It's been a good few days. Not health-wise, unfortunately, but everything-else-wise.  On Thursday, I was approved for MaineCare (essentially Medicaid). By Saturday, my temporary card and paperwork were in my mailbox. Being a native New Yorker and used to a much faster-paced life, I sometimes make jokes about how slow things are up here, but tell ya what, the Maine government wastes no time!
So I spent my morning on the phone, and I've got all kinds of appointments lined up. I have to see a GP before I can see a gastroenterologist, so I have an appointment with a GP on August 2. I also have to go this afternoon or tomorrow morning and fill out some preliminary paperwork at a therapist's office, and then I'll have an appointment for there, too.
I'm scared to death of doctors, but I'm kind of relieved to be finally getting this stuff taken care of... and not having to worry about paying for it. 
I was reading back through the material on this site... specifically, the list of things that have to be ruled out before a diagnosis of IBS can be considered correct. "Gallstones", of course, is one of them. I was diagnosed with gallstones 9 years ago, and I never had my gallbladder out. So now, of course, I'm curious - does a positive diagnosis for gallstones mean that I DON'T have IBS? Is it possible that gallstones have caused my symptoms all along (primarily D until I started Heather's diet, now I swing more towards C, nausea, indigestion, but not much pain or bloating)? On some level, it does make sense... although I've had nausea and some bowel dysfunction since I was a kid, it didn't get REALLY bad until a few years after my gallstone problems.
I'm also curious about that list of things to be ruled out, as well as the list of tests that need to be done. Should I take those lists with me? I've had doctors in the past get really annoyed with me for "self-diagnosing" (especially when I was right), but I've also had a lot of doctors dismiss my problems as "all in my head", too. I don't trust doctors as far as I can throw them, and I want to make sure I get everything taken care of as quickly as possible. How do I handle that first visit to a doctor?
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Good news - and gallstone/doctor questions
