New here- ER visit diagnosed with colitis - lots of questions need answers!
So all my life I had an achy gnawing pain on my right side of my abdomen. Doctors never believed me or could feel what I felt which is a hard area on right side. I’ve also had stomach issues when eating certain foods. Past couple of months I have been needing to go to the bathroom a lot and having diarrhea. My stomach is always nauseous and my anxiety is through the roof! This past week I went to the ER because I woke up with bloody mucus stool. This has never happened before. They did a CT scan and said I had colitis. I got referred to a GI but they said the earliest appt is February in 1 month?! Is that normal? The ER said to go to a GI in 1-2 days…
I am so nervous about it. I’m worried that waiting for a month to go see a doctor might make things worse or it can turn into something more. I’m terrified that it can turn into a cancer… Any advice and help would be much appreciated!!
Hi
, I'm so glad that you found our community here. Thanks for reaching out. What a challenging and nerve-wracking time you're going through right now, your feelings are understandable. Any change in health can be anxiety inducing, you are not alone.
I want to commend you for listening to your body and taking yourself to the ER when you experienced a change in symptoms and were feeling worried and anxious. Unfortunately there can often be a wait when it comes to seeing specialists, so I'm not too surprised that the wait for the GI is several weeks. That being said, you can definitely ask to be put on a cancellation list, and (if you haven't already), let them know that the ER doctor recommended getting in in days (not weeks). You could also reach out to your primary care physician to see if they can see you earlier.
In the meantime, I want to share a couple of articles with you. This one has some advice for someone newly diagnosed with an inflammatory bowel disease (such as Crohn's or ulcerative colitis), https://inflammatoryboweldisease.net/living/advice-newly-diagnosed. And this one is from our advocate, Shawn, with a message for the newly diagnosed, https://inflammatoryboweldisease.net/living/newly-diagnosed-support.
I know that it is a lot to be thinking about and managing, but please know that our community is here for you, and don't hesitate to reach out any time.
Sending you gentle hugs. -- Warmly, Christine (Team Member)If you cant get into a GI you could try you GP. If you have a diagnosis someone should be able to prescribe what you need now. Maybe your ER doctor could prescribe something if they know you have to wait 1 month before seeing a GI?
Don't stress about the cancer thing just deal with whats in front of you right now.
Hi
. Just to follow up on what said, the hospital has a GI or GI coverage, so should be able to respond to you following up. If you have additional/worsening issues don't hesitate to go back and explain the situation. Hopefully you can get some answers and relief soon. Please feel free, if you like, to keep us posted on how you are doing. Best, Richard (Team Member)
