a life of magnesium citrate

The past few weeks have been the very same; Monday, Thursday and Saturday I clean out with magnesium citrate. It’s about to get the best of me! Constantly cleaning out is physically draining. It takes two days for the magnesium citrate to run its course and completely do its job. I get one day off a week – Wednesday and oh do I LOVE WEDNESDAY!! Monday’s clean out physically does me in. When I wake up on Tuesday I’m wiped out. All of this is an effort to reduce my colon spasms and keep them under control. The spasms have started to happen even while I’m cleaning out and they are not pleasant. I called my doctor’s office earlier this week because this is killing my work schedule and I don’t know if I can do this for two months (and drink that much magnesium citrate….yuck!). I ask if my doctor had anything else up his sleeve even though this was the last option (one could hope) or could we possibly push the surgical date up?

I know it’s insane – who wants to have surgery? I think I do. I am tired. I have spent almost a year of weekends, sometimes multiple weekdays in the house cleaning out. I’m 23… almost 24; I want to be out and about with my boyfriend and friends having a good time. Yes my GP does slow me down but my colon keeps me hostage in my own house. The surgery could be horrible to get over but I am willing to take that risk.

my stubborn colon...

I went to the gastroenterologist on Tuesday to see what was causing all of the abdominal pain. I was told by the emergency room doctors that the pasta that I ate caused me to have a GP flair. It made sense to me but it was really bad because pasta is a staple in my four item diet. My GI doctor checked me out and made sure that it wasn’t several factors including a nerve that I have to have lidocaine injected into. He moved down to my transverse colon and he hit the area. I told him that was the area where the pain originated but the pain would move all over the surrounding area. Whenever I ate the pain as well as the nausea increased. He told me that it was my colon not the pasta. He then went on to ask where the nausea originated from; exactly where the pain was – my colon region.

Whenever I eat the food that is in my stomach it pushed into my intestines so my colon started to spasm which caused the pain and nausea. My colon simply couldn’t handle food anymore. What is making matters worse is only cleaning out once a week; throughout the week food is just packing up. He told me to start cleaning out on Monday, Thursday and Saturday with the magnesium citrate (oh what fun… NOT!) in an attempt to ease the colon spasms. As for eating, I am to keep doing the protein drinks and to nibble. I ate a meal today and oh did I pay.

I ask him what my options were. Who wants to live in pain and not eat be able to eat? We talked about my attempts at physical therapy and how my muscles just never came around. He told me to do the magnesium citrate for two months which physically may do me in (it is sooo tiring). After two months I will go back to see him and he will send me to a surgeon to see about having my colon removed. I would not have to have a colostomy bag!! As of now, I am good with the idea of surgery. I would no longer have to deal with constipation and magnesium citrate. I would deal with diarrhea but I’ve dealt with that for years before my colon stopped functioning.

As for situations, thoughts or advice about surgery, if anyone has had this surgery I would love any insight.

a night in the emergency room

Monday for lunch I ate bland pasta and oh what a mistake was that. About thirty minutes after lunch I started having abdominal pain and cramping. I figured that it would go away with time but as the afternoon progressed the pain continued to worsen. I called my GI doctor and the office told me that he was out of the office and to take something for the pain (Hello?! I have nothing at work for this kind of pain and this always happens to me; whenever I need my GI doctor he’s s out of the office. Perfect.). If the pain becomes more than I can deal with, go to the emergency room. At around 8:30 that night, I gave in and went on to the hospital.

When we got to the emergency room, I had an idea that there would be some sick people with the flu but oh my goodness there were a lot. I tried to sit somewhere where we had some space. The nurse told me that there was a pretty long wait. A lady sitting in front of us had been there for eight hours with abdominal pain… it wasn’t looking promising for me.(LOL) By the time I was called back we had been beside people with masks on and across from a lady vomiting; I was cringing at times but then after waiting so long – who cares anymore? We were all in the same room; if you’re going to get sick, you’re going to get sick.

I got back there and explained my situation to the er doctor. It’s always a gamble going to the er, you never know who you’re going to get and if they know about GP. I’ve had to educate my doctors before about GP; that’s a very reassuring feeling (NOT!). I got to see two more doctors before the night was over and they all agreed that I was having a flair up. That was a little upsetting. Pasta is a staple in my diet. If that is upsetting my stomach to this extent, I’m in trouble. I got two rounds of Dilaudid for pain and Zofran for the nausea along with some x-rays. When I told the doctor how much Zofran I take a day he looked a little shocked. The Zofran works really well – no side effects; the Dilaudid however is another story. I get a major rush from it and I usually pass out from it or act stoned, there’s really no other word for it. :)

They released me around 4am which was nice. I made it to the parking deck and I got that familiar feeling… nausea mixed with the sensation of vomiting. I dealt with that all the way home. My stomach pain has eased up with the aid of Vicodin. Every time I eat the pain returns. Mashed potatoes should not cause pain. I feel like I’m Jell-o and just generally weak so I haven’t made it back to work. Maybe Friday.

Why does GP have to be so uncooperative?