Friday, February 8, 2013

Keeping up...

I am by far the worst blogger. I use to be so good at keeping up with my blog but that is not the case any more. My blog is messy and full of grammar errors but it helps me keep track of what of is going on with my GP.

I went to see my GI in December. He believed that the upper abdominal pain that I had been having since October (the type where it hurts to bend over, breathe, eat and sometimes get comfortable enough to sleep at night) was coming from a nerve. I have dealt with this before. It is kind of hard to eat and maintain when you are dealing with two abdominal issues. He sent me back to the doctor who had administered my shots previously. This time the doctor explained to me that the pain could be coming from a nerve, scar tissue or surgical adhesions, you name it. I was thinking that this was great, I have been cut on at ten different places on my abdomen. A small laparoscopic incision is causing this much pain. What happens if that nicely sized colectomy incision decides to act up; how bad will that hurt? I go back the first of March for a recheck and possibly another shot.

In December, I had an upper endoscopy where my pylorus was stretched and Botox was administered to help control the stomach spasms that I had been experiencing. During the month of January it was a constant struggle to keep my energy and weight up. My clean outs were becoming more difficult so I was requiring more medication to make my clean outs work. My clean out regime was up to a bottle of magnesium citrate, twenty tablespoons of Milk of Magnesia and twenty Dulcolax pills every other day. It took all of this medication just to make a clean out work. One night while cleaning out I nearly passed out on the way to bed. At other times, the mornings after my clean out my pulse would be in the 140s. There were mornings where I had to shower sitting down because I was too weak to stand. Some days after showering, I couldn't get off the couch from being so run down and weak.

I finally gave in and talked with my PA and GI. I told them that I was exhausted from cleaning out. After three hundred and fifty plus bottles over the span of two and a half years, one tends to get tired. The magnesium citrate was burning me up internally when I drank it. I was open to any new options, a tube up my nose, anything. I expressed that I was fully capable of cleaning out the rest of my life, anything to avoid an ileostomy. I just needed a break for a few weeks. (The weekend before I have mixed a fourteen dose bottle of Miralax into a medium bottle of Gatorade. Needless to say it didn't work like it was suppose to but I was getting desperate.) They ask me to come into the office. My GI came in and told me that I had pretty much done all that I could do with laxatives. (Who takes twenty Dulcolax? It is ridiculous!) He explained that over the past couple of years we have focused on cleaning out my tract from the top down. My remaining eight inches of colon seem to be what is hanging everything up even though my stomach and small intestines are delayed as well. For the next six months he wants to focus on my colon and cleaning it out from the bottom up. In time hopefully I will be able to cut back on my use of magnesium citrate. The last time I had to use enemas, I didn't have the muscle strength due to my pelvic floor issues. I have been working on this approach since my appointment and I am not gaining anything. It is just like a repeat of last time, I just don't have the muscle strength. Hopefully after six months if things aren't looking better, we will talk about removing the remaining eight inches of colon.

My GI did express that I needed to gain weight. I have to get above ninety pounds. The morning of my appointment I weighed eighty-two pounds. We talked about this rash that I get whenever I clean out. He had my dermatologist take a look at it and she had no clue as to what it could be. I am to come in for a biopsy and we will go from there. As for my continued stomach spasms, later this month I am having another upper endoscopy where a balloon will be placed into my pylorus and I will receive additional Botox injections.

I have always been the type to take care of my teeth. I brush anywhere from four to seven times a day and use all types of mouth rinses. This week I had to go to the dentist for a routine cleaning. I am all about oral care but I hate going to the dentist. I'd rather have a pap smear, a colonoscopy, an anorectal manometry, you name it. I don't like going. I have heard for several years that GP can effect your teeth. Let's not forget to mention that I chug laxatives every other day and who knows what that is doing to my teeth. After my cleaning, the dentist comes in and explains that I have four cavities and several other spots that need to be watched. (What?!) Where I consume more liquids than solids, I do not chew like a normal person does. Chewing keeps your teeth cleaner. I also have acid reflux. The combination of the acid reflux, the GP and possibly my cleaning out have just took a toll on my teeth. I am just thankful that my teeth were in good shape to begin with.