my visit to the ER

[cshollingsworth]

hi all...

here is a little update on my recent experience with GERD...and now...drumroll plz...gallbladder issues. :(

my husband and i drove to savannah, ga where we spent the night prior on friday. saturday, we got up, went to eat at "clary's" (the drugstore diner you may have seen in midnight and the garden). while there, i drank o.j. and had eggs and grits.

not but a few minutes into breakfast, my stomach felt like it was going to flame! :shocked: i also had a feeling of a brick under my left rib cage. i was miserable.

breakfast ended quicker than usual and once in the car, i was curled in a ball crying the pain was so bad.

don said i had to have help, so he stopped and asked a lady in a dry cleaner biz where the nearest hospital was located. the lady directed us to memorial hospital. it is very large and newly renovated. very nice indeed. and trust me, after yesterday, i can comment on their services...and i give them an A+++.

anyway, the ER doctor had a nurse put in an IV drip of sodium choloride and a high dose of pepcid in the IV. they drew blood samples to check my liver functioning, pancreas, and also gallbladder. the next thing, they sent me to have an ultrasound of my gallbladder, liver, pancreas, kidney, etc. pretty much the whole abdomnial area.

after about 6 hrs. the doctor came in and told me that he feels i have "dyspepsia" which means basically heartburn and also he said he feels that i could have the start of an ulcer. then he told me that my ultrasound showed i have polyps on my gallbladder. that freaked me out, but he said that it is nothing to be alarmed about. hmm...

anyway, the burning stopped in my stomach and i felt a lot better last night. gradually, the brick in my side went away too. i have narrowed that down to plain old gas somehow getting trapped in there.

my general doctor is here on the same conference as my husband and i talked to him today about my test. he said gallbladder polyps are very common and nothing to worry over. he said we would just check on them periodically and make sure they didn't get larger or anything unusal. he also gave us his room number in case i need him. trust me, i feel better just knowing he is here in the same hotel. he also threw in that he is carrying his trust swiss army knife in case anything has to be removed. :lol:

so, as of now, i'm in hilton head at the marriot golf resort, learning the hard way what palmetto bugs are. if you all don't know...think of a giant roach and you will get my drift. those bugs are horrible looking and they are everywhere, even 2 in our room at the marriot walking up the wall last night. i thought they were roaches and called the front desk! :tongue: they said they were harmless palmetto bugs and basically a bonus of staying here at this fine hotel. *LOL*

well, i'm off. just thought i would update you all on my little spill!

[noflyingfan]

Courtney,

How awful it must have been to go to the hospital on your vacation! (But just think, at least you can't say the flight was the worst part, right?)

How nice to have your regular doctor there though, huh? That's service. :)

I hope you're feeling better.

Erika

[scaredy_cat]

Courtney

Sorry about the hospital visit, but I'm glad you're doing ok. Did they have any advice about treatments or diets or anything you need to do to keep the ulcer from getting worse, etc?

Glad you're feeling better.

yuck @ palmetto bugs. Roaches are my other phobia (much more long lived and psychologically damaging than my flying one! :lol: ) so for me, a palmetto bug, is like the devil incarnate!

[cshollingsworth]

they told me to lay off fruit juice, tomato based products, soda, chocolate, peppermint...you name it and i can't eat it now.

today i have been in pain again despite the nexium.

still rather feel like i got hit in the gut with a ballbat. :mg:

not a happy way to spend your time at the beach...

[tabbygirl]

That is a miserable experience, I know.

Don't get discouraged about the Nexium. It can take weeks to really make a difference (sad to say; I'm on it myself). But since you're changing your diet as well, you will probably feel a lot better a lot faster.

I was told that stress, if present, is a major contributor. I think you've mentioned being an anxious sort (me, too) so thought I'd toss that in.

I first had GERD years ago and it basically went away at the time with Prilosec and raising the head of my bed. I didn't change my diet much.

It returned about a year ago but I didn't realize it because it manifested as a sore throat (esophagus); my stomach feels OK. I wasn't diagnosed until April. So I'm playing catchup. I'm also thinking I may want to switch back to Prilosec, I dunno. This time I'm watching what I eat, also. Coffee seems to be the biggest culprit.

(Just wanted to throw that in as alternative info, in case anything rings a bell.)

Let us know how things go, OK??

[WillFlyToDisney]

Welcome to South Carolina!

Glad the Palmetto Bugs were out to welcome you. Did the hotel staff let you know that those suckers can FLY? :eek:

Hope you are feeling better soon!

Kelley

[cshollingsworth]

kelley...south carolina is a very cool state. i love charleston, but i guess now hilton head is my second fav. place in your state. :D

i finally felt well enough to enjoy a good solid day of our trip. don skipped out on his last day of meetings around noon and we went to the beach and sat under an umbrella, tossed a football to each other while standing in the ocean and just lay on the beach together watching the crowd.

we sat in the whirlpool and swam a little in the indoor pool. it was a fine way to wrap up our last day there. i was just so happy to be feeling better finally!

we are now at home and i'm still kicking back the nexium. so far, doing pretty good.

tabbygirl...i cut the coffee out totally. i had been drinking it a lot lately since don bought me a new coffee maker that you program for the coffee to be made when you wake up. that is cool! guess i won't be using that much now! drat! and i also agree that being of the nervous sort doesn't make the GERD thing any better. i'm "high-strung" as my husband says, so i get stressed at the drop of a hat. my mother told me that i was giving myself an ulcer. she is very laid back and i'm the total opposite.

well, i guess i'm off here for now...must go do some work in my classroom today!

[tabbygirl]

tabbygirl...i cut the coffee out totally. i had been drinking it a lot lately since don bought me a new coffee maker that you program for the coffee to be made when you wake up. that is cool! guess i won't be using that much now! drat!
I am having a really hard time leaving coffee alone. I have cut way back but some days I guess I really do feel addicted (am sipping an iced latte right now... mornings are rough..). What a bummer that you can't really use your new toy - that IS a cool thing to have. I'm sure you'll be fine eventually but isn't this a drag?? It seems so rampant lately, too. Weird.

[cshollingsworth]

funny thing the stress affects the GERD...

i will tell you a brief story about why i personally think all of this is coming up right now...

i had taught at a middle school for 3 yrs. my principal was such a tyrant. she was always jumping on one of her faculty members...anybody...didn't matter who. she was very controlling and had a nasty temper. :fuming: = the look on her face most any day of the week. she would stand in the parking lot and look at her watch to see who drove in on time and who got there late. she would yell at you in front of anybody...students included. she had this voice that was like...i don't know...it would raise the hair on your neck!

after 3 yrs. of her...i finally got tenured (from her...imagine that). then as soon as i got it, i asked the school system for a transfer to the high school where a friend of mine taught. my friend had also left the middle school after 7 yrs. of abuse by the same principal. anyway...my friend told me that it was way better at the high school. she said she never saw the principal, the kids were decent and that no one really ever bothered her there. things are all departmentalized at the high school...so, instead of me teaching all subjects to special ed. kids, now i will only have to teach one...english. which, is fine with me. i like english. it's a little boring, sure...but it's routine and i enjoy correcting a run-on sentence as much as the next person. :lol:

i thought when i took the transfer i would be happy. i would be excited about the new job and the new opportunity to get away from the hateful principal i had endured. the principal who couldn't stand it when i would take a leave of ab. and go on a trip with my husband...ooh dear, she did hate it when i would leave with him. she even wrote me up for it despite my taking off without pay and getting it approved from our school superintendent. what a....:fuming:

so after 3 yrs. of endless nagging and frustration, i thought my move to the HS would be a happy thing. turns out, all i have done this summer has been to stress over my new job. worrying about the kids, the extra drive...what will it really be like? my new boss...what's he gonna be like for real? i mean, i ask myself those things daily. i worry about getting copies made for worksheets, books, what will the kids be like...hostile, aggressive...docile? who knows! plus, i had to say goodbye to my assistant who was a dear friend. now i have no assistant. just me in the classroom full of kids i've never laid eyes on.

anyway, after all of that...the GERD and the pain hit me like a ton of bricks.

you guys see a correlation here? :cry: i think i do... arrgh!

[Rebecca]

"I've been through a lot of terrible things in my life, some of which actually happened." --Mark Twain

:hug: Yeah, Courtney! Another buys-trouble-at-a-discount person! Okay, let's jointly agree to STOP dreading everything bad that could possibly happen, because it most probably ain't going to!!!

We just put an offer on a house ... oh my, is it the right house, what will it be like, will I hate it, will the kitchen be right, will the neighbors be nice, is that new commute more dangerous for my husband? Will people still come to see me, beings it's further away? Wah! :cry:

You're made the right connection with the health issue, I think. I bet if there were a NON fearful fliers site not a single person on there would have GERD or give a moment's thought to worrying about the future.

Let's be like THEM!!!! :sunshine:

[noflyingfan]

:hug: Yeah, Courtney! Another buys-trouble-at-a-discount person! Okay, let's jointly agree to STOP dreading everything bad that could possibly happen, because it most probably ain't going to!!!

Further proof that worrying works. :lol:

I think if there were a non fearful fliers site, it would be dreadfully boring.

[Rebecca]

I think if there were a non fearful fliers site, it would be dreadfully boring.
Hi, I've been lurking for a while and was so glad to discover a site where people feel the same non-fear I do! I have tried so hard to be afraid while flying, but just can't manage it.

All my flights are from the US to New Zealand, about 16 hours. Do you think a shorter flight might be scarier than the long ones?

I also love turbulence, airline food, roller coasters and elevators, and especially long, narrow, high bridges. Does anyone have hints for bringing on even just a little fear? Thanks.

:(

[Barb-SAN]

I also love turbulence, airline food, roller coasters and elevators, and especially long, narrow, high bridges. Does anyone have hints for bringing on even just a little fear? Thanks.

:(

It sounds like you might be able to win some money on "Fear Factor" :eek: ;) . Obviously you are not challenging yourself enough in your daily life.

[noflyingfan]

I also love turbulence, airline food, roller coasters and elevators, and especially long, narrow, high bridges. Does anyone have hints for bringing on even just a little fear? Thanks.

:(
Visit this site (http://www.takingflight.us/). Those folks are afraid of everything; some of it has got to be contagious!

[Barb-SAN]

Does anyone watch Fear Factor? I've only watched a couple episodes...sort of by accident...I was going to play a DVD, and when I turned on the TV, Fear Factor was on...and I forgot about the DVD I was going to watch. Seems there's a high gross-out factor...creepy bugs, slimy food, tight places, etc. Actually seems like a form of voluntary torture for the chance to win money...though suppose contestants don't have any real phobias...at least BEFORE they are subjected to the challenges! I just went to the website, and there are some free Fear Factor video games you can play: http://www.nbc.com/Fear_Factor/ff_nbc_game.shtml :cool:

[Rebecca]

Visit this site (http://www.takingflight.us/). Those folks are afraid of everything; some of it has got to be contagious!Indeed! Thank you so much for that link! I'm sure it will be helpful.:rotflmao:

[beeinatree]

i hope you feel better. its hard to find out what stomach pains are. i have had a reoccuring pain in my upper right side near my liver which no dr has been able to figure the cause of. i went thru many tests and everything.

i was surprised when the dr told me that gastroenterologists really dont know what causes certain things. i used to think drs knew everything.

i think what is concerning is when youre in pain, its helpful to know what is causing it. othrwise youll be in pain and forever wondering. its not like you can ignore pain, even if its not terminal.

well i hope you have it figured out and youre on your way to feeling well again.

take care,
jenny

[cshollingsworth]

hi there...thx for your reply.

i visited my regular doctor last week and he checked me out based on my complaints and troubles while on vacation.

his diagnosis...2 seperate things.

the first...the pain in my left rib area/upper abdomen is related to a fall i took on our farm 1 1/2 yrs. ago and he told me that i have costochondritis. it's inflammation of the ribs. he said that from time to time that can rear its ugly head and will give you a fit. i agree...it can give you that!

the second, peptic ulcer. those things are painful! to be fairly small, they do cause some agony. he upped my dosage of nexium to 40 mg. daily and with that, at least i'm not burning like i'm on fire inside my stomach.

all in all, things are better now. just have to keep the stress to a minimum :lol: and take the meds.

[beeinatree]

yea ive thought that maybe i broke my ribs at one point or its inflamed, because im very athletic. so its possible i could have broken it and not realized it. one time i broke my foot (a march fracture). it was hurting but i ignored it for a couple of days. but then i couldnt walk, so thats when it was figured to be broken by the dr.

the only things that stops me from thinking its inflammation or a break is that it feels like hot oil being poured on my skin. it feels like a chemical inside burning. when i try to explain that to the dr, they look at me like im crazy. but that is how it feels.

where it is, near the liver, doesnt make a lot of sense, too. i went to two drs. the last one said, well, its been going on for 5 yrs, so youre not dead, so id say you should just accept it. so that is what i have been doing, but sometimes it feels like someone kicked me. very hard to ignore when it takes your breath away and you have to sit down because there is so much pain. i had another dr diagnose it as asthma and had a few chest xrays. but inhalers dont seem to work. so it doesnt make sense, but what can i do?

anyway, i hope you get it figured out and that it works out for you. they can be really hard to diagnose.

jenny
:sunshine:

[cshollingsworth]

jenny,

i know the "kicked" feeling. that is kind of how it felt at times, but in my left side. they just say that is due to inflammation. i guess that's right becuase it does seem to go down from time to time and not flare up again until i start doing something streneous again.

btw, how do you like san diego so far??? we stayed there 1 wk. in february and it was great! we were at the hyatt that overlooks the bay where the u.s.s. midway is docked. we also went to coronado and visited the hotel del mar. san diego is a really pretty place. :sunshine:

[beeinatree]

jenny,

i know the "kicked" feeling. that is kind of how it felt at times, but in my left side. they just say that is due to inflammation. i guess that's right becuase it does seem to go down from time to time and not flare up again until i start doing something streneous again.

btw, how do you like san diego so far??? we stayed there 1 wk. in february and it was great! we were at the hyatt that overlooks the bay where the u.s.s. midway is docked. we also went to coronado and visited the hotel del mar. san diego is a really pretty place. :sunshine:

wow, that sounds like a way nice vacation. near the water is so pretty.

it is okay. its sure taking some getting used to. there are a lot of things i want to do, like surfing, go biking on the trails, and also i would like to go boating. i thought it would be hilarious to rent a two person bike with my sister and zip about the trails in coronado. that would be a major sibling fight waiting to happen, hehe.

but im still just settling in like the snail i am. my family lives by so thats nice. my husband is working a lot more than he used to tho. the weather is nice, but its a very urban environment. its different.

maybe it is some sort of inflammation. im not real sure. i sometimes get worried that maybe its a localized cancer that one day will burst. my imagination can get away from me sometimes.

i hope everything is going well with you too. :sunshine: