I finally got some fucking answers! If you have been following my gastrointestinal saga at all, you’ll know that my poor tummy has been turned upside down by some ungodly, unknown force. At the drop of a dime, I grow nauseous and experience unnecessary intestinal torture for the next several hours.
Doctors ran tests on me like a lab rat, and, of course, everything came back negative. The tests “churned” up nothing.
It took bloodwork, an ultrasound, and an emergency room visit for the doctors to finally suggest an endoscopy/colonoscopy. That in itself came with a plethora of issues including straightening out finances to account for the nearly $2,000 bill, rescheduling the procedure, and a week’s worth of intense anxiety surrounding what they might find.
Well, this past Monday I finally went through with it. My friend took me to the hospital where I met the team that would be putting me under and probing me like an alien experiment. They hooked me up, strapped me in, and was instructed to take a deep breath. Boom, I was out cold.
I woke up about an hour later in a completely different room. As I came to, I was woozy as fuck. After a bit of recovery time, the doctor strolls in with the results. He informs me that the only thing they found were small hemorrhoids and that they took some biopsies. The results of the biopsies could take about a week to come back from the lab.
Shit, I was relieved. I was scared shitless (no pun intended. The “clear diet” ensured that I was, in fact, shitless the day leading up to the procedure.) in the week leading up. I thought they would find something significant like cancer. Given the obstacles until now, I was delighted to hear some good news. However, it still left the exact cause unanswered.
I spent the next day or so recovering my Roto-Rooter procedure. Talk about peace of mind, but still a bit puzzled about what it could be. I figured I’d wait until the biopsy results came in because that might give a concrete answer to all this.
Thursday evening rolls around, and an email notification pops up on my phone saying that I have new test results to view.
I open up the app to find it. There it is. I start skimming through each section. “Normal.” “Normal.” Mild chronic gastritis.” “Normal.” Wait a second! I remembered my family doctor and the GI doctor both mentioning this “gastritis” thing as a possibility. Being the medical expert I am, I ran a quick Google search on gastritis.
Gastritis is a condition that inflames the stomach lining (the mucosa), causing belly pain, indigestion (dyspepsia), bloating and nausea.
I kept reading. Usually last 2-10 days if treated with antacids or antibiotics. Can last weeks or even years if left untreated.
I FINALLY got my answer! Not only did I find out that it was nothing life-threatening, but it was also something that could be resolved with dietary change and/or medication. It could even go away for good.
Seeing these results made going through all of these headaches worth it. It felt good knowing that I prioritized myself and my physical well-being. Not even gonna lie. Just a few years ago, I would have likely let this issue drag out until it became truly serious or landed me in the hospital. I did that on more than one occasion.
With that being said, I am relieved and proud of myself. I took care of myself.
-The Caring Counselor