And just like that, the spasms/pain is back.

This might be a temporary thing, but I know that I have been awakened in the middle of the night and sweating during the day, trying to quell the pain...unfortunately, there's not really anything I can do.   If taking a sip of water or some other liquid doesn't work, then I'm pretty much screwed and just have to deal with it....(everytime I say "deal with it," I'm reminded of that little girl, Taylor,  on the show Kid Nation who always said it.)

Anyhoo, this is one of those scenarios where I really don't want to be in pain, but it's probably best if I continue having symptoms when I go in for testing next week...but if the pain were to go away, I wouldn't be sad about it...*hint* to my esophagus...

It's Not a Tumor

A few days ago, the Nurse Prac called me at 6pm to let me know the results of the CT scan I had a week and a half ago.  (yes, she really called me after hours.)

There was no thymoma (tumor on the thymus), but something abnormal was found going on with my esophagus (lol duh) so I'm being sent to have a esophageal motility test...also called a manometry.  I had one of these 2 years ago, and I will say that it is pretty painless, but very uncomfortable.

They stick this long catheter tube down your nose into your stomach.  The one I had done before consisted of 10 wet swallows...I ended up having to do way more because the tech said that I kept swallowing when I shouldn't have.   I wasn't swallowing on purpose...the spasms were causing the tube to jerk...even almost ripping the tape holding it in place off my nose...it was quite involuntary.

Anyway, I had only one normal swallow.

I'm wondering if maybe my esophagus was dilated or tapered at the end, suggesting achalasia.  She seemed to be choosing her words very carefully when she called me...probably as to not scare me...but she never said exactly what was seen on the scan...

My swallowing has gotten worse...I didn't think it was possible...and I just got dilated less than two weeks ago.  I actually had a piece of chicken almost come out of my nose...and while trying to take a pill two nights ago, my throat seized up and wouldnt let anything down and the water and pill got propelled out of my mouth onto my bed.  *sigh*

So I have a manometry one week and the colonoscopy the next.  yay...or not.

Changes changes changes

I got a call from the GI doc's office on my way to work informing me that they had canceled my appointment with the oncologist because they will just monitor me at this point since everything had cleared up on the endoscopy....ummm okay...

This worries me a little bit considering I have felt a lot sicker and been in a lot more pain recently. I can't remember the last pain-free day I had. And the fact that my T-cell count was quite high on my blood work is alarming to me.

I'm not going to worry about it. I'm actually tired of it at this point.

I guess I still have the CT scan next week since I'm still not able to swallow very well.

*screams*

Oh...and no one in the medical profession should ever be allowed to tell a patient that they are too young for something. The last two times that I checked into the clinic, the nurse would get to the question about joint replacement and laugh while saying I'm way too young to have that problem...I hate her...it is very rude and inconsiderate...especially given my circumstances...

Anyway...that's one less trip I have to make to that side of town next week.

Yay.

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EGD went well.

The candidiasis cleared up completely (visually).  I hope it doesn't come back.
I couldn't believe the pics.  My mucosa was normal and pink.   He didn't mention anything about the gastritis, ulcers, and watermelon stomach, but I have to assume I'm healing or that it's not worse.   I did have a polyp in my stomach...they removed it.  I did read that those could be caused by PPI use...usually longterm though...and mine wasn't in the place that those usually occur.  Who knows?  I guess they'll biopsy it.  They took samples from my esophagus and duodenum again.  AND I had to be dilated.   I don't know if I had any narrowing but it's still very difficult for me to get most things down...and that's including liquids and solids.

And let me tell you, I love Propofol.  I really do.  It works FAST and it doesn't really leave you groggy.  Although, I had heard that it can be very painful going in, I didn't have that problem the first time I received it, but this time?! OMG.  I wanted to slap somebody but I only was awake for 10 seconds after I felt the pain so it didn't matter.

*sigh*

Only thing I hate about EGDs is being achy afterwards.

If I pass out...

Procedures that require fasting really should never be scheduled in late afternoon.

I'm so hungry and thirsty that I could punch someone.

And there is a baby with some vanilla wafers in this waiting room...I have no problems fighting a baby...poor thing just doesn't know that her life is in danger.

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Thirteen isn't an unlucky number...at least not for LSU fans.

Les Miles and his coaching staff almost ruined my birthday.   Seriously.
I really don't know how much more of this I can take.  We have some serious issues right now, and luck is really the only thing that has us at 5-0 right now.

I don't even have words to describe what I saw today.  I literally went from cursing and hitting things to cursing and breathing a sigh of relief.   We ended last season with a piss poor performance thanks to poor clock management, only to have it bite us in the ass again this season.    Don't believe me?  Watch this...

And still don't think it was that bad?   Well read this.

I don't know how many weeks we'll last like this.  How do we even rectify this situation?  Is firing Les Miles midway through the season even a good idea?  I mean, they fired Dinardo and Hal Hunter coached us to a win but that was during a 3-8 season that was preceeded by a 4-7 one, and we had one of the best recruting classes in the country.   Miles is very unpopular right now, and people that were very much on his side before today have now had a change of heart.

And so you know, I'm no fair weather fan...As a matter of fact, I decided that I would attend LSU after watching my first game on tv on Oct. 3, 1998.   LSU played Georgia and lost 27-28.  The next year, they didn't win but 3 games, and I bought season tickets for the next year, and did so every year that I was in school there.  I will admit to losing interest and falling asleep watching games on tv.  (I fall asleep doing everything though lol)  I will always love my Tigers, but they gotta do something...I think my ulcers bled a little today (j/k)

But thanks for the birthday present!  Even though it came wrapped in dog shit and barbed wired.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!

29 years.   wow.   

29 years ago, I looked like this...very sexy...

okay...im old and i need a nap.  hollerrrrrrrrrr.

Medical updates

My follow-up visit with the nurse practitioner was this morning.

Ready for the results?

Everything came back normal...with the exception of my T-cell count which was pretty high...and other random blood abnormalities that I consistently have.

What's next, you ask? Well, Monday morning I am having another upper endoscopy to do cultures and sensitivity testing...the yeast is apparently still there...I believe she saw patches on my tongue still.

Then, in two weeks I have to have a CT scan of my chest to make sure I don't have thymoma THEN I go see an oncologist because there are no immune disorder specialists in THE area...and they deal with most of the immune disorders here.

Ready for the finale? I have to have a colonoscopy around the beginning of November. Lawd.

I was assured that they would get to the bottom of whatever was going on. I'm really not accustomed to that kind of treatment from doctors.

I must say that I'm really happy about not getting bad news the day before my birthday, but it's still very frustrating.

I really love everybody in that office.

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