Hi all,
Ill try to keep it short and to the point, but I've had a horrible two months
August 10th I fell quite ill. I was at a festival so at first GP assumed food poisoning, my symptoms were diarrhea (which became bloody after a week), vomiting, sweats, weakness and fatigue. My GP did stool samples which showed nothing, but blood tests showed signs of infection so I was given Ciprofloxacin.
I couldn't eat at all for 10 days, and I lost 22lbs in just under 2 weeks. I was treated at a&e for dehydration, which did ease my nausea, but still couldn't eat. They told me to stop taking the antibiotics because they suspected viral gastroenteritis, and told me to have actimel and probiotics. A few days later I was no longer vomiting, but diarrhea continued for another 2 weeks and I developed a blinding pain in my left side around my rib cage, I assume torn and pulled muscles from vomiting so much.
I returned to work on September 9th. I wasn't 100% and I was very exhausted still. All seemed fine for a week or so, just milk cramps and tiredness, but nothing like the weeks before. More stool samples were done and I was told my Calprotectin levels were elevated. Apparently a sample I gave earlier in the year was also elevated, but I was never told and nothing was done about it. I've been refereed to a Gastroenterologist just to be sure.
This Friday (20th) some symptoms seemed to return, very painful cramps (higher on my abdomen that before) and now it all seems to be returning. Cramps, diarrhea, bleeding, nausea.
I don't know what I can do in the meantime to feel better. I had a month off work and I was only back for 2 weeks and now I'm off work again and my employers aren't very supportive or understanding, and seem to think I'm lying because "food poisoning doesn't come back" even though I've explained 20 times that I'm about to see a specialist to check if I have Crohns or Ulcerative Colitis.
Any advice would be appreciated, if i should hassle my GP for more tests, go to a&e?
Thank you