Last Saturday afternoon I continued to have the horrible pain when eating. It was like early labor. I would describe it like contractions, or like someone kicked a soccer ball in my stomach and I got the wind knocked out of me. I had not eaten solid food in about 10 days and was barely drinking water because when I drank I felt immediately full and uncomfortable.
Jim called Dr.Lerner to see if there was a way to get IV fluids at home and Dr. Lerner suggested I go straight to the ER and that he would get ahold of Dr.Desai (or someone on his GI team) to meet me at the hospital. I went in and ended up staying 3 days. I got three days of IV nutrients which made me feel like superwoman in terms of energy! I saw several doctors at the hospital, they did bloodwork, I did almost 4 cups of golytely and an upper scope. All the tests came back clean. (Except that the CT scan showed my colon was extremely packed). The general conclusion was that my stomach was having spasms for an unknown reason. They sent me home on Dec 23 with an appt with Dr. Desai on Dec 26. I am so so thankful I got to spend Christmas at home!
Jim and I met with Dr. Desai yesterday. My main complaints- 1.) I have pain (about 2-3 inches in diameter) surrounding my bellybutton when I eat and between my ribs when pressure is applied. 2.) When I drink I feel so full after 2 sips it feels like I just finished Thanksgiving dinner. It is uncomfortable to drink. 3.) I have not had a normal bm since August. It has been alternating between diarrhea and constipation depending on how much Natural Calm (magnesium drink) I take. I have tried changing the amount by a fraction of a teaspoon and I still don't have success.
Dr. Desai, unfortunately, did not seem to have any helpful advice. He told me to try Prilosec, take a walk outside daily and try not to be so stressed out. He did echo what most of the other doctors in the ER said which was that I'm on way too many medications for someone my age. I agree. Instead of dealing with the root issues, whether it be migraines or something else, I have had doctors giving me medicine on top of medicine since I was 20 years old. This has caused chronic constipation and who knows what else. He said to come back in a month.
I spoke with Dr.Lerner later that day and he said that he thinks the pain is stemming from the Epstein Barr Virus. I don't know if he means from the Valtrex that I have been taking for it (which he took me off of 2 weeks ago just in case) or other symptoms of the virus. His last statement on the phone was, "When you are feeling better, please come in so we can begin a more rigorous course of action." I'm not sure what to think about that. Dr. Lerner was incredibly helpful while I was in the hospital and I know is very knowledgable about this virus. At the same time I am drawn back to a more natural form of healing with my holistic doctors. We continue to pray for the best course of action and ask God for continued healing.
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