My Very Own Scrubs

Round two of endoscopy vs. PoP was today. Recovery from the drugs seems easier, maybe because I didn't get a bunch of extra doses?

However, I have a fat lip leading the hubby to call me Angelina Jolie and I peed my pants because they let me wear them. So I had to go commando in ill-fitting scrubs to get home. Hubby wants to know what kind of doctor I'm seeing that sends me home without underwear.

The pain from the air that was pumped was beyond excruciating for some reason. It hurt so bad I couldn't take deep breaths and was crying on the way home. Thankfully, the air is dissipating.

There is nothing in the ducts and the pancreas looks good. So scope is negative, OB has been checked on the off chance it's an ovary gone bad, and there's really nothing else to check. My body just hurts for no good reason. At least now when it feels like a rupturing appendix, I know there's no pathology and I can safely watch 2am infomercials until it subsides.

I did have a polyp which as been removed. My body grows things like a frustrated gardener; skin tags, moles, cafe au lait marks, small tumors in each lung, thyroid nodules and now polyps.

They said I may need a lower GI scope and more scopes in general, which is horrifying to consider. I plan to avoid them as much as possible.

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Deja Vu

Hey,it's Fall. We're going to the pumpkin patch tomorrow.

Except I'm sick.

Hey, I was sick last year.

This year, the toddler is sick too.

So. Much. Fun. that I can't quite find the right swear word for it.

The gallbladder/gut kept me most of the night and that was all the opening the germs needed.

My gut hurts, the adrenals are acting like they are somehow relevant, the asthma has been activated and my sinuses are full of gunk.

You wish you could have this much fun in just one body, don't you? Come on. Admit it.

Well, come hell or high water or whatever medical mayhem ensues, we are going to the pumpkin patch tomorrow.

So there.

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Stabbed in the Back, but Otherwise Fine

So my perfectly healthy gallbladder has taken to stabbing me in the back. For no good reason other than it can.

Sigh.

I really hope an answer or solution (a simple, easy one) can be found because this is just getting ridiculous.

Other than that, I perked up a bit on Sunday and had a pretty full day. 2 hours at the pool where I gave myself a sunburn via incompetent sunscreen administration. I'm pretty sure the dermatologist is going to disown me when they see how tan I've gotten.

Despite my garish sun hat, which I wear everywhere, I need to step up my sun game. I haven't been outside so much on such a regular basis in years. Not even last year, when I had a very active summer. The introduction of the pool into our routine has had more of an impact than anticipated. However, it is very good for the toddler and her motor/sensory issues, which is why we go almost daily.

After the pool, I rode my bike all over the neighborhood for about 20 ass-kicking minutes (wimpy, I know, but I'm starting from like a -10 on the fitness scale). Then I did some jump squats to start easing back into strength cardio work outs.

I also went to the grocery store. So a rather busy day for a former adrenal zombie. A wave of fatigue took me out at the end, nixing another store run, but I kept it together with lots of water and a few pickles.

Monday, I did Zumba. I hated it. It was hard on my knee, which is still recovering from the Amelia Bedelia-esque fall at the pool. I did however get a good workout and, as a result, was quite the space cadet on the way home.

Sunday no nap, I tried, but couldn't sleep. On Monday I konked and that was before Zumba. I've also had some adrenal pain, which makes NO sense, but it is what it is.

Hopefully all this 'stress' is prompting my body to get a clue and make more cortisol.

Really good news...I have lost about 2 pounds so far. Which is the first weight loss I've seen in about 7 months. So major progress even though the number is teeny tiny. Let's see if I can get to 10lbs lost before vacation in August.

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HIDA Scan That Would Not End

Thank goodness I have someone visiting who can just up and toddler sit for 5 hours because the two hour HIDA scan? Went on and on and on.

My gallbladder wouldn't dump the radioactive dye. They had me walk. And walk. Jump up and down. Go to the cafeteria and sniff food in the hopes of prompting the gallbladder to empty. I got in a full 30 minute workout trying to get that stuff to move.

Two hours later, it finally started to empty. Emphasis on started. They went back and forth trying to decide if the dye had really moved into my small intestine or not. The doctor said no. So I had to walk some more. Then three nuclear techs hemmed and hawed over the films (video?) and, finally, everyone agreed it had moved.

So they did the CCK thing so they could measure the gallbladder ejection fraction. For something that was previously so sluggish, it did manage to contract and move stuff along with the CCK.

I was released four hours later only to return because I bled through the band aid and all over my shirt. Of course I wore a nice shirt. Which is now ruined.

While it is not normal for the dye to take 2 hours to clear the gallbladder, that doesn't mean the HIDA scan is abnormal.

Place your bets. Will the HIDA scan show the gallbladder has to go? Or is it just a GERD gut motility thing?

I bet the HIDA scan will be normal. I think it's probably a gut motility issue.

On the upside, the test reproduced the appendicitis symptoms so now I know I feel that way when the gallbladder isn't emptying like it should.

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Make Up Your Own Title As I'm Stumped Pickle Time

Edited at the bottom of post.

Okay, this is just wrong. My body keeps trying to fall asleep on me. I don't feel particularly bad or anything, but my body wants to make like Rip Van Winkle.

I skipped one day of exercise. Probably will miss today too as the house needs to be cleaned and I will be too tired after that to do much.

There is the occasional flank pain/twinge, which let's hope it's just that those nerves have learned to fire that pattern and are doing it just for fun.

Maybe I should eat? I'm not hungry right now though BUT sometimes those sugar lows kill my appetite. Although I just had breakfast an hour ago.

I don't know. Feeling not too bad but not too good.

There was finally some weight loss after 6+ months of nothing. Just in time for me to eat birthday cake and mess it all up. Sigh.

The HIDA scan is tomorrow. I am crossing everything it helps find a solution. A few days ago, the gut kept me up and googling, until 2 am, trying to discern whether I needed immediate medical care or not. I voted for not and the gut calmed down eventually, but it's still there, ready to pounce at the slightest provocation.

Edited: I ate, it didn't help. My BP is low, not completely tanking but 100/60 ish which is low for me. I am also symptomatic of low BP and feel like I'm being sucker punched (aka adrenals are pissed). So drank 3/4 cup pickle juice followed by a square of toffee (12g carb). Let's hope that turns it around because I need to clean the house.

Just to make it more fun, the toddler is bleeding to death. She fell. (Of course!) She's phobic about band-aids. I finally got one on her after an hour of trying to soothe the hysterics (unsuccessful). She has now bled through the band-aid. (Of course!) Up next is the big sterile gauze pad which I'm pretty sure will cause her to hyperventilate and scar her for life.

Wish me luck.

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Latest Am Cortisol Results & Other Things

Am cortisol drawn earlier this week was 11. I was told anything over 10 is considered normal. However, there are, as usual, 50 different ways to interpret the results.

Here.

Here.

Here.

Just to name a few. There are many, many more. Both for and against.

My take? Remains the same. I am okay to be off steroids, but not quite up to full production capacity and the HPA axis is still somewhat unresponsive to demand. The endo obliquely alluded to that in our short phone conversation.

I am realizing though, if my take is accurate, this may be SAI or a recovery. It could go either way. I hadn't thought of it that way before. I just assumed the HPAA would ramp up, but I guess it may not.

I am also underwhelmed that the am cortisol level isn't higher than it was in December when we did the first ACTH test. It's actually a bit lower, although probably still within the realm of normal fluctuation. I was hoping for a 15 (I've heard of endos that say you'll feel like crap at anything below 15 and I believe it!).

Nothing changes. I push myself to live as fully as I can so that, if I tank, it will show up on the ACTH test. The endo says from here it depends on how I feel. I didn't pursue that statement, but I infer that it means I could take steroids if I needed them? Or maybe if I still feel slow and sluggish they would do more testing? Wish I had thought to ask for an elaboration.

As for the gut, it has finally calmed down. My gallbladder ( I assume) is still bouncing around in there, causing a lot of sensation on the right upper and lower quadrants of my abdomen (it often mimics appendicitis and/or being skewered for shish kabob for some reason) but the heartburn seems to be under control. 40mg of Nexium seemed to do the trick. There's a lot less bloating and inflammation in the GI system than there was...so progress.

With regards to the writing, for those of you who asked to read...ummm. That's a hard one. It's kind of like asking to see me naked. Also it is very cheesy smut because that's what sells. Plus, it was what I had in my backlist to develop.

I am working on a project that will probably intersect with anything of mine that is published, so if you follow that when it's up, you'll likely encounter any books I have out.

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Phases of Cortisol Production

Once the HPA axis seemed to 'turn on' each taper has followed the same rough trajectory:

First there's the 'Oh wow! I feel GREAT! Tapering is going so well!' phase.

This is followed by my body screeching 'WHAT? You didn't tell me I was going to have to work every day. Bitch, I'm union. Suck this low blood sugar.' phase.

Then, eventually my body feels bad enough that it seems to grudgingly start doing what it's supposed to, the 'Okay FINE, I'll do it, but you're paying me triple time. Also, I'm doing this for ME, not YOU' phase.

I seem to be in phase two. I don't know why that is, but I'm tired of it. Suck it up, get it together let's go. There is no reason for me to feel like crap. None.

Although, I wonder how much of a drag the gut thing is on the system. This thing is marching toward an unpleasant endgame and I wonder if I will be able to hold out until the forthcoming appointment dates.

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