Diary of a Crohn’s Flare: Sepsis

How do I know I have an abdominal abscess?  Well mostly I don’t.  The abscess causes me to have greater pressure sensitivity in my abdominal.  Pressing on my abdomen causes me to almost literally jump out of my skin, while more gentle pressures (like wearing clothing) causes me to build up a great deal of pain over time – enough pain that the norco pain meds can’t control it.  As I’ve mentioned previously, I’ve adopted wearing suspenders and leaving my pants unbuttoned as a method of dealing with the pressure sensitivity.

However, the factor that has gotten me to seek medical help is the spiking fever along with the other symptoms.  When my temperature goes over 100 F, I begin to take notice and pay very close attention to how I’m feeling and doing.  Over the last 6 months, I’ve had 7 CT scans and 6 of these were prompted by the spiking fever.  Since I rarely get a fever, getting so many of these in a short period of time is notable in itself.

I discovered that my body was likely reacting to small amounts of the infection in my abscess getting into the blood stream (a condition called bacteremia).  This caused a condition called sepsis and in most of my cases this progressed to the beginning stages of severe sepsis.  In all of these cases, I DID seek medical advice (I called or made appointment to see my doctor).  In one case, it did result in my hospitalization.

I discovered my latest abdominal abscess from a CT scan the doctor performed on 6/2.  It revealed a "small" abscess of about 2.25 inches diameter.  The radiologist's report indicated that it may have been part of a fistula between two loops of my small intestine.  I'm unlikely to get a more accurate description of what's happening in that area unless I get surgery.

I have no medical training.  The following conditions are LIFE THREATENING conditions.  If you suspect you may be suffering from any of them, then you should seek the advice of a health care professional immediately.

Bacteremia (any or all of these) – the presence of bacteria in the blood stream

• Sudden, high fever (I had this)
• Chills (I had this)
• Rapid heart rate (I had this)
• Nausea, vomiting or abdominal pain (I had this)
• A feeling or appearance of serious illness (I had this)

 

Sepsis (two of the below) – a condition in which the body’s response to infection causes a systemic inflammatory response

• Fever above 101.3 F (38.5 C) or below 95 F (35 C) (I had this)
• Heart rate higher than 90 beats a minute (I had this)
• Respiratory rate higher than 20 breaths a minute (I had this)
• Probable or confirmed infection (I had this)

Severe Sepsis (two of the above plus at least one of these) – severe sepsis may indicate an organ is failing

• Significantly decreased urine output (I had this)
• Abrupt change in mental status
• Decrease in platelet count
• Difficulty breathing
• Abnormal heart pumping function
• Abdominal pain (I had this)

Septic Shock (Severe Sepsis plus the below)

• Extremely low blood pressure

If you're concerned about an abscess or sepsis, then I recommend that you check out the Mayo Clinic's section on the Symptoms of Sepsis.