My Recent Experience

Here’s the story. Everything started on Monday night. Right after dinner I started having severe abdominal pain. Because I have a preexisting gastro-intestinal condition I assumed it was part of that. Throughout that night and the next morning not so good things were happening. I couldn’t eat solid food and liquids went right on through me. I had sweats and the pain in my abdomen would go from six out of ten to ten out of ten.

Around dinner I called the Health Info Line and spoke to a nurse. I shared my symptoms and she made some suggestions with the caveat that if the pain didn’t decrease or if I became faint to go directly to emerg. I made it a few more hours and collapsed on the floor in our bathroom. Erin had already gone to bed so I had to wake her up and made the trek to emerg.

Thankfully it was slow. I was admitted and taken in in less than 15 minutes. From there though it seemed like forever before I got any help. The staff were in and out and were excellent. I had blood and other tests taken in less than 30 minutes but unfortunately they wouldn’t give me anything for the pain until the doctor had test results.

A couple of hours later those results were in and that was when the morphine kicked it. Wonder drug. Pain went from 10 to zero in less than five minutes. Where was this 12 hours prior. Within an hour of the results of those tests coming in, I was in getting a CT scan. Those results were back in and the doctor was reviewing them forty five minutes later. His preliminary diagnosis was ulcerative colitis but he wanted me to see a Gastro Intestinal Specialist first thing this morning. By now we are talking 330am.

Many people complain about our health care system but I have to say my experience was very good. Staff were friendly, caring and attentive. I actually feel a bit privileged as they put me up in a private room in a wing of our new emerg. Because it was slow I ended up with my own nurse too.

The emerg doctor, Dr Buchanan was incredible. He checked on me four or five times in the night. I probably had him for 45 minutes. In retrospect, I am thinking that the attention given was likely proportional to my pain and their concern.

First thing in the morning...maybe seven am they came in and said that the GI Specialist and the GP had spoken and they were going to admit me.

They had me on IV from the time I got there until around 10am. I’d had four or five rounds of morphine...did I mention wonder drug...and a round of gravol. My last morphine was around 630am. At 1030am Dr Singh, the GI Specialist came in and went over everything with me. He did some palpation and discussed my test results. Her reiterated the early diagnosis of ulcerative colitis. He said though there was a chance it was viral rather than chronic. He did give me a glimmer of hope though. It I was able to manage pain then I could go home at the end of the day. Dr Singh scheduled me for some tests throughout the day, saving the best for last...the sigmoid scope! More on that later.

I got through the day experiencing only little pain. Definitely manageable! No pain medication since 630am. No food either. I am hungry as a bear but no solid food for a couple more days.

Had a surprise visitor in the afternoon. One of Erin’s bosses, Rory came by to check on us. It was pretty cool. He prayed over me before he left and I think that was a big reason why the pain was manageable.

Back to the sigmoid scope. Cool and invasive all in one. Watching a camera go up inside you isn’t something you get to see every day. The experience was beyond uncomfortable but necessary. So Dr Singh did the scope and took a few biopsies. We chatted for a bit after he finished the scope and he said he believes that it isn’t viral but is chronic. I will see him in a couple of weeks in his office once he gets the results.

I did get the good news though...recoup at home so I got released and came home around 4pm. I am exhausted, sore, hungry and am still treating some symptoms. I am on medication to try and control the colitis and a clear liquid diet for the next 48 hours.

So there you go...you have the story.

I am really happy to be home. Erin has been awesome through all this too hanging with me, driving me around, getting groceries. It is going to be a few more days before I start to feel normal again and recovery will take some time. I have some learning to do about colitis and will need to make some adjustments to lifestyle to accommodate that.

I can’t thank you all enough for the words of encouragement, the prayer and the messages. You really helped me get through these past couple of days.