What three days can reveal

So I entered the weekend knowing that my eosinophil count was too high, and if with the bloodwork I had done last Wednesday the count was still too high, then I would be sent to an infectious disease center. I was content that a high eosinophil count would indicate a parasite, and that a parasite would explain my inflamed lymph nodes. I understood that if I got a bad attack again, I would call my doctor and he would tell me whether or not I needed to go back to the ER.

Saturday morning, sure enough, I got a terrible attack. I took my pain medication when it started forming, and decided to wait the amount of time it should take the pain medication to work before I called the doctor. After a half hour of ever increasing pain, I took a shower and prepared for the possibility of returning to the ER. However, when I called the doctor and described to him my pain and nausea, he was honest with me and told me that it would be totally legitimate for me to come to the ER for pain meds, but because they've already run all the available tests on me (colonoscopies are not done over the weekend), my trip to the ER would be purely for help with my pain. Instead we decided that he would prescribe me better pain medication and anti-nausea medication that I could pick up the following Monday...short term fix before the doctors actually figure out what my problem and its solution is.

Sunday morning I got a bad attack also, but I took plenty of my pain medication AND anti-nausea medication, and finally I had found a medication combination that worked. I was a zombie on my bed for an hour or two, but it felt wonderful. No pain, no nausea. Brilliant.

Monday I saw the GI for the colonoscopy consult. Unfortunately, he listened to my story and couldn't figure out why my surgeon had referred me to him for such a procedure. He said that nothing he would possibly find with a colonoscopy would explain my pain. I tried to explain to him that my surgeon had pointed out that with all the tests I've already had done, my colon is the last organ that has not been checked. He agreed to take that afternoon and Tuesday morning to do an overview of my hospital records and try to determine some other possible solution before flying to a colonoscopy. In the meantime, I told him that my sister has celiac disease and some of my symptoms are making me wonder if I might have it too. He said, again, he doesn't know how that would explain my pain, but it would be worth a shot to have the celiac bloodwork done. I had my blood tested for celiac disease yesterday, and will get the results sometime next week.

I also made a stop at my surgeon's office yesterday. He told me that my most recent bloodwork showed that my eosinophil count is actually normal...it's on the high side of normal, but it's normal. He told me for about the third time that I'm "not a simple case." He called my GI and tried to convince him I needed a colonoscopy, but they left it agreeing that the GI would look over my records and try to come to some other conclusion before resorting to such a procedure. My surgeon told me that he's not concerned about my eosinophil count, but just to cover all bases he will refer me to an infectious disease doctor if my celiac bloodwork comes back negative.

Last night after dinner, a heavy meal of pizza and breadsticks, Brent and I went on a quick trip to the mall. On our way to the mall my belly started bothering me, I felt that something monumentous was about to happen. Sure enough, right smack in the middle of our "night out on the town" my abdomen gave me loads of trouble, pain, nausea, you name it. They took me right home and I went to right to bed, feeling very discouraged and ready for a solution to my many and mysterious problems. Thankfully, Heather had written me a VERY encouraging note in response to hearing how inconclusive the day's doctor appointments had been, and part of the note prompted a desire in me to study Deuteronomy 32, a passage rich in the sovereignty of God. So the day ended on a better note as I rested in God's control and knowledge of my body.

I woke up at about 2:30 am last night, tossing and turning because of one of my middle-of-the-night attacks. I couldn't get back to sleep for almost three hours...I shouldn't have put off taking my pain medication so long, but I have been accustomed to it not working and I didn't feel like making the trek downstairs for a glass of water and a pill that wouldn't work. Now that I'm fully awake I realize it would have made a lot more sense to just try the medication at first anyways, but in my groggy, woken up from my deep sleep state I decided it would be better to thrash around on my bed. FINALLY I decided I could do nothing but crawl out of bed for medication, and thankfully this time it WORKED. This medication is pretty hit or miss, I had another attack only this morning for which it didn't do anything. Weird.

By the way, my surgeon went back on his promise for stronger pain meds. When I told him what medication I was already on, he was hesitant to give me anything stronger, because anything stronger is highly addictive and is medication that he only gives to patients in the hospital because of its zombie-like producing effects. So bummer. Until we figure out what's wrong with me I must deal with medication that sometimes works and sometimes doesn't.

So, everything is still pretty much up in the air. I saw a physical therapist today who is intrigued by my shoulder story and really believes it's something that can be remedied. She said something about a nerve and a C6 vertebrae, and when she pressed said C6 vertebrae, tingles were sent all the way down the right side of my body. When I told her about that, she sastisfactorily stated that would make sense. She can't wait to see me again and investigate into my shoulder business, until then she gave me some simple stretches to do twice a day.