Jonathan's weekend at the hospital
Okay, I am going to do my best to let everyone know what is going on. I am e-mailing this, LiveJournaling it, and KC Yahoo Grouping it, so some of you may get this twice. If you know someone who would be interested in the news, please pass this letter along to them.
Okay, just about everyone knows Jonathan has stomach problems. Well, he was finally diagnosed with what is called Crohn’s Disease. WebMD: Crohn's disease causes inflammation in the small intestine. Crohn's disease usually occurs in the lower part of the small intestine, called the ileum, but it can affect any part of the digestive tract, from the mouth to the anus. The inflammation extends deep into the lining of the affected organ. The inflammation can cause pain and can make the intestines empty frequently, resulting in diarrhea. Crohn's disease is an inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), the general name for diseases that cause inflammation in the intestines. Crohn's disease can be difficult to diagnose because its symptoms are similar to other intestinal disorders such as irritable bowel syndrome and to another type of IBD called ulcerative colitis. Ulcerative colitis causes inflammation and ulcers in the top layer of the lining of the large intestine.
Well Wednesday Jonathan was just feeling generally bad all day. Thursday he spent the entire day throwing up. Since he didn’t eat anything, all that was coming up was bile and blood. Well around 6pm we finally decided to take him to the hospital. 11.30pm we left with some prescriptions and a diagnosis of severe food poisoning. Friday morning I went to class, then came home and took Jonathan up to fill his prescriptions. By 3pm he wasn’t even keeping the meds down, so we gave in and took him back to the ER. By 3am (now Saturday morning) they still didn’t know what was wrong with him and decided to admit him to the hospital. They put out a call for admittance, and by 5.30am he still didn’t have a room and I desperately needed sleep. I went home and was asleep by 6am.
11.30am Saturday Jonathan calls me and says they’re going to remove his appendix, please come see him. So five and a half hours of sleep later, I was back at the hospital with him. He was on an all liquids diet, able to eat only chicken or beef broth, cranberry juice, and jello. He was also on an IV with a constant supply of saline and antibiotics. About once every two hours I was sent to fetch the nurse to give him more anti-nausea and pain meds. 10pm Saturday I went home.
That night I went and hung out until 1.30am with a friend (New Ashley) talking and just generally trying to de-stress.
11am Sunday I was back in the hospital with my boy. They had decided not to take his appendix out, and figured out that this was just a huge flair-up of the Crohn’s Disease. By dinner time he was moved up to soft foods, and was happy to be able to chew his food for the first time since about Wednesday. Jonathan only got pain meds once on Sunday, and that was a much smaller dosage right before he went to sleep.
I left the hospital at 10pm Sunday, and now it’s 11.30pm Sunday. The last I heard was that he should be discharged from the hospital sometime tomorrow, and needs to take it easy for a few days.
I want to thank New Ashley for going out with me and being patient with me talking four million miles an hour to her. I was very stressed, and getting out for a few hours was exactly what I needed. Thanks to Leah for calling everyday to check up with us and trying to take care of me too. Thanks to Leah, Sarah, and Anthony for visiting, that really meant a lot to Jonathan. Thanks to Sarah for doing the laundry, calling to check up, bringing me food, dealing well with my poopy-kitty, and all the while not complaining, it really means a lot to me. And thanks to my mommy for letting me call her at 4am and talking for a few hours when I was starting to lose my mind. I know I’m missing more people but it’s late and I’ve had an awfully long weekend, so forgive me.
Okay, just about everyone knows Jonathan has stomach problems. Well, he was finally diagnosed with what is called Crohn’s Disease. WebMD: Crohn's disease causes inflammation in the small intestine. Crohn's disease usually occurs in the lower part of the small intestine, called the ileum, but it can affect any part of the digestive tract, from the mouth to the anus. The inflammation extends deep into the lining of the affected organ. The inflammation can cause pain and can make the intestines empty frequently, resulting in diarrhea. Crohn's disease is an inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), the general name for diseases that cause inflammation in the intestines. Crohn's disease can be difficult to diagnose because its symptoms are similar to other intestinal disorders such as irritable bowel syndrome and to another type of IBD called ulcerative colitis. Ulcerative colitis causes inflammation and ulcers in the top layer of the lining of the large intestine.
Well Wednesday Jonathan was just feeling generally bad all day. Thursday he spent the entire day throwing up. Since he didn’t eat anything, all that was coming up was bile and blood. Well around 6pm we finally decided to take him to the hospital. 11.30pm we left with some prescriptions and a diagnosis of severe food poisoning. Friday morning I went to class, then came home and took Jonathan up to fill his prescriptions. By 3pm he wasn’t even keeping the meds down, so we gave in and took him back to the ER. By 3am (now Saturday morning) they still didn’t know what was wrong with him and decided to admit him to the hospital. They put out a call for admittance, and by 5.30am he still didn’t have a room and I desperately needed sleep. I went home and was asleep by 6am.
11.30am Saturday Jonathan calls me and says they’re going to remove his appendix, please come see him. So five and a half hours of sleep later, I was back at the hospital with him. He was on an all liquids diet, able to eat only chicken or beef broth, cranberry juice, and jello. He was also on an IV with a constant supply of saline and antibiotics. About once every two hours I was sent to fetch the nurse to give him more anti-nausea and pain meds. 10pm Saturday I went home.
That night I went and hung out until 1.30am with a friend (New Ashley) talking and just generally trying to de-stress.
11am Sunday I was back in the hospital with my boy. They had decided not to take his appendix out, and figured out that this was just a huge flair-up of the Crohn’s Disease. By dinner time he was moved up to soft foods, and was happy to be able to chew his food for the first time since about Wednesday. Jonathan only got pain meds once on Sunday, and that was a much smaller dosage right before he went to sleep.
I left the hospital at 10pm Sunday, and now it’s 11.30pm Sunday. The last I heard was that he should be discharged from the hospital sometime tomorrow, and needs to take it easy for a few days.
I want to thank New Ashley for going out with me and being patient with me talking four million miles an hour to her. I was very stressed, and getting out for a few hours was exactly what I needed. Thanks to Leah for calling everyday to check up with us and trying to take care of me too. Thanks to Leah, Sarah, and Anthony for visiting, that really meant a lot to Jonathan. Thanks to Sarah for doing the laundry, calling to check up, bringing me food, dealing well with my poopy-kitty, and all the while not complaining, it really means a lot to me. And thanks to my mommy for letting me call her at 4am and talking for a few hours when I was starting to lose my mind. I know I’m missing more people but it’s late and I’ve had an awfully long weekend, so forgive me.