Help! Crohn's or C. Dif. or what?
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Help! Crohn's or C. Dif. or what?
| Thu, 10-06-2005 - 10:25am |
This is long, so bear with me. A little background. I was diagnosed in 1994 with Crohn's disease. My symptoms were blood in my stool. After I began treatment was when it got really bad. Bloody diarrhea all the time, loads of blood. No real pain, just feeling "icky" all the time. After months on Asacol, some Cortenemas and Pred. (I HATE Pred!) I went into remission. My maintenance drug was Asacol. In 2000 I relapsed, first experiencing blood and mucous, then severe bleeding and "going" almost every hour, day and night again. Went into the hospital after the Pred. didn't work, eventually got Remicade. Came out having added 6MP to the regime. Back in remission. Got sick in 2003 but I don't know if it was Crohn's. Diarrhea, belly pain, fevor. Hospitalized after blood work in the ER showed nearly no white blood cells. Was in the hospital 3 weeks, sickest I've ever been in my life, doctors couldn't find what was wrong. Test after test after test. I was on pain meds for my belly. They thought maybe mono, but I'm not sure if they ever figured it out. The took me off the Asacol and 6MP. Near the end of my stay, I was given another Remicade infusion, then another 2 weeks later post-hospital, when I had an allergic reaction and was told I can no longer have it. For the Crohn's maintenance I was on Cipro only. Flash-forward to Spring of this year. Started having some slightly bloody mucous, every time I had a BM it was mucous. I was put back on Asacol, continued the Cipro. Dr. put me on Canasa suppositories and then Cortenemas (did BOTH every night). Felt better. Back to normal BM's. In the meantime I also developed, one after another, a couple really huge, engorged hemorrhoids where my "skin tags" are. They eventually went away, then I had peeling itchy skin on my bum, and was diagnosed by a dermatologist with "psoriasis" plus a yeast infection plus staff infection in my bum crack and around my anus. I've been on creams for that ever since, very messy, but they work. Then I started having diarrhea, not in frequency, but consistancy, all the time. Also had some cramping and nausea. The doctor put me on Flagyl, took me off of the Cipro, and had me tested for C. Dif. I of course waited to try the Flagyl until after I'd given the lab my samples. My C. Dif. tests were negative, so she told me to try the Cortenemas again. I was also still on the Canasa suppositories this entire time. After a few days, the enemas weren't doing anything, so she had me stop them, and added some other antibiotic I can't remember the name of, for the C. Dif. in case I my test were a false-negative. I saw her last week, and told her that my BM's were then soft and still pretty loose, but not watery, and we both agreed that my symptoms are not "normal" for me for a relapse of the Crohn's. She told me to try adding probiotics in case it was C. Dif. and my gut flora is all messed up from that and antibiotics. That night I had a couple beers, and since then my BM's are more watery, and I have some tummy discomfort and nausea all day long. I finished the 2 week course of that other medicine for the C. Dif. yesterday. I'm still on Asacol and Flagyl, and though I haven't gone to get the probiotics yet, I'm going to go buy some today. I don't know what to do now. I've had this "diarrhea" for a month now! I go maybe 3 times a day, not abnormal, but it's always loose and watery, accompanied by the nausea and "icky" feelings. Plus, this damn hemerrhoid is pissing me off! Any thoughts?

~Liz
Hi Sprite05!
Welcome to the board!
Just
~Liz
~Liz