Mema, I'm so sorry for your pain.  I would reschedule your appoint for the following week.  Stay with your sister.  if you have so little time, spend it with her.  Librax, isn't that an anti depressant or anixity medication?  I think I was on that decades ago.  It sounds familiar.

you will feel better.  You are under a tremendous amount of stress right now.  Try and take care of yourself and maybe focus on your sister.  I assume you are close?  If not, keep your apt I guess.  This is all a temporary setback and will get better.  It takes time and none of this is easy.  And the added stress of your sister is an added complication.  Try and breath, try to eat yogurt if you like it.  Or what about Boost.  It's liquid so it shouldn't do much.  

Good luck.

Thanks Jeffsmom for your encouragement, I do appreciate it. 

Yes, Librax (the generic) is exactly what you thought it was, but it does not seem to be helping me and I don't know what to do to relieve the symptoms that I am having. I am getting very frightened because I cannot control the pains, gas or the necessity to get to the bathroom before I lose control. I think that my head is the main culprit at this point and it's making my pouch go crazy. 

Does anyone else have this problem? If so, please let me know and especially if there is anything that I can take to make this problem ease up a bit. I think I'm going to lose my mind at this point.

I am so sorry to hear you are going through all of this. I do wonder if there is something physical at the root of the urgency & pains, however -- and, of course, the stress can indeed make it worse. Do see your GI as soon as you can, and try to get lots of rest.

Other than that, if there is anyway you can get access to counselling with a chronic illness specialist, I would recommend that. It helped me tremendously after my Crohn's diagnosis.

Best,

Gin

Two days isn't long enough to see results from your anti-depressant. You have gone through the loss of your husband around 6 months ago and your sister was having health problems then too.  You also found out you have Crohns not too long ago as well.  You had been suffering for a long time with them treating you with Canassa for cuffitis and I don't remember about pouchitis.  You have been hit with health insurance problems too.  Problems have been raining down on you for a very long time.

You are human.  It is normal for all of these things to cause stress and the compounding affect of all of them in such a short period of time has been a heavy weight not only on your health but your heart too.  I can only imagine what grief you are going through.

When we loose our colons we also loose the body part that helps produce serotonin.  Loosing that important component in our bodies leads to depression.  Many antidepressants even have serotonin in their descriptions.  SSRIs for example, Serotonin is what the first S stands for. Please don't think less of yourself because you are taking it.  I found out that a change in my antidepressant helps keep my migraine headaches away.  Who knew!  It, Amytriptyline, also helps j-pouchers in some studies I've read. It is an old school antidepressant so I am not suggesting everyone needs to be on it.  The newer ones might have fewer side effects.  I'm just using it as an example.  I was prescribed it by my neurologist and my psychiatrist increased the dose to help my depression.  I'm still taking the antidepressant I was on before the surgeries as well.  I quit beating myself up about these.  If I needed to be in insulin, for example, I wound not wean myself off of it so I have quit feeling weak because I need them.  

I also use xanex as needed for anxiety.  I think your life's circumstances might be helped by taking it sometimes as well.  I don't know - I'm not a doctor, and they don't let accountants prescribe medications,

I was hoping the remicaide would help you right away. The only suggestion I have to help you right now is to take Imodium or something like it.  I use the prescription form when I need it.  Also, I found that my GI's and surgeons don't prescribe medications for long term usage.  I need to see other medical professionals for long term pain relief and for depression. I don't know what help your GI will be able to provide along these lines. My PCP managed my depression medications until I could get a psychiatrist to prescribe them for me.  I also see a therapist.  You might not need one or think you need one but it might help.  You are under a gigantic amount of stress and sadness.

You are in my thoughts and prayers,

Paulette

Thank you all for your kind and sensitive messages. 

TE, I'm going to take your suggestion and call my PCP for an anxiety medication and even possibly an anti-depressant. I can't deal with anything anymore, and feel as though I'm drowning at times. 

Between mourning for my husband and my sister, I've been dealing with construction on my house that was never finished. I have never done these things before, my husband always took care of everything. Every day I'm faced with a new problem.....and my illness is not helping.

Thanks again for helping, your advice and caring is very much appreciated. I'll read your messages over and over again. Perhaps it will keep me on track.

Judy

Mema, try Cymbalta.  It has been a life saver for me.  It is a general anixity med and also used for pain management.  I had Jeffrey put on it and it is so hard for me get this kid to take meds, and he actually likes it.  It doesn't make him feel like he is on a drug.  It takes the edge off for him.  I've been on it for six years, along with Wellbutrin, Busbar, clonazepan.  I know it's a lot but when I try to cut back, I get all crazy.  I have really really bad major depressive disorder and major anixity disorder.  The anixity is worse.  You have been through a lot and it's okay to get help.  It might also help,with your Crohns.  

Again, I'm so sorry for the loss of your husband and sister.  It's a Heavy load.  Feel better soon.

Please don't take this in the wrong way Dianne.  I was on Cymbalta and it is the only anti-depression like medication I've ever been on that messed with my mind in a bad way.  I thought about ways I could die at least 6 times a day.  For examples; While driving my car imaging a tire would blow and send it over a cliff and kill me;  Standing at the top of the basement stairs thinking I could fall and would then be dead, and so forth. I wasn't suicidal but super scared of dying by many methods. Back then I was hoping it would work as it had a good track record for people that have Fibromyalgia - which I have. A close friend takes it for depression only and it's made a real difference in his depression.  

I've had medications that caused me to retain water, blurry vision and to itch.  I'm also still on Wellbrutrin with my Amitriptyline.  They work differently as each treats different substances in our brains. 

The minute I was diagnosed with Fibro I was put on a mild antidepressant and I have tried many since then in 1998.  Unfortunately what works for one doesn't for another.  I hate taking them too, so I really understand why Mema wanted to quit taking hers.  Maybe it's not the right one to be taking as well.  They call them Medical "Practices" and I want doctors that don't want to "practice" too much on me and refer me to another doctor when needed.  My local GI did that when my j-pouch with cuffitis and c.diff wouldn't go away.

I take Celexa for depression as well as an anti-anxiety drug as needed. Before I was on these I was, like TE, imagining ways to die. I was pretty flipped out about taking these as I already take a lot of other meds, but they help me a lot,so.......

That is interesting that the intestine has a link to Seratonin. 

I know what you mean kta. My 36 year old daughter, who is more in tune with my health problems than her brother and father, asked me why I was taking so many medications.  She thought I'd feel better off of them.  I didn't get mad at her but sat down with all of my medications and explained why each one was needed.  This discussion started with the little daily pill for my hypothyroidism as it's the one I've needed the longest.  At the end of our talk she understood not only why I was taking the medications but more about my health - or lack thereof.....

Some days I really get rebellious and skip taking some of my vitamins