Fridays Endoscope Update
#282776 - 09/18/06 07:36 AM
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michele
Reged: 06/02/03
Posts: 6886
Loc: southeastern michigan
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Well, lets just say it wasn't real fun. The nurses were all really nice and I told them I had bad veins and the gal was very careful and got the IV in first try with only minimal router rooting around. 
They wheeled me into the procedure room and the gi doc was really nice. They rolled me over to my side all hooked up to the gadgets and stuck this thing in my mouth so I wouldn't bite them! THAN they started giving me the supposed happy juice. They gave me one dose, nothing, two doses, nothing, three doses, NOTHING!!! I made them take the mouth piece out so I could tell them I'm still very much awake and they said they couldn't give me anymore!!!!! 
I consented to have it done anyways, WIDE AWAKE!! It felt like I was choking and it very much hurt. The nurse was super nice and kept telling me to breath through my nose and let me hold her hand. Luckily, it didn't take very long but it also didn't show much. I do have a hernia, where my stomach has pulled up through my esophagus but they say its common and shouldn't be causing my all the problems I'm having. I honestly don't know much about hernia's so I'm going to do some googling today but if anyone has any info, I'd love to hear it!
The nurses in the "recovery" area were amazed that I come out talking and insisting on going pee right away. They said I should be uncounsous for as much drugs as they gave me. I insisted I was fine, asked them to removed the IV so I could go pee. They were reluctant but the doctor came out and said it was ok.
So, they still can't really find anything wrong with me to explain everything. I had the WORSE tummy ache all weekend, my pain pills didn't even touch it. I'm down another 4 pounds because I just can't eat and what I do eat runs right through. But, hey, I'm healthy right?!
I have decided I'm getting off the steroids. I decreased from 7.5 mg down to 5. I'll need to stay at 5 for a week or two and then go down another step and so on so it will probably take at least a month or so but if there is nothing wrong with me, than I don't need to take all these drugs!
I think I'm going to call my internist and make an appt and see if she will switch me from zoloft to the cymbalta. I need to do some more research on it but you may have seen the commercial for it. The commercial talks about the physical pain caused from depression and that this is supposed to help. One of the side effects they say on the ad in constipation so maybe it will also help with my D.
I'm going to stay on the humira because that does seem to be making me feel better. Right now I'm taking xanax 5mg, ambien cr, zanflex 6mg (a muscle relaxer) and restoril, another sleeping pill and still not sleeping well. I'm not sure how to rectify that, any suggestions? Apparently I'm not supposed to take both the restoril and ambien at the same time, oops.
I have an appt with the crohns doc October 6th but I don't think he is going to do anything further. I'm definitely not agreeing to a colonoscopy unless they agree to general anesthesia because the sedation is the same as they gave me for the endoscope, which didn't work at all!!!!
I see the rheumy again the end of October but again, not sure what else she can do for me. I am really beginning to think I'm making myself sick somehow. However, I just don't understand how I could have chronic uveitis (eye inflammation) since last September. I don't think its physically possible to make your cornea's turn red and swell just from being depressed. I'm also not sure how one makes there joints swell to three times there normal size and to make bone erosion's happen but apparently, I can, because there is nothing wrong with me.
I have a 2inch thick file folder of all the tests they have done and while there are a few that are a little off nothing so much as to explain my problems. I guess depression could cause my bowel changes and "tummy aches" and weight loss. However, I just don't FEEL that depressed. Sure, I'm frustrated as hell and wore down but I do manage to get out of bed everyday and haul myself to the office.
I don't know, I'm just rambling now. I don't know what else I can do. If I hear one more doctor say they can't find anything wrong with me, I think I'll commit myself to the funny farm. 
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Taking it one day at a time.....
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You poor thing. I can't believe they gave you THREE hits of that drug and you were still conscious! You're a brave woman to go through with it anyway. I would have told them to go f* themselves. LOL
But the good news is that a hernia really isn't anything major. You can google for yourself and see, because I don't remember the treatment plan off the top of my head, but it is something that's very manageable.
As for the rest... I don't know what to say!  It really infuriates me that with all the supposed education and knowledge these people have, they can't pinpoint what's wrong. You're still in my thoughts, as always. *hug*
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Thanks Casey! Believe me, those exact words came to mind but than I thought that maybe this will give me some answers and I would rather endure 5 minutes of torture than go on feeling so crappy but it seems my "bravery" was for not!
I haven't googled hernia yet but the nurses gave me a little thing that said to eat little meals, several times a day, no spicy food, not eating before laying down, blah, blah, blah. Ok, great, I'm glad that's its not big deal but than what the hell hurts so much????? I haven't even been able to wear a bra since January because the pressure is just too much. Besides my usual "tummy ache" I have had this constant pain right in that soft spot under your sternum. The Gi guy said that my sternum may be inflamed from the arthritis stuff I have going on but he didn't sound real sure of that! I think he was just trying to find something to say to me. Aw well, at least he is nice and didn't totally blow me off.
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Taking it one day at a time.....
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Michele -- there IS something wrong with you. (That sounds bad -- but I mean that in a supportive encouraging way.) Depression cannot cause all of your problems. Yes, it can cause vague symptoms like abdominal pain, bowel problems, and headaches -- but it cannot cause your body to become so inflamed and in so much pain. Please don't taper off the steroids without the doctor's OK. It sounds like they're one of the few things that are helping you, even if they're not good to stay on long-term.
I don't have much time right now but I wanted to suggest that maybe you should ask the GI doc for a capsule endoscopy. A capsule endoscopy can see places that the normal endoscopy/colonoscopy combo can miss. I had one done before -- you do have to do a bowel prep the day before, but it wasn't quite as awful. I think you even get to eat breakfast on the day of the bowel prep. The next day they hook you up to the portable camera stuff and then you swallow this giant horsepill that has the camera in it. I took the day off work and just laid around, but the nurse told me that some people actually do go to work with this stuff on. I was too vain to do that, but I know that it's tough for you to miss work, so that might be another good point for you. The one problem is that my GI said that sometimes insurance companies don't want to pay for it. I didn't have any problems with my insurance. At the time I had Blue Cross Blue Shield. You could at least call your insurance company today and ask if they cover it, and if they do, ask your GI about doing this instead of the colonoscopy. It is totally painless, so no sedation required.
Listen to your own impulses -- if you honestly don't think you're depressed, you probably aren't. I was sick for 18 months and everyone kept telling me that I had IBS and was depressed and if I just took anti-depressants I'd be fine. Well, I KNEW I wasn't depressed, and I knew something was wrong. I was right.
Do you have a hiatal hernia, then? I had a hernia too but it was in the groin area. I got it fixed but I'm pretty sure I never actually had any problems with it -- I never had any pain in that area until I got it fixed, and now it's uncomfortable all of the time. Do you remember anlikerm (sp?)? She had a hiatal hernia. I think the main problem it caused with her is that she was really nauseated and had troubles eating. She was a D but I don't think that the D was caused by the hernia.
I saw your other post and I'm sorry your husband felt badly enough that he felt he had to go on ADs. I know you see a therapist, could both of you go together to therapy? I hear you about money being tight. We have a giant medical debt because of me and I'm beginning to sell all of my worldly possessions on eBay to help pay for it. Aggghhhh.
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jen
"It's one of the most serious things that can possibly happen to one in a battle -- to get one's head cut off." -- LC
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Thanks Jen. I have heard of the capsule endoscopy thing before but didn't realize it could actually replace a colonoscopy. If its one thing I can do, its swallow pills!
I got the feeling that since the crohns guy referred me to the gi guy, that the gi guy didn't want to treat me or see me again unless the crohns guy sent me back. I think its some political BS as they both work in the same hospital. I get the feeling that the crohns guy doesn't really think I have crohns. I'm STILL waiting on the IBD blood test results.
I just don't know what to do. I mean how far do I purse this, how many doctors do I see, how much do I put my husband through, how many tests do I keep having when they can't really find anything significant? I'm just tired of doctors and the run around and not feeling good and not knowing why. I think I'm going to take the month off and wait for my appts next month and see what the crohns and rheumy docs say. I've been in the ER, I have seen several docs in the last couple of weeks and there is nothing life threatening. I figure with time, it will either get worse and it will be easier to figure out or it will get better and I can move on with whats left of my life.
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Taking it one day at a time.....
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Wow! I can't believe you were able to do the endoscopy without being "under". You're one tough cookie, Michele.
I am sorry they didn't find anything really obvious and easily fixable. And I have to agree with Jen and Ulrika - I don't see how depression could account for all your symptoms.
Your plan to take a break, catch your breath, and see what your doctors say next month sounds like a good one. I hope it's an easy month for you.
Take care.
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[Research tells us fourteen out of any ten individuals likes chocolate. - Sandra Boynton]
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Thanks Sand. I warned the doc ahead of time I was hard to sedate so I had sort of prepared myself for it but NO WAY will I let them do a colonoscopy while awake, not going to happen, no way, nope, notta chance!
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Hi, I am so sorry to hear about all that you are going through. I too have muscle pain, deterioration, aches and join inflammation and nobody can find a single reason why? I use so much musculuar ache cream that I am going broke. I do really pray that your health starts to improve as I feel badly that you are having a tough go of things. Take care, Debbie
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Thanks Debbie, I'm sorry you are struggling also. What tests have you had done?
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I am sorry that they didn't find much to help you. I can tell you that depression cannot be causing all of these symptoms. I can't imagine your frustration right now. Mark has a hiatal hernia but doesn't do much for it. I believe it causes him to have problems breathing and if he eats too much can't sleep real well at night. When all of his scary stuff was going on back in May they found nothing wrong but he still has problems breathing. I believe his is more stres induced but not yours.
As for the sleepy juice yeah that happened to me during my colonoscopy. I remember them sticking that thing in my butt and me yelling out "that really hurts!" The doctor said you can't be feeling that and I said "Oh yes I am!" I must have eventually passed out from pain or they really upped my medication because right before they wheeled me out I was unconsciuos. Vercet did nothing for me!!!
I keep you in my prayers and hope that you get some answers. Love ya!
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