Health Update

Fabgrandpa and I went to our endocrinologist on January 2. My visit was less than stellar. I have gained 14 pounds since my last visit in October and gone up one whole point on my A1C to 8.4. I can no longer ignore the fact that I need to lose weight. Just figuring out how I’m going to do it is what is holding me back. (Yeah, I know, excuses.) Tomorrow I am going for a session with a nutritionist at the endocronologist’s office. I went to one about 17 years ago when I was first diagnosed with diabetes, but over the years I have forgotten, or just failed to think about, what she told me. A refresher is always a good thing, right? 

A couple of days after I went to the endo, I had an appointment with my pain management doctor. I have been having good results with the treatment she has been giving me. I am off of the percocet that I was on for over five years, and now take 600 mg of gabapenten three times a day. She also gives me a prescription for hydrocodone to take twice a day if needed, and baclofen, which is a muscle relaxer. I take the baclofen at night. I don’t take the hydrocodone every day. If I have an  especially busy day, like going grocery shopping, I get worn out and then things start to hurt, so that is when I take that.  This time she gave me a shot in my left hip because it was hurting so badly. I also went to the chiropractor the next day. My hip has been giving me so much trouble I can barely walk. I guess the next step is to see an orthopedic doctor. 

This week we had an ice and snow storm here in Georgia (well, all over the southeast). There was ice on the roads, covered by about two inches of snow. During that snow storm, I went to the bathroom to empty my colostomy bag. It was full of bright red blood. I freaked out! That has never happened before, and it scared me to death. I called the gastroenterologist on call at the hospital, and he said for me to go to the emergency room. I don’t know about you, but I have never driven on ice and snow, and I was certainly not going to start when I was freaked out due to a health problem. I live 30 miles from the hospital. So, I called 911 and asked for an ambulance. 

In just a few minutes, there were three firemen in my living room. Of course, Rosie The Boy Cat and Morti ran and hid under the bed, but little Frank was right there in the middle of them, so curious. He was stretching his neck, trying to see every little thing these new humans were doing to his lady. It made me laugh!  Soon after the firemen got there, the ambulance arrived.  They parked on the road, because of the snow in the driveway I suppose. The firemen helped me get out the door and off the porch. The EMT’s started an IV, took my vital signs, and strapped me onto the gurney before they took off. 

I looked a fright. wearing a blue print LuLaRoe Carly dress, pastel green leggings, my red plaid house slippers with the fake fur collar around my ankle, and my olive green parka with fake fur around the hood. I had hap-hazardly thrown some things in my tote bag to take with me in case they admitted me to the hospital–underwear, a robe, a clean dress, socks, my phone charger, and some extra colostomy supplies in case they wanted me to take my bag off. There is no telling what all else was in that bag. 

It took us over an hour to get to the hospital, but when I got there they took me right into an exam room. They had me empty my bag into a bedpan, and did a test to see if there was blood in the stool. They also drew blood, and gave me something for nausea. Then, I went down the hall for a CT scan. All of this showed no reason for the bleeding. They finally sent me home with a referral to a gastroenterologist, to see them next week. My appointment with Dr. Sharma is on Wednesday. I saw him before, back in 2014, when I was trying to get my colostomy reversed. He is the one who referred me to Dr. Galloway at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta. I guess it was about time to see a gastroenterologist again anyway.

One of my friends, someone I used to work with at BellSouth, has had a colostomy for about twelve years. She said she has had this happen before, and her doctor said it was caused by arterial vein malformation in intestines. She had a colonoscopy through the stoma, and they found three polyps or AVM’s. So, that is probably what will happen with me, which is not so bad. The worst part of it is the prep for the colonoscopy. Yuck!