To ask what the hell to do about my leaking arse!

[alittlebitembarrassing]

Exactly as the title says. Very crass but it is a literal pain in my arse and I’m starting to feel very unwell.

Backstory: I have inflammatory bowel disease and have had my large intestine removed. I had a stoma for 10 months and then a reversal surgery joining my small intestine to my rectum. I have mild proctitis left in my rectum.

A week ago, my anus started itching and leaking fluid. It has been getting worse and worse to the point I am leaking through my underwear to my clothes, I am uncomfortably wet all of the time and it is so painful to go to the toilet that I almost vomit from the pain and am just living by having cold baths.

The leaking is mucous, I’ve developed wounds on my bum cheeks from the dampness, and it is mixed with blood and green pus.

I developed abdominal pain with it two days ago so went to A&E who were useless, have referred me to gastro (no idea how long that will take), and told me my infection markers are raised so gave me antibiotics. Nothing else.

Today I have been on off sleeping and am feeling feverish and unwell in myself. When I was at A&E my heart rate was 120 and my blood pressure was high, but they said they weren’t concerned.

I am leaking massively to the point it’s not even just damp it is like water is pouring out of me.

I don’t want to waste another 8 hours in A&E to be sent home, but I’m feeling unwell in myself now, I can’t go to the toilet properly because it absolutely kills.

What do I do?!

Definitely need to go back to AE !

@Mistymoors

Definitely need to go back to AE !

no shit sherlock!

Op glad to hear you got to hospital and are being treated, hope you feel better quickly

@alittlebitembarrassing I’m
Glad you are in hospital and are getting the treatment you obviously needed. I’m sorry an ambulance wasn’t available when you needed one.

Couple of points in this thread. People are absolutely currently putting their fingers in their ears regards to hearing about how bad our health service is currently and then are ‘shocked’ when they read posts like this. Yes it’s diabolical and absolutely disgusting but it’s very much the reality of NHS staff/paramedics currently and also unfortunately patients.

Why are people so bloody shocked she couldn’t get an ambulance? This has been the case in some areas for months: long ambulance waits and queuing ambulances were an issue over summer never mind winter and now it’s January often the worst time in winter and this scenario happens most winters however we also have a new variant causing chaos and making things harder in hospital ( ignore Boris or Javvid it really is grim right now).

Repeatedly ringing and demanding an ambulance as some advised won’t get you one quicker. You are triaged and on the system in order of need. Ambulances are backlogged. Crews are off sick. Less ambulances are on the road. They can’t create one to get you because you keep ringing. It’s very very wrong but that’s the reality. Paramedics don’t like picking up patients that have been waiting far too long either but what else can they do. They can only do one job at a time and sometimes are stuck at a&e awaiting a handover

Also getting an ambulance does not give you priority once in A&E unless you are really sick and treated as such on arrival.

I agree that you needed to call an ambulance, not that it really matters now! This sounds like an awful thing to go through, I hope you're feeling much better soon and leave hospital with answers and a proper referral in place!

Good God, what the hell is happening to the NHS?

Go back to A&E. Ring for an ambulance. At the very least you will be massively dehydrated by now and will probably need IV fluids although it worryingly sounds like the onset of sepsis.

Oh I see this is 11 pages long and I am late to the party. I hope you are getting whatever treatment you need now OP.

@NdujaWannaDance

Good God, what the hell is happening to the NHS?

Go back to A&E. Ring for an ambulance. At the very least you will be massively dehydrated by now and will probably need IV fluids although it worryingly sounds like the onset of sepsis.

RTFT

Hope you are doing better @alittlebitembarrassing

@Clymene

I called an ambulance the tiger day for someone who did actually have sepsis. It took 11 minutes to arrive.

The triage system works. I hope the OP is ok but she should have e got a taxi or found another way to get to hospital. Ambulances aren't free taxis.

It seems to vary massively between areas.

My MIL waited 7 hours for an ambulance just before Christmas. She's 83, had pneumonia and pleurisy and was struggling to breathe.

NHS111 told my SIL to wait for the ambulance and not to drive her to hospital because she probably needed oxygen, which she'd have got far sooner if SIL had put her in the car for the 20 minute trip to A&E!

Send you lots of well wishes OP I really hope you're ok ♥️ Please update is when you're feeling better if you feel up to it xxx

I think a lot of people seem to think you should only ring 999 if you literally have a limb hanging off. That’s actually not right. An emergency doesn’t always present in the typical way!

I hope you’re feeling better this morning.

[quote Covidworries]@betwixtlives
Well tbh the stroke and heart attack patients would likely be higher on list to OP anyway.
But that doesnt mean the ambalance was the wrong call here as sepsis is suspected. In an ambalance they can do some things to help on journey and assess deteriation far better than a taxi driver or random person.
As it became apparent that an ambalance wouldnt be coming, they were fortunate that OP was able to source an alternative way to hospital.
Wake up to the fact the emergency services and hospitals are in crisis right now for everyone and the reality is people are going to die waiting on the ambalance.[/quote]
This @betwixtlives - potential sepsis / perforated bowel is very serious indeed, which is why the OP was treated so quickly when she arrived.

I’m very glad you got there OP

@NdujaWannaDance

Good God, what the hell is happening to the NHS?

Go back to A&E. Ring for an ambulance. At the very least you will be massively dehydrated by now and will probably need IV fluids although it worryingly sounds like the onset of sepsis.

Twelve years of neglect and under-funding is what's happening, coupled with a pandemic that means a lot of staff are off sick or isolating.

Ambulance and A&E waiting times were bad before Covid, but the additional strain on the system has pushed it to breaking point. And probably beyond, sometimes.

Phone 111 or the gastro ward and demand to be seen by a medic, so sorry you are feeling so rough x

I'm sorry you are going through such a bad time with this.
When A&E have sorted you out today you need an urgent referral to a colorectal specialist nurse. There is one attached to these services at your local hospital.

They provide you with specially adapted anal tampons in the first instance. As well as barriers to help the wound heal.

Your body is digesting your anus and surrounding skin. It will heal quickly once the leakage is controlled.

Once the damage and pain is under control they can look at long term strategies for the future.

Once you have seen the colorectal nurse you can phone them for advice in the future and be re-seen rapidly.

This should have been part of your discharge after surgery.

Why are people so bloody shocked she couldn’t get an ambulance?

Well, I for one don't live in the UK, so surely I am allowed to be shocked to hear about it?

How are you feeling op? What have they said? X

How awful for you, sounds very painful and degrading. I hope they find out what is causing all this & fix you up properly. Get well soon!

I'm sorry that you've been suffering so much - really hope that the hospital sorts you out.

You poor thing, I really hope you are feeling better this morning OP.
I am getting more and more concerned with the NHS, I appreciate they are under so much pressure right now but the amount of people I know who have been sent home from A&E when they have been very unwell (example, friends dad sent home as being OK when he went on to have a heart attack 2 hours after discharge!. MIL told all ok when she actually had a terminal bowel cancer.......)
I am having my own battles with ongoing health issues, waiting up to a year for many appointments and then being robbed off with little help. I can’t believe our health service has fallen so badly.
Let’s hope you are getting better treatment today, wishing you all the best.

I think we need to stop derailing this thread and quit the ambulance debates here. We should concentrate on sending positive vibes and good wishes to the OP who is obviously very unwell.

Surely the people who take the calls have a triage system and will organise help accordingly. Telling people they shouldn't call for an ambulance is wrong, and could cost someone dearly should they be influenced by posts berating people who do.

I agree. The people berating OP think they sound smart, authoritative and public minded when in reality they sound thick as mince (and lacking in compassion).

No clinician in a first world country would ever suggest a person with OPs symptoms was wrong to call for emergency assistance - she's wasn't calling about a stubbed toe or a head cold. The fact that OP was triaged as a lower priority than other calls coming in that night does not indicate she was wrong to call, it merely indicates we have a massive structural issue with access to ambulances and our call handling staff are having to make incredibly difficult decisions in a dire set of circumstances. Neither the OP, the ambulance service or the call handler in this scenario are wrong, pompous idiots on the internet however..

Well said @MargotEmin. Hope you start feeling better soon OP x

Good luck OP, do let us know how you get on.