Health care pros!! Help Help HELP for Mama Lupo!!! WARNING Graphic stomach troubles!

[lupo pazzesco]

Ok, this is kind of urgent. My mother has been ill for the last 4 days. It started with vomitting for the whole of Wednesday, and now it's moved onto diarrhea for the last 3 days. She's staying hydrated, but at this point she's had no solid foods since around Thursday, becuase crackers were irritating her and she's down to hot tea, water, and broth (beef & chicken). She's drinking gatorade for electrolytes, (or the old standby, 1 cup water with a bit of salt and sugar. She hates that, but i made her drink it since she's out of gatorade at the moment...)

She says her body hurts, she's cramping up something fierce. Yes, we KNOW she should go to the ER, we've got that covered (my stepdad is getting some texts in the near future and will drag her in)

Now, here's where it gets complicated. She's currently being tested and put on prescriptions because doctors are trying to determine if she has fibromyalgia, lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, or something along those lines. However becuase she's on methotrexate, she pretty much can't take ANYTHING to ease the symptoms that's OTC. Plus, (and here's where the graphic comes in) she's in pain, and she's finding that it's hard to stand upright, and it's hurting to wipe. She's managed to get an anal fissure because of the...erm...overuse. She literally has a pain in the rear and is wondering if she's getting a hemorrhoid because of it. There's no odd color/consistency/particulates in her stool, and no blood. (Yes, I asked. I went there. She was kinda "buh??" but I pushed.)

I'm asking for help, if anyone knows ANY remedies that will help ease her until she can be hogtied and dragged to the ER. I'm really worried about her, she's had a BAD year, healthwise, and she keeps thinking it's nothing, it's nothing, she'll be fine, but she's NOT fine.

HELP?? Please...?

[BlaqueKatt]

only things I can think of is the "BRAT" diet.
Bananas
Rice
Applesauce
Toast

the bananas and applesauce is for pectin(and potassium, of which you lose a lot when sick, and Gatorade has very little if any of that), which is what makes jelly solidify(you can buy pectin for jelly, so maybe that in small amounts mixed with water?) the rice and toast(dry) have gluten, and starch also binding a bit, and very bland.

Dairy products are best avoided, but I personally can handle yogurt, some can some can't-it's a try at your own risk thing-but " fruit on the bottom" yogurt contains pectin to make the fruit gel, also contains lactobacillius-a probiotic.


for the "it hurts to wipe", is probably just irritation, know how when you have a cold/allergies and wiping your nose dries it out and it hurts really bad? Same thing, for that I've used diaper rash cream, and A&D ointment-though if you have plain vaseline, that should help a bit.

edited to add:
according to info on methotrexate-
most COMMON side effects:
nausea; stomach pain or upset; tiredness; vomiting.

Seek medical attention right away if any of these SEVERE side effects occur when using Methotrexate Tablets:

diarrhea, severe or persistent nausea or vomiting. Mouth sores are also bad(as in sign of toxicity-make sure she doesn't have any "cold sores, or canker sores")

also it appears the injectable form doesn't have the stomach side effects. and folic acid decreases the side effects

[AccountingDrone]

With the anal issue, warm water. Bathroom and no wiping, get in the shower and wash gently. So she goes through a lot of towels.

Pain is another issue. Warm water helps my joint aches. I know you probably do not have a hot tub, but figure out how to sit her down on a chair in the shower and let her warm up gently. All plastic lawn chairs, whatever.

Cramps, try adding a potassium pill to her liquids or get her to eat a banana. Someone medical may show up soon to remind people that calcium and potassium are what drive the heart to beat.

[csquared]

Advice for the bottom. Cottenelle Fresh, flushable moist wipes.

[Seshat]

Sitz baths or hip baths are specially shaped mini-baths that she can sit in and soak just the butt area. Sitz baths tend to be small enough to soak just the lower pelvic regions, hip baths range from a bit deeper than a sitz to one barely smaller than a modern bath (but designed to be sat in, rather than mostly lying down).

Looking around online, I found disposable plastic sitz baths than you fit over the toilet seat - those may be worth trying. Cleanliness of a sitz bath can be very important, especially if you're treating something like you've been describing.

But my strongest piece of advice is GET HER TO A PROFESSIONAL! Even if the most she'll tolerate is a pharmacist.

[MaggieTheCat]

Not sure about anal fissures specifically, but aloe Vera gel is my go to if I have a rash, burn, dry patch, etc.

Hope she feels better soon.

[lupo pazzesco]

I'd like to thank everyone for responding. First and foremost, after culling through responses here, and messages with Amina via Facebook AND texts with trailerparkmedic, I think I've finally put the fear into my mother, and she's agreed to go to the ER today. She thought that by calling the nursing after hours desk and asking what she can take while on methotrexate, she was "Taking care of herself"After

scaring her with the side effects brought up by BlaqueKatt, she claimed she's been on the drug for months, and this is the first time this has happened, so it can't possibly be side effects. I love my mother, I do, she just greatly dislikes hospitals so much because of past issues, she's willful about claiming she doesn't need them. A lot.

Re: The pain and wiping, she's using baby wipes now, so that helped a lot. I TOLD her to get potassium, magnesium and calcium, because yes, AccountingDrone, you're right, someone medical (two someones!) I talked to from the forums indicated it could have heart effects, and since it's only been a few months since she was getting tests for her heart, I was especially worried. I told her since she's so fond of calling the nurse's line, call and see if she can take a multivitamin if it has those in it (she doesn't like/can't take the texture of bananas and applesauce, I think, is why she doesn't eat them)

Also, she's soaked in a hot hot bath to help with the cramping, but I told her the potassium would help with that, too. I'm calling to check on her later today.

But my strongest piece of advice is GET HER TO A PROFESSIONAL! Even if the most she'll tolerate is a pharmacist.

I DID end up having to pull a monstrous guilt trip on her, however, when after hearing all the info from others she still waffled. I asked her what she would do if it were ME telling her that I was having these issues, and she responded with "I'd have your ass in the ER faster than you could blink!"

So, I asked her why she wouldn't agree to the same if roles are reversed? And then I fought a little dirty.

I asked her why she would do this to my siblings, my stepdad and me? Why would she put us through this worry and fear, when, not too long ago, she was the one worrying about stepdad when he was having so many issues? In the end, she agreed to go into the ER today and get seen. I'll update when I have more info.

Thanks again everyone, I greatly greatly appreciate all the help. As always! And now I'm going to go wallow becuase I don't like guilting my mom.

[BlaqueKatt]

scaring her with the side effects brought up by BlaqueKatt, she claimed she's been on the drug for months, and this is the first time this has happened, so it can't possibly be side effects.

some side effects do take time to show up, as different people can take different amounts of things with varying effects, also some only show up after the drug has built up in your body over time, the liver toxicity for one-

I told her since she's so fond of calling the nurse's line, call and see if she can take a multivitamin if it has those in it (she doesn't like/can't take the texture of bananas and applesauce, I think, is why she doesn't eat them)

most multi vitamins only have a trace amount of potassium(and no taking 10 multi vitamins is not a good way to do it, you can OD and die from certain vitamins)-heck straight OTC potassium pills only have 30-60 mg and the RDA is 4700mg-a bottle of "nutrition drink" has 370mg, though the muscle health has quite a bit more.

though I do have a handy potassium rich foods chart

heck one teaspoon of molasses(498mg) has MORE potassium than a banana(422mg)-maybe some oatmeal with a couple teaspoons of moleasses?

[lupo pazzesco]

Hmm, maybe. Like me, one of her go-to breakfast options is a bowl of oatmeal. I'll ask if she has oatmeal, and I'll send her the list of foods, maybe she can keep some of them down.

Thank you so much!!

[csquared]

And now I'm going to go wallow becuase I don't like guilting my mom.

, and more .

You did the right thing. You can apologize when she is better and then chew her out again.

And just for good measures...
*digs through cabinet, finds the cookie, tea, rum....*

I know there is chocolate in here some place too. I'll find it in just a sec...

[Der Cute]

Mama Pazzesco! You know better! You tryin to give all of us a heart attack???

Now, when you get home, use witch hazel pads to wipe your bottom. It'll soothe it a bit and it will heal well. And follow the doctor's orders. Don't deviate, they mean business.

[lupo pazzesco]

So, after yet another heaping helping of guilt and my bullying her, mama went to the doctor. She texted me a bit ago, said they were going to do a CT scan, and a few other exams, but it's starting to look like it's a bad stomach virus, though after all the tests are run hopefully they'll be able to give her something to treat it that won't negatively interact with the methawhatsit. (I just had a brain blank and forgot how to spell it and am too lazy to go look it up...)

[Sapphire Silk]

Hey, lupo!

I'm glad to hear you got Mom to the hospital and checked out. Everyone here had some great ideas to help with the symptom management, and the vast majority of it I would have suggested myself.

My first suspicion on reading your mom's story was gastroenteritis (basically, a stomach flu). I would not recommend anything like Immodium to stop the diarrhea in that instance. Better out than in.

Some general things for nausea OtC that help:

Ginger ale. Make sure it's not a cheap ginger ale with no actual ginger.

Purple grape juice.

Saltines or dry bread

Small sips frequently will keep you hydrated.

Sitz baths are great for an irritated rectum/perineum. Preparation H is also good. Witch Hazel may also help. When my IBS acts up so bad that I have that problem, I use baby wipes to clean myself. They neutralize the pH of the loose stool (which has a high pH and irritates the skin).

Start on clear liquids while the nausea and vomiting are going on, and work back up to a regular diet. A BRAT diet is a great step for this.

If Mom doesn't like bananas, oranges are also good to replace potassium.

Follow up with the doc, as severe electrolyte disturbances are possible (as you've already been told).

Don't feel bad about guilting Mom. You probably saved her from a hospital admission or worse. She'll thank you later.

Not sure about anal fissures specifically, but aloe Vera gel is my go to if I have a rash, burn, dry patch, etc.

Hope she feels better soon.

I"m not sure how well aloe vera would work on the mucous membranes. However, it does look like some research has been done on it in denistry. Use with caution, if at all.

[Seshat]

With an irritated bum, pat, don't wipe.

Treat the area like you'd treat an infant with nappy rash/diaper rash. By that, I mean gently gently gently, patting clean with baby wipes (or adult-sized versions of same), applying nappy-rash healing and soothing ointments (I use Bepanthen, I don't know what you have in the States).

If continence pants are necessary, try out the fabric ones as well as disposables. Fabric ones can be cleaned thoroughly enough to be as clean as disposables, and every supplier I've seen has provided instructions on ways to do it. And the fabrics can be much less irritating to the skin.
Alternatively, disposable fabric liners can be helpful.

[jedimaster91]

I use Bepanthen, I don't know what you have in the States.

Desitin. It's amazing stuff.