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Covid Recovery: How can I manage GI issues?
Post-COVID Recovery & COVID-19 | Last Active: Sep 20 11:09am | Replies (260)Comment receiving replies
My husband is on day 7 of his 4th hospitalization for severe GI issues post Covid. He is 10 weeks out from Omicron. He was vaccinated w/ both Pfizer doses prior to contracting.
No prior history of diarrhea. 2 weeks post Covid he started having painful gas and diarrhea. It became so severe he was doubled over in pain and shaking. After the first CAT scan they said he had the worst case of diverticulitis they had ever seen, and admitted him with 3 different antibiotics and steroids.
Liquid diet, bowel rest, antibiotics, steroids.
We went home. Two days later after eating chicken soup, it all started again. He can’t leave the house w/o a diaper because the attacks are so frequent and so violent.
The colo/rectal surgeon was perplexed because when he scoped him, it wasn’t technically consistent with diverticulitis or even ulcerative colitis. The first 6” from the rectum in are in perfect shape, the next section is an angry inflamed nightmare, and the top looks fine as well.
He DOES have severe colitis and some ulcerations but that doesn’t mean us ulcerative colitis. 14 biopsies were taken. Most of the biopsies looked normal the biopsy of the small ulcers appeared to be either ischemia or infectious.
After 2 weeks of antibiotics the inflammation was unchanged so antibiotics were discontinued.
A fourth Angio CT showed no major blockages to the vessels but they can’t rule out a transient ischemic event in the colon.
When we tried to move back to soft foods yesterday a massive flare up ensued. He was basically having contractions every 60 seconds for 12-16hrs and not really producing much but shedding the mucosal lining I’m guessing. Just a brutal brutal experience. Hemoglobin is 12.7. Pinkish and some bright red blood in stool from time to time. White cells still elevated.
We are exactly where we were 4 weeks ago when we came to the ED the 1st time. It’s so discouraging. He has been on a liquid diet for 24 hours and after a stressful afternoon attacks have come back to every 20 minutes.
Still treating w/ 60mg steroids daily, back on antibiotics, and Mesalamine every 6hrs until we get him through the flare up. They are treating like ulcerative colitis until we can repeat the colonoscopy in 8 weeks.
I’m just scared there is something more we should be doing. I want to protect the integrity of his colon.
Any advice us greatly appreciated.
Kind regards,
H Kountanis
Replies to "My husband is on day 7 of his 4th hospitalization for severe GI issues post Covid...."
I am just being released from the hospital with a diagnosis of long covid in my GI tract and I have Crohns disease.
I had Pfizer and 2 boosters then covid June 21st that was one day of headache, fever, bodyaches, 3 days of a alien living in my abdomen and I lived on the toilet!
I go every 28 days for Remicade infusions and on July 25th, 1 hour in toy infusion I had a seizure (which I've never had and that alien was still living in my abdomen as I was only living on liquids)
This landed me in the hospital.
I have had difficulty swallowing food; food gets stuck in my esophagus and my Crohns felt totally out of remission with severe lower right abdominal pain ever since Covid that June.
The hospital did a colonoscopy wouldn't do any biopsies bc I'm on eliquis, saw diverticuli but nothing remarkable. I have stones in both kidneys but nothing blocking anything and they are small(er).
They put me on Florator, Bentyl and wanted me to take 100mg of prednisone a day (I declined). I've been on 15 mg of prednisone since 2005 and since I felt like out of their own mouth "we don't know much about this" I wasn't going up to 100 mg of prednisone.
I have lost 40 lbs. My folate is elevated and so is my B-12(1258) and my homocystine? Is is elevated.
I stopped taking vitamins a few months ago bc they were getting stucknin my throat so I'm confused as to why any levels would be high.
But I get light headed, fuzzy vision, tremors, heart races, headache, fatigue and the alien is alive in my gut so I'm sticking with liquids only until they can figure out what's going on
I've seen GI, rheumatologist, PCP, Neurologist 🤷🏼♀️
Have googled GI issues after Covid vaccine?
https://www.cureus.com/articles/93622-gastrointestinal-complications-of-covid-19-vaccines
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Oh @sunshinestateofmind, I can imagine that this is very distressing, not to mention life-altering for both you and your husband. It sounds like your husband is being cared for by GI specialists, but the situation is leaving them perplexed. I'm glad to see they are not giving up and there is an action plan in place to get him through this flare.
Are you looking to seek a second opinion? If Mayo Clinic might be an option for you, you can submit a request for an appointment or ask his specialist to make a referral. See more information here: http://mayocl.in/1mtmR63
If upon reviewing his history and current management of his condition, Mayo Clinic feels that they would offer the same treatment approach as his current team, they would tell you. That way you can gain confidence in the care your husband is getting or find answers that they are not.