you have a bag over it? I have an ostomy bag over my fistula but it's still draining anywhere from 50-300 mL /...
Thanks everyone for your responses...MAG, are you doing okay on methotrexate? it's uber strong...! I was on it for 6 weeks and had to stop it because it dropped all my blood counts....and my doctor...
I know I'm posting a bit late, but I'd like to share that I too have bouts of bleeding from my EC fistula. It's quite common actually, moreso when I have a more active day than usual. I get food...
Hi everyone I'm new to this forum - I had a resection of a portion of my small intestine done last year x 2. Since July of 09, I've had an enterocutaneous fistula. No luck so far on it healing...am I...