Endoscopy

Today I'm going to the hospital to have an endoscopy.

One of the common side effects of being overweight is having gallstones.  In 2003, Jerry, my mama, and I were on a trip to the Outer Banks.  We were at the Lost Colony in Manteo when I had my first gallbladder attack.  Of course I didn't realize that's what it was then.  I thought I was dying, plain and simple...the most excruciating pain I have ever experienced.  (I've been through natural childbirth...and yes, the gallbladder was worse).   Jerry and Mama were getting ready to rush me to the hospital when all of a sudden it went away.  Surprisingly, I didn't go home and research what the heck was going on with me, very unlike me.  I just tried to forget about it.

Six months later, I came home from a basketball game at Trask and ate some bacon.  (I know, real healthy right?)   I laid down to go to bed and all of a sudden I was back at the Lost Colony.  This time Jerry did take me to the emergency room, where they announced that it was probably my gallbladder.  An ultrasound a few days later confirmed it...that little thing was just filled to the brim with stones.

So I had the darned thing out.  Healing a surgical incision above your belly button when you're fat is no picnic.  The staples kept pulling and ripping, they got infected....I'll spare you the rest.  (Let's just say the healing was MUCH worse than the actual surgery.)

Fast forward to last year.  All of a sudden, I started having these stomach pains very much like the gallbladder attacks.  Same location, same intensity.  (I remember one of them had me in the fetal position sobbing on the floor.)  I would call them "attacks"....they would come on, slowly at first, but gain intensity until I couldn't stand it, then they would go away.  I couldn't pinpoint a pattern to them.  One time, I had one every day for three days, and then it would go a month before I had another one.  Sometimes they would happen in the morning, sometimes during the day.  What I ate or didn't eat had no effect. 

I finally decided to see a doctor.  They ran some tests, did an ultrasound, and could find nothing wrong.  They gave me some pills for when the attacks happen, but that was it.  After I moved to back to Burgaw, I had a few more attacks at school.  I saw another doctor who referred me to Wilmington Gastroenterology.  I had an endoscopy right before Christmas, and the doctor said I had some inflammation in my stomach.

Finally, I knew that this wasn't just ALL IN MY HEAD!!

So, today I am scheduled for another endoscopy at the hospital.  The doctor said it will show more and will take longer.  Hopefully, they will finally figure out what is causing all this. 

I'll probably be out of it for the rest of the day. I'm a little nervous about starting the new semester at school tomorrow after going through this today.