GI Doctor Visit and Beyond

I made it to the doctor on Wednesday. My mom came with me. This doctor is a great GI doctor. GI is Gastrointestinal for in case some of you may not know. Anyway, this doctor is kinda like Dr. D-bone (from my previous post) but he is more approachable and friendlier. His nurses do most of the work in my humble opinion. I got on the scale and weighed 72.4 lbs. My blood pressure was high. They said probably because of the nausea etc. He asked me a few questions and told me I needed an EGD(Esophagogastroduodenoscopy) and CT scan to find out the problem. I had lost 20 lbs in 2 years. I reminded him that I had an EGD two years ago. He said, "Well you need another one to find out the cause of your problems."  So he left and another nurse came in asked me when I wanted to do it. I asked what was available. She said, "What about tomorrow?" I'm like whoa.. My mom blurts, "Yes, that is perfect." The nurse looked at me and I agreed.

It was sort of funny since my mom just answered for me. I wasn't expecting it to be THAT soon but I went with it. She was the one going to be bringing me and taking me home since MyLove had a job and I didn't want him to miss work. The nurse gave me instructions which was at his The Berry's office at 7:30 and  nothing to eat or drink after midnight. They also told me to bring all my meds.

I REFUSE to bring my meds. I have made a list on my computer and save it on the my Flash disk. I have a list of my meds, a list of my medical history and a list of surgeries. I know my  meds and bring a copy of the lists updated every time I go to a doctor.

I didn't sleep that night. I got up with MyLove at 4:15 am. Since he was working in The Berry he dropped me off at my mom's.That part worked amazingly well.  At 7:30 am we were at the hospital. An  older white haired lady was waiting. After talking with her we found out she was having the colonoscopy. She mentioned that she has done the test yearly for the past few years. I felt sorry for her because the test is nothing but the prep is ridiculous. They need to come up with a better prep than that.

They called me to go to the back about 10 minutes after we sat down. She put the bracelet on my wrist, took my 20%  insurance did not cover and brought me to the test room. It was so freaking cold in there I started shivering. They connected me to the EKG, pulse, nasal oxygen, took my vital signs and put the IV and left me there. We waited for the doctor which ended up an hour.

The staff would pop in every once in a while telling me it would be soon. They had great 80's music! I  noticed when I moved the finger with the oximeter on it, the machine would beep. So I entertained myself by moving my finger making the machine beat its rhythm.  I also watched and listened to the staff in the next room.

When Doc came in the staff started moving fast. He told me hello. The anesthesiologist put a short round cyclinder gadget in my mouth to prevent harm to my teeth. They told me to roll on my side. The room was full of people now. The anesthesiologist was on the other side of the bed and told me that I was going to feel a little cold in my IV and all went blank. I felt like I was just sleeping, because I was but I had the light feeling of sleep if you can wrap your head around that!

All of a sudden I was gently being awaken by the nurse telling me its all over. She asked if I could sit up which I did. I sat on the bed for a few seconds then she walked me to the area where I had paid. My mom was waiting. The nurse explained what they found. These are all my problems:

1. Esophageal Ring which is narrowing of one end of the esophagus with either scar tissue or inflammation. Of course I have both. He dilated my esophagus.

2. Hiatal Hernia. He said nothing to worry about and didn't believe it was a cause or threat at this time.

3. Gastritis. Inflammation of the stomach tissue

4. Duodenitis.Inflammation of the first portion of the small intestine.

He gave me a prescription for Periactin which I assume is for the inflammation and continued my Nexium. Gave me a follow-up appointment. Also, it was liquid diet for the rest of the day. Go figure! I was starving!

He also wants me to drink ENSURE which was dreadful in my mind. The reason being that I worked as a nurse at a Elderly Nursing Home. It was my passion. I loved the old people and they wanted their ENSURE. I thought it had a bad odor.

So I wobbled to my mom's car. We stopped at SONIC for a Dr. Pepper. Then we went to my Mom's. I made phone calls, ate a little cup of ice cream and rested. MyLove picked me up around 3:30 and we filled my prescriptions and bought my Ensure and we came home.

It's ridiculous how much Ensure costs. For a 6 pack, it was on sale at 6.69. That's crazy and that was a sale. Need to figure out how to buy the Ensure at a better price. I have been looking online but no luck.

I slept well last night, didn't wake up until 10 am. I've been groggy and figured out the Periactin must be the culprit. I'm in LA-LA Land. I drank a bottle of Ensure for lunch and for supper I had two fried eggs, slice of bread and hashbrowns. I am still farting, have a sore throat and heartburn. I didn't have heartburn before but I guess it'll take time for my body to get it together.

I want to thank everyone for reading, wishing me well and a speedy recovery. I really appreciate my every one of you. It makes you feel better than both people I know and strangers turning into online friends are in it with you.