Rich’s Colitis

About 3 months ago, Rich started to have some weird symptoms. He was sick to his stomach but really thought it was related to something he ate. After a few days he started having blood in his stool. We both panicked and he immediately got in to see his provider who didn’t provide him with any answers or solutions. She told him he needed to see GI but he couldn’t be seen before we went off to SOS in Alabama for 5 weeks. His symptoms continued and worsened while in Alabama so he went to the ER to try to get some care. He was given an antibiotic that kills amoebas because that is what the ER doc thought he had. He took the antibiotics and the bleeding stopped! We thought this ordeal was over but the bleeding came back as soon as he finished the antibiotic. He tried to get in to see a GI doc in the states but was told that if he was seen he would have to drop out of SOS and seek treatment in Okinawa. That left him with no other option but to try to self diagnose and self treat so that’s what he did. He also tried to get a referral to set up a GI appt for when he came home but was denied because he wasn’t here to see his provider.

The 5 weeks of SOS were over and he came home. He had self-diagnosed himself with ulcerative colitis and started a diet that he was convinced would heal him. While on the diet he was actually doing much better but he was definitely not being cured. Any cheating or straying from the diet at all would put him in a great deal of cramping. A few weeks into being home and trying his best to stick to the diet he wasn’t showing signs of improving, just maintaining. I should also mention that after a few weeks of this he did go in to see his provider again and got a GI appt scheduled for Feb. 18th, the soonest they would see him despite all of his symptoms.

On January 17th he flew to Miyakojima to run a 62 mile ultra.

I just have to add that I literally begged him NOT to do the run because I was worried about him doing ultras in his condition. He insisted that he felt fine and so he did it. I can attest to the fact that he did feel fine, he just had these annoying and concerning symptoms but they didn’t affect his running.

Morning of race

 

During run

He came home not any more weak than he usually is after an ultra. 3 days later he dove to catch a football in PT and really hurt his shoulder. I had to help him dress because he couldn’t move his arm for a few days. He wasn’t able to sleep very well at night because of the pain in his shoulder. This went on for about a week and then he started to complain that he felt like he was coming down with something. He said he felt achy and tired like he was getting the flu. He pushed through the week but on January 29th, which was a Friday, I convinced him to use a comp day and stay home and rest. This was the day that everything began to spiral out of control. The next 4 days were some of the most difficult days we’ve ever experienced. He started to have unbearable cramping and vomiting with anything he ate or drank, even water! He kept saying it was just the flu and it would pass. By Monday night I had had enough and so had he. We decided we would go in to the ER the next morning.

 

Tuesday morning he was at his very worst. It was horrible to see him in that condition. I helped him dress and get his shoes on. It literally took every ounce of energy he could muster to get to the car. The 20 minute drive felt so long. When we finally arrived they took him back, asked a million questions and then started on his care. He had a GI cocktail which basically numbed his stomach so he wouldn’t be in such excruciating pain, they gave him IV fluids and took a stool sample. He had a CAT scan which showed some inflammation in his colon but apparently that wasn’t a concern to them. After just a couple of hours we heard the doctor say, “His labs came back normal so sending him home sounds like a reasonable course of action.” WHAT!?!? I completely freaked out inside at this point. On what planet would that be a “reasonable course of action”? Seriously? A guy comes in having lost 20lbs, severe abdominal pain, severe dehydration, unable to eat anything….lets just numb his stomach, hydrate him via IV and send him home? There are lots of things I could say about that doctor right now that I shouldn’t and won’t- I’ll leave it at that.  So, when the PA came in and told us the plan I broke down crying and basically begged for them not to send him home. I told him that I couldn’t take care of him at home, that there was nothing I could do for him but sit and watch him suffer. He was so nice and I could tell he really wanted to help. He asked Rich what he wanted him to do, so Rich really expressed to him that he knew there was something going on and that he needed another opinion. That was when internal medicine got involved and they ordered more labs.

 

A couple hours later the internal med doctor, Dr. Russell, came to talk to us. He seemed a lot more knowledgeable but even he was prepared to send us home. Again, we asked to please be admitted and he agreed to do it even though he didn’t feel it was necessary. Rich was taken up to a room and shortly after getting settled in Dr. Russell came in. He told us that one of the labs he had ordered came back showing that the inflammation in Rich’s colon was off the charts and that he was bumped to the top of the colonoscopy list! Yes, after fighting every step of the way we were finally validated. Rich had a colonoscopy first thing the next morning. The GI doc came back to tell him that he couldn’t complete the colonoscopy because Rich had the most severe case of colitis he had ever seen. He was worried that he might perforate his bowel if he continued on with the procedure. They started him on a steroid to reduce the inflammation that day. After 2 days on the steroid we felt like we could see him making some progress so they decided they would send him home on Sunday which would have been the 5 day mark of him being admitted. We decided we should join him at the hospital for a family movie night.

One of our many visits to the hospital to see dad.

Between Wednesday and Sunday there were lots of ups and downs but with the ups came a lot of confidence that he was going to recover quickly. We were so excited and I felt confident that we were going to pull through this trial together. Sunday came and he was still having blood in his stool so the GI doc decided to keep him longer. We quickly realized that the food they were giving him in the hospital was making everything worse. It was heavy foods that were making digestion incredibly painful, almost unbearable for him with the condition his colon was in. We decided that juicing was the best way for him to get nutrients and hopefully minimize his pain.

I had no other option than to juice at home and make the hour round trip drive sometimes twice a day to get his juice to him. Not to mention the constant trips to the farmers market to get supplies-I was quickly getting worn down. When we found out that he would be staying longer and we really didn’t have any idea when he would be coming home I immediate called his mom. I knew that I couldn’t keep juggling doing what he needed to get better and being there for the kids. I wasn’t willing to compromise the needs of either one of them as the kids were also having a hard time with dad being in the hospital. Words can’t describe the peace I felt when Marianne agreed to hop on a plane and fly to the other side of the world to help us in our time of need. In that moment I started counting down the hours to her arrival, and then she was here.

I think it was eye opening for her to see how serious his condition really was. He had lost an additional 20lbs since being admitted making his weight loss a total of about 40lbs! He was fit and thin to begin with so this was not weight that he had to spare.

The day finally came when they had done all they could do for him in the hospital and we were anxious to get him home so that we could continue his healing process in a much more comfortable and convenient environment. February 12th, he was discharged.

The kids were beyond excited to have daddy home! He didn’t even make it to the front door before being swallowed up by little arms!

This healing process is so much slower and involved than any of us ever imagined it would be. As it turns out the hospital stay was just the beginning of our journey with ulcerative colitis. My next post will document his first 2 1/2 weeks home with his incredible mom here helping and involving herself completely with this process. While it was a difficult and trying time, we realize how blessed we are to have each other and that together we can and will get through anything. We also had so much support from friends who helped me with the kids, brought meals and who offered many prayers in our behalf. For each and every one of them we are so grateful.