As we all know, life never goes according to plan, ESPECIALLY when you're sick, at least that's the way it seems to me. Today I was supposed to have a two-fer at Kaiser, have my nerve conduction test and then go downstairs and have my endoscopy where they were going to inject my pylorus (the sphincter-like opening at the bottom part of my stomach) with botox to paralyze it open. Well, I get to my Neurologist's office on time and commence to wait and wait and wait for over and hour to the point where it was getting time for me to be downstairs for the endoscopy. So my nerve conduction test was rescheduled to Friday morning at 10am (and I see the Ophthalmologist at 4pm on Friday) and then I "ran"--Christine's version of running, which is more like a healthy person's slow walk--to Gastroenterology and get checked in.
When they call me back they asked me when the last time was that I ate and I explained to the nurse that I don't actually eat solid food, but I had a protein shake at 7:45 this morning, but proceeded to evacuate it at around 11:30am, so there's nothing in my stomach. Then when they tried to start an IV, I was dehydrated, so it took two stabs to get an IV in. The first one they tried, the vein blew...I guess that's a sign of dehydration. Then the next thing I know I was wheeled into the procedure room where I quickly asked my doctor about referring me to a nutritionist because, if this botox procedure works, I will be able to eat some things but not other things, so I feel like I need some guidance. My doctor totally agreed to it (he's a cool guy) and then they proceeded to load me up with meds and the next thing I know it was done!
In recovery, my mom got to come and be with me and my doctor came by to talk with us. I don't remember much of what he said because I was in and out of consciousness (I was LOADED), but I do remember him saying it would take about 2 weeks before we would really know whether or not the procedure worked or not. If it DOES work, then the effects can last up to 9 months (I think) then when it starts wearing off he will have to do a surgery where he permanently opens up the pylorus. If it does NOT work, then it's kind of back to the drawing board. It could mean a number of things for me: TPN (an IV feeding tube that goes down the neck), a feeding tube in the stomach, or a surgery to remove part of my stomach and attaching it to my small intestines. I'm cautiously optimistic that the botox is going to work...I don't want to get my hopes up, only to have them dashed if it doesn't work, so I'm trying to just be kind of indifferent about the whole thing. I've just been ill for so long and had several medications not work for me that I've learned to not rely too heavily on the reliability of any medication or procedure.
Friday is going to be a long, interesting, and fun day all wrapped up into one. I have the nerve conduction at 10am, the test that I "lovingly" refer to as the "zappy zappy" test because the doctor will literally be shocking me. Then at 4pm I see the Ophthalmologist because the Neurologist thought he had seen something cloudy behind my right eye, so he's having that checked out. Now, I don't know if the eye doctor is going to dilate my eyes or not. If she does, I'm in trouble because I'm going to my friend's bridal shower after that and everyone will be signing! The last time I had my eyes dilated, they stayed that way for HOURS and I couldn't see much of anything, so this could be potentially problematic.
That's the latest and greatest news in Christine's Dizzy Life!
Showing posts with label Endoscopy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Endoscopy. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Saturday, May 8, 2010
The H-word…Hospital
Last Friday (April 30th) I guess I had finally arrived at the end of my rope. I would imagine ANYONE would arrive at the end of that rope after throwing up nearly every day for a month and DEFINITELY throwing up every day for 10 days straight. It was to the point where I couldn’t even keep down a sip of water, let alone anything of any nutritional value. I arrived in my doctor’s office at 8:30am and was given an IV and a shot of Phenergan (an anti-emetic medication) and left to see if it had any effect…it didn’t. The doctor walked in and I proceeded to upchuck for her, so I was then given two shots of a different anti-emetic medication (Zofran) and, again, left to hopefully recuperate. Sadly, that did not happen. It was then decided that I needed to be admitted into the hospital to get the vomiting under control AND hopefully figure out exactly what the heck is going on with me.
At 4pm I was in my hospital room with the ever-so-flattering blue hospital gowns on and then had another IV inserted into my left hand because the original one was in the crook of my arm and it was hurting, but they left that one in just in case the one in my hand went south…which it did, two days later. Anyhow, the admitting doctor came in and told me I had vertigo and that’s probably why I was vomiting so much, to which I was thinking (no duh!), but politely obliged him and then he left. Dinner arrived: a bowl of beef broth (which I SWEAR is made from a synthetic cow), Italian Ice, apple juice, and Jell-O. I ate a little bit of everything and then my barf bucket got to have some too, so that was the end of that. The nurses loaded me up with all kinds of yummy medicines and I was out…until 1am when the Vampires came (because it’s SUCH a convenient time) to draw some blood. Once they left, I was out again until the nutrition people come bursting through the door screaming “BREAKFAST!”.
Well, breakfast for me was the same as dinner…went in…came out…no big surprise other than I think the nurses were surprised at the speed at which I could take in something and then urp it right back up. I think I should be in The Guinness Book of World Records! If you’re ever in the hospital and put on a liquid diet, request the lemon flavored Italian Ice, that way when you throw up at least you have fresh breath.
That day I met my 1st attending physician, Dr. W. She was really nice and listened to what I had to say, what I had been going through for nearly three months and decided to continue on with the meds that I had been on, unless the Neurologist, Dr. H. decided to change anything. Dr. H. came in later and decided to raise the dosage of a medication that he had put me in about 3 weeks earlier, to see if it helped with the migraines…it didn’t help. That day I received a roommate who was the sweetest lady and really watched out for me because that night or the next, can’t really remember, I had a HORRIBLE night. 4:30 in the morning I woke up out of a dead sleep CRYING, I was in such pain. It felt like my head was in a vice with an elephant sitting on top of it, not to mention that I started vomiting up blue-green stuff that tasted like medicine. My roommate had to push the button for the nurse for me because I was completely unable to do it for myself. The poor nurse started pumping every medication that was ordered for me into my IV because I just would not stop barfing and the headache wouldn’t go away. Finally, after who knows how much medication, I finally passed out and didn’t wake up until they were smacking me awake for breakfast…which came right, back up.
By Sunday none of my doctors knew what to do with me. I guess Dr. H and Dr. W talked with each other and both were completely flummoxed as to what to do with me. Dr. W decided that I needed to have an Endoscopy, a procedure where they put a scope down your throat and check out your esophagus, stomach, and duodenum. That evening they had to call in a special nurse called a PICC Line nurse; they are ones that specialize in putting in central lines for cancer patients, to put in a new IV for me. He used an ultra sound to do it, because my veins were so small that they were hard to find. He wanted to avoid putting it in my upper arm, but was forced to put it in my bicep on my left arm when the vein in my forearm was not cooperating. So come Monday morning, I’m hauled off to G.I (Gastrointerology) to have the procedure. I had that procedure once before and the doctor did not sedate me enough and I was awake for part of it, so I made sure that the doctor I had that day was going to KNOCK ME OUT! He did a good job because I remember very little of it and it wasn’t that bad, so Dr. P did a good job! Only thing is, there was nothing wrong with any of those body parts, which is good, but adds to the frustration factor. Then enters Dr. A…That man walked into my hospital room a couple hours after the Endoscopy and made it sound like if I kept down one meal, I was going home! And then dinner arrives and it’s HUGE chunks of chicken! I haven’t eaten solid food for a month and he wants me to eat THAT?! The only thing I could do was burst into tears and demand that the tray be taken away. It was ridiculous!
The next morning Dr. A walked in and I let him know that I was not happy with him at all. I am not a very assertive person, it’s not in my nature, but I put my foot down. He asked me if I wanted to go back to liquid foods only or continue with real food. I told him real food, but in BABY STEPS! For crying out loud, not 24 hours earlier I had been hucking up Italian Ice!!!!! Thankfully that was the last time I saw Dr. A and Dr. C replaced him. At any rate, Dr. H, the Neurologist came in and decided that he wanted to put me on a high dose of Solumedrol, a very potent steroid because he had heard that it helps migraines. The catch: it makes your blood sugars go through the roof. So for three days I received the steroids and had to get insulin shots in my tummy 5 or 6 times, which is not big deal.
On Wednesday I ate breakfast and then my barf bucket got it, but I kept food down the rest of the day, but by that time the IV the PICC Line nurse had put in was starting to go south, but I kept it in one more day. Thursday morning I ate my breakfast and back up it came, along with some Prednizone. Then they called in an anesthesia nurse to insert a new IV, which she did on my right hand, but the gauge wasn’t big enough, so they called in a PICC Line nurse again and I had my 5th IV inserted into my right forearm. Then, about 3 hours later, I was told I was being discharged. Apparently keeping down 2 out of 3 meals was good enough to the hospital staff. I made it known that I was not happy and that my family wasn’t very happy either, but it didn’t really make a difference to any of them.
So here I sit 2 days after a 6-day stint in the hospital with bruises up and down my arms, weak, barely eating, and hurting EVERYWHERE. My mom thinks that it’s the Prednizone that is making me hurt, but I am telling you, it is EXCRUCIATING pain. My mom actually had to rub my back last night until I fell asleep, that’s how bad it was because I was BAWLING! I have a VERY high tolerance for pain, I’ve had to adapt, considering the knees that I have, so when I cry because I am in pain, you KNOW that there is something wrong. If you’ve ever been to my house you know that the walk from the living room to my parents’ room is not that far, but I made that trip last night to take a shower, with help from my mom, and by the time I got back to the couch I totally passed out. My mom woke me up and had me sit on the toilet so that she could dry my hair, but then when I went to bed all I could do was cry because I hurt so much.
I want to make it to church in the morning and go to my Aunt’s tomorrow for Mother’s Day, but I just don’t know if I have the energy to make the walk from the shuttle to the sanctuary and back again. I’m trying to think positively, telling myself that if all else fails I’ll pass out at my Aunt’s, but I just haven’t decided whether or not I have the energy to do any of that. So, if you see me in the morning, hug gently, but don’t be afraid of me, I won’t break, there’s still too much of me to do that! I’ve lost around 25 pounds from this illness, which, on the one hand is a good thing, but not a really healthy way of going about it.
After all of that time in the hospital, no real diagnosis has been achieved. It seems that the Neurologist has come around and realized that it is something neurological, he just doesn’t know what…yet. I see him and my primary doctor on Wednesday, so we’ll see what everyone has to say. Parts of me think that, even though I am holding down small amounts of food, they let me go too early, but I’m trying to take it slowly when it comes to food and moving around so as not to upset my innards.
ALL OF MY IVs:
At 4pm I was in my hospital room with the ever-so-flattering blue hospital gowns on and then had another IV inserted into my left hand because the original one was in the crook of my arm and it was hurting, but they left that one in just in case the one in my hand went south…which it did, two days later. Anyhow, the admitting doctor came in and told me I had vertigo and that’s probably why I was vomiting so much, to which I was thinking (no duh!), but politely obliged him and then he left. Dinner arrived: a bowl of beef broth (which I SWEAR is made from a synthetic cow), Italian Ice, apple juice, and Jell-O. I ate a little bit of everything and then my barf bucket got to have some too, so that was the end of that. The nurses loaded me up with all kinds of yummy medicines and I was out…until 1am when the Vampires came (because it’s SUCH a convenient time) to draw some blood. Once they left, I was out again until the nutrition people come bursting through the door screaming “BREAKFAST!”.
Well, breakfast for me was the same as dinner…went in…came out…no big surprise other than I think the nurses were surprised at the speed at which I could take in something and then urp it right back up. I think I should be in The Guinness Book of World Records! If you’re ever in the hospital and put on a liquid diet, request the lemon flavored Italian Ice, that way when you throw up at least you have fresh breath.
That day I met my 1st attending physician, Dr. W. She was really nice and listened to what I had to say, what I had been going through for nearly three months and decided to continue on with the meds that I had been on, unless the Neurologist, Dr. H. decided to change anything. Dr. H. came in later and decided to raise the dosage of a medication that he had put me in about 3 weeks earlier, to see if it helped with the migraines…it didn’t help. That day I received a roommate who was the sweetest lady and really watched out for me because that night or the next, can’t really remember, I had a HORRIBLE night. 4:30 in the morning I woke up out of a dead sleep CRYING, I was in such pain. It felt like my head was in a vice with an elephant sitting on top of it, not to mention that I started vomiting up blue-green stuff that tasted like medicine. My roommate had to push the button for the nurse for me because I was completely unable to do it for myself. The poor nurse started pumping every medication that was ordered for me into my IV because I just would not stop barfing and the headache wouldn’t go away. Finally, after who knows how much medication, I finally passed out and didn’t wake up until they were smacking me awake for breakfast…which came right, back up.
By Sunday none of my doctors knew what to do with me. I guess Dr. H and Dr. W talked with each other and both were completely flummoxed as to what to do with me. Dr. W decided that I needed to have an Endoscopy, a procedure where they put a scope down your throat and check out your esophagus, stomach, and duodenum. That evening they had to call in a special nurse called a PICC Line nurse; they are ones that specialize in putting in central lines for cancer patients, to put in a new IV for me. He used an ultra sound to do it, because my veins were so small that they were hard to find. He wanted to avoid putting it in my upper arm, but was forced to put it in my bicep on my left arm when the vein in my forearm was not cooperating. So come Monday morning, I’m hauled off to G.I (Gastrointerology) to have the procedure. I had that procedure once before and the doctor did not sedate me enough and I was awake for part of it, so I made sure that the doctor I had that day was going to KNOCK ME OUT! He did a good job because I remember very little of it and it wasn’t that bad, so Dr. P did a good job! Only thing is, there was nothing wrong with any of those body parts, which is good, but adds to the frustration factor. Then enters Dr. A…That man walked into my hospital room a couple hours after the Endoscopy and made it sound like if I kept down one meal, I was going home! And then dinner arrives and it’s HUGE chunks of chicken! I haven’t eaten solid food for a month and he wants me to eat THAT?! The only thing I could do was burst into tears and demand that the tray be taken away. It was ridiculous!
The next morning Dr. A walked in and I let him know that I was not happy with him at all. I am not a very assertive person, it’s not in my nature, but I put my foot down. He asked me if I wanted to go back to liquid foods only or continue with real food. I told him real food, but in BABY STEPS! For crying out loud, not 24 hours earlier I had been hucking up Italian Ice!!!!! Thankfully that was the last time I saw Dr. A and Dr. C replaced him. At any rate, Dr. H, the Neurologist came in and decided that he wanted to put me on a high dose of Solumedrol, a very potent steroid because he had heard that it helps migraines. The catch: it makes your blood sugars go through the roof. So for three days I received the steroids and had to get insulin shots in my tummy 5 or 6 times, which is not big deal.
On Wednesday I ate breakfast and then my barf bucket got it, but I kept food down the rest of the day, but by that time the IV the PICC Line nurse had put in was starting to go south, but I kept it in one more day. Thursday morning I ate my breakfast and back up it came, along with some Prednizone. Then they called in an anesthesia nurse to insert a new IV, which she did on my right hand, but the gauge wasn’t big enough, so they called in a PICC Line nurse again and I had my 5th IV inserted into my right forearm. Then, about 3 hours later, I was told I was being discharged. Apparently keeping down 2 out of 3 meals was good enough to the hospital staff. I made it known that I was not happy and that my family wasn’t very happy either, but it didn’t really make a difference to any of them.
So here I sit 2 days after a 6-day stint in the hospital with bruises up and down my arms, weak, barely eating, and hurting EVERYWHERE. My mom thinks that it’s the Prednizone that is making me hurt, but I am telling you, it is EXCRUCIATING pain. My mom actually had to rub my back last night until I fell asleep, that’s how bad it was because I was BAWLING! I have a VERY high tolerance for pain, I’ve had to adapt, considering the knees that I have, so when I cry because I am in pain, you KNOW that there is something wrong. If you’ve ever been to my house you know that the walk from the living room to my parents’ room is not that far, but I made that trip last night to take a shower, with help from my mom, and by the time I got back to the couch I totally passed out. My mom woke me up and had me sit on the toilet so that she could dry my hair, but then when I went to bed all I could do was cry because I hurt so much.
I want to make it to church in the morning and go to my Aunt’s tomorrow for Mother’s Day, but I just don’t know if I have the energy to make the walk from the shuttle to the sanctuary and back again. I’m trying to think positively, telling myself that if all else fails I’ll pass out at my Aunt’s, but I just haven’t decided whether or not I have the energy to do any of that. So, if you see me in the morning, hug gently, but don’t be afraid of me, I won’t break, there’s still too much of me to do that! I’ve lost around 25 pounds from this illness, which, on the one hand is a good thing, but not a really healthy way of going about it.
After all of that time in the hospital, no real diagnosis has been achieved. It seems that the Neurologist has come around and realized that it is something neurological, he just doesn’t know what…yet. I see him and my primary doctor on Wednesday, so we’ll see what everyone has to say. Parts of me think that, even though I am holding down small amounts of food, they let me go too early, but I’m trying to take it slowly when it comes to food and moving around so as not to upset my innards.
ALL OF MY IVs:
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