I finally got my gastric emptying scans back from Temple. As expected everything; my stomach, small intestines and colon are extremely slow. They noted that I even had trouble digesting or processing liquids. I really don’t know how that works…..
Wednesday I had an appointment with my gastroenterologist in Winston. We discussed numerous things from biofeedback therapy to pulse rates. I start therapy this Tuesday in hopes to retain what muscles are left in my colon and maybe even strengthen them. (One can hope, right?) Over the past few months my pulse rate will be in the upper nineties and to around one hundred and fifteen and I will not be doing anything. He said people with GP have related issues with that so he wanted to double check just to be on the safe side and that I was probably dehydrated.
We talked about the pacemaker. He asked what Dr. Parkman’s opinion had been and what I had thought about it. To make a long story short, he said that I have three major issues; a bad stomach, intestines/colon and bladder which are all “connected”. Out of every five GP patients he sees, I am the worse; comforting isn’t!? He agreed with Dr. Parkman. It is too big of a risk to take.
I did have to go to the urologist that afternoon. About a year and a half (?) ago the whole bladder issue started. My muscles there as well as my bladder went on the fritz. I had to learn how to catheterize myself which is not nearly as hard as I thought. We had to shrink and retrain my bladder muscles. For numerous months I heard “Jennifer, you have to relax”.
I’m always watching myself, who wants to cath and retrain their bladder over? I thought I was backtracking again. He said everything was fine but that the muscles would get worse because of the GP. (Are you serious??) He had some ways to help on days when my muscles would cooperate.
Overall the day was very overwhelming when I got home and took it all in. I realized that I was not getting a pacemaker which meant no nausea relief and no broadening of the food horizon. My GI doctor did say since things wouldn’t get better to eat something good sometimes like pizza. I am going to pay for it anyway so I might as well enjoy it. I am okay with everything now, nothing has changed. Wednesday was just overwhelming.