Pizza for Dinner
Monday, January 18, 2010
Capsule endoscopy
I'm undergoing a capsule endoscopy right now. I swallowed a tiny camera the size of a large vitamin this morning and have been wearing leads and a little backpack all day. It's a little uncomfortable but not as bad as not being able to eat for 24 hours. The camera has been sending pictures of my GI tract for the last 7 hours, I saw it in my stomach before leaving the hospital. It's a pretty interesting experience. I hope I get some of the photos. I'll have to update with the results in a few weeks.
With the sweatshirt over everything I look like I'm 7 months pregnant, but only on my left side.
The receiver is pretty heavy so I have to be careful not to move around too quickly or it'll pull the patches off.
They told me not to be alarmed if the camera comes out still flashing (I do not need to return it.) I have to avoid MRI machines, anyone else doing a capsule endoscopy and radio transmitters.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
My doctor said it was sexy
A book fell on my foot yesterday. It was shrink wrapped because it had a companion CD or whatever and fell off the stack on its own accord (of course). It left a massive bruise, so I went to the doctor today and had an x-ray. It was hurting and throbbing when my foot was motionless so I thought maybe I fractured a bone. Luckily I did not.
I had an interesting conversation with my doctor. I had blood work done last week because I've been tired lately. It turns out my iron and hemoglobin are rock bottom, I'm down a quart of blood. No wonder! So then I had to explain that I was just standing there and a book attacked me. He was quite impressed with my abilities and thought the bruise was sexy. He then asked if I looked at the bruise at the time and I said yes because I was wearing heels. Later he asked me if I needed a note not to wear heels. I have no idea why except the thinks I'm lying about my place of employment and am really a hooker. But high class enough that my madam will accept a doctor's note.
So yeah, I need to take iron supplements now. I can also ask him for a prescription for a heavier pain killer than naproxen sodium plus tylenol, which I may do just to have something on hand for the next time I'm a spaz. To save an office visit. I may be able to run on Monday but only at a snail's pace and about half the distance I've been doing. Although he said I'm probably already doing a snail's pace (I am) being down so much blood.
I could probably make this funnier because, well, I was attacked by an inanimate object but I'm a little tired. I do love my doctor though, he's snarky. I think I thoroughly impressed him with my awesomeness today. He gave me that look that says, how do you not implode every morning and laughed a little too hard when I said 'oh it's a good thing I haven't given blood lately.' "You'd be so rejected." I'll have to mete out the crazy a little more next time.
And for those keeping track I now require calcium with vitamin D and iron supplements in addition to my multivitamin and fiber.
Behold:
Labels: awesome, bruises, health
Wednesday, December 03, 2008
bad day
This morning I found out that I have mild osteoporosis. Before I went on the gluten-free diet my body was so nutrient deprived my bones started losing mass. I have to take a calcium plus vitamin D pill every day for the rest of my life. The nurse told me most women should consider it so it's probably not a huge deal. Still, I'm 28.
Then this afternoon I found out my Granpa fell and broke his hip last night. He needs surgery ASAP. He's 92 so we don't even know if he'll make it through the surgery. I'm glad he's living with my Mom now, I was afraid this would happen when he was living alone. Granpa has always been there for me and I love him so I'm pretty sad right now. I hope he recovers ok but I know the odds are against it.
Labels: bad times, family, health
Tuesday, July 01, 2008
Two Months GF
I've been gluten free for two months now with only one contamination incident (salad without croutons, chicken and mashed potatoes). It was about 2 weeks ago and took me 5 days to recover. When I say recover I mean after 3 days I decided to stop eating solid food since it would cause so much pain and discomfort even though it was gluten free, light and small in volume. Let's say I'm hoping that's an exaggerated reaction because my body is still healing.
Although I may have a contact reaction to gluten. A test one night on my leg was followed by a huge, red, itchy patch on my chest the next day. Apparently skin reactions can frequently work like that, ie where the lymph nodes and dendritic cells drain to and not where the contact happened, unless the contact was a mucous membrane in which case the reaction would be more immediate. This could still be a reaction to something else but I've never had an allergy to anything else before so I wouldn't know where to start.
Add on that an incident of food poisoning and a stomach bug and it's been a tough month. But I am feeling better. I have gone for a run a couple times and went for a swim once. I still get a little tired after working out but it's not as bad as before. Also I've had thin hair for a while. Well, always really, but thinner in recent years. And it's starting to grow back now. I have a little halo around my face when I pull my hair back. For some reason this is impacting me more than some of the other symptoms/improvements.
To be honest I was hoping to be a little better by this point. I still get tired comparatively easily and retain weight like I'm hibernating (although many people have told me I look good, thank you :)). But I feel better and I don't have a brain fog like I had been having for some time so I'm happy. This diet is really tough but it lets me feel like me and not AWFUL so I'll take it. I'm getting the hang of it.
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Feeling better!
I'm finally feeling significantly better. It took a week for the abdominal pain to go away and about 3 weeks for me to feel like I've gotten any energy back. That was last week. Don't get me wrong, I still sleep a lot on the weekend and am not up to running yet but thankfully I'm feeling better. The past few days I've also felt my brain fog lift. I've been under an increasingly heavy brain fog for at least a year now and there's nothing that could make you feel less like yourself than, you know, not being able to be yourself.
I just saw a nutritionist who gave me some helpful information but told me I was way more prepared than most people. I'm most excited about the list of vitamins and minerals and sources to get them. I'm at a greater risk for osteopenia and osteoporosis so I have to make sure I get enough vitamin D and calcium. I also need to make sure I get enough of the B vitamins since they're usually found in the whole grains most people get with whole wheat bread, etc.
I'm completely turning into a health freak. I eat a lot of fruits and vegetables, rice, yogurt, cottage cheese, and nuts. I'm also able to eat meat again which rules because meat is delicious. Also, a grilled piece of meat may be my only out-of-house option other than salad, which would get old fast. Gluten is in all sorts of sauces and foods you wouldn't think of (licorice, I'm talking to you) so I may have to play it safe at times. I've also been eating my largest meal at lunch. This is mostly because I need it to get through the work day. I'm sort of like a baby in that I need to eat a little bit every 4 hours until dinner when I'm fine until morning. It makes sense when you think about it, despite being overweight for me I don't think I have energy stores really built up. Also, the extra weight I've gained that I just couldn't get off should come off easier now, so that's something to look forward to. It's not a lot of weight but it's enough for me to notice and to impact my health. (Although all that exercise wasn't for nothing, every time a nurse takes my blood pressure and heart rate they're full of positive exclamations.)
Ooh, also it should be ok for me to have any distilled liquor. Beer is still out, except for the hard-to-find gluten-free stuff (unless I brew it) but I should be able to have liquor from any source without a problem. I don't think this is 100% proven yet but if I eventually don't have to worry about it that would be great. One less thing to worry about in this whole mess. Also I think I've decided (about 90% there) to make my own kombucha. It's so expensive but it seems to be helping me and I like it. I'm still thinking about it though.
Hurray again for feeling better!
Labels: health
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
boo
I found out a few hours ago that I have celiac's disease. That means no wheat, barley or rye. No shredded cheese or some lunch meats. Nothing cooked in a toaster or deep fryer that previously had something with gluten in it without being cleaned. Etc. It's completely zero tolerance and lame. Thank you to everyone for thinking of me as I've felt so horrible. I should be feeling better very soon.
Labels: health
Thursday, April 24, 2008
good days
Today the endoscopy went well, they gave me less anesthetic so I was out for only about half an hour. I'm annoyed I can't seem to get my tongue ring back in myself though. I'll get some help with that tomorrow. It went in after last time and I've had it for 2 years so I don't think there'll be a problem. Lame though. I have a follow up on May 5 to get the biopsy results. I shouldn't try to be gluten free until then since it's a major diet change, the doctor told me. But I can avoid it if I need to, unlike the past week when avoiding gluten could give a false negative on this test. Ugh, I'm ready for a diagnosis.
Yesterday was a good day at work. My monthly informal science talk time for our group (Pharmacogenomics Kaffee Klatsch) is going over well with my colleagues and bosses, so that's good. I've had some good feedback from my boss that he's heard from other people in the department and outside the company so I feel really good about that. It's always nice when your work is appreciated.
Monday, April 14, 2008
Hurray for dairy!
I went completely dairy free (no chocolate, no baked goods with dairy, no cheese-flavored chips or crackers) for five days and tried it again today. No appreciable difference in my symptoms, huzzah! In that time I was also mostly egg free (some eggs in baked goods) and had meat three times (beef broth, sushi and shrimp angel hair pasta). I suspected the meat was my problem and tried to stay meat free but thought that I needed a control in this experiment and more options in my diet. The meat did upset my GI tract quite a bit. Adding dairy back in, not so much. I'm going to try eggs straight (fried egg sandwich or something) in a few days then meat again a few days after that. I think that the protonix for the acid reflux is helping as well, which is awesome. I also haven't heard about my blood test results so I'm betting I don't have Celiac's or Crohn's (I'll have to call tomorrow) so that leaves IBS I think. It's going to be a bummer if I can't have fried food or meat that much and that I'll have to take another drug after eating them but after this mostly vegan experience I'll take it. I'd rather be mostly vegetarian than lactose-intolerant. Milk is everywhere: crackers, cookies, cakes, mashed potatoes, chocolate, all sorts of sauces, lobster risotto (evidently) etc. This area has some good cuisine and it was impossible to eat vegan. I could do vegetarian or dairy-free but not both.
Anywho, it's nice to have an unofficial diagnosis.
Labels: health
Tuesday, April 08, 2008
OK but not great
Health update! My gall bladder is fine, I found out today. I'm actually a little annoyed because it means a lack of diagnosis and continuing pain. My gastroenterologist gave me a Rx for the reflux which has helped some so far and should help more as I take it a little longer. He also gave me a Rx for something when the pain is worst and took some blood to check for Celiac's and Crohn's. I'm also supposed to be dairy free for 4-5 days to see if that is the problem. Sidebar: Can you imagine me without cheese? The horror.
So I sort of feel like I'm back at square one with all the frustrations that brings. On top of that I've gained a little weight back, despite eating very little. It could be all the sleeping I've been doing (which if you're wondering why you haven't heard from me much lately is the explanation). Also I've started sleeping in two shifts which, fun fact, I found out people used to do before electricity. They'd go to sleep after sundown for a few hours, wake up for a while in the middle of the night, and then sleep more until sunup. Which is why I write to you now, internet, despite working 8a-5p every day.
Also I have a chest cold. Third time's the charm this winter! Although it's spring now so hopefully this is my last cold until next winter.
Despite all this (the frustration with not eating anything comfortably and not doing much beyond work because I'm tired when I get home; and the usual charming family issues) I'm actually feeling pretty good. So that's a good thing.
Before I try to get more sleep, the doctor did tell me what each of the photos was from my endoscopy, so that's awesome. If I sent it to you the two on the left are my stomach (with a view of the camera in the bottom one), the upper right is my small intestine and the lower right is the esophagus with some signs of reflux. Awesomeness! (The photos not the reflux.)
Labels: health
Saturday, January 12, 2008
15% sexier?
I should really work on that algorithm. I said over a month ago I'd get to posting photos of myself but I hate taking photos of myself so I put it off. It's worse than writing my own letter of recommendation. But I've now lost 10 lbs so to mark that milestone I'll suck it up (ha!) and post some pictures. The first one is the most recent photo of me, I think, from around July, for comparison. My hair is also a lot longer. I found some 2-3 year old photos of me with really short hair that looks cute, I'll have to go back to that again sometime. Anywho, without further stalling, I present my healthifying.
Hmm, maybe it doesn't show.
Sunday, December 02, 2007
Now 10% sexier
OK that number is made up, but I have lost about 7 lbs this month. All this moving and unpacking and some stomach issues are responsible. I haven't worked out in at least a month. I'm hoping to get back on a schedule soon. I want to finish putting things away, hanging things up and cleaning in the next few days so that should leave me more time in the evening to exercise. And relax! Hurray for relaxing!
I'm happy about this weight loss though, even if stomach issues aren't the best way to go about it. I am eating better though so I'm not worried. I lost the muffin top, went down a belt notch and backed away from the overweight line. I think another 8-13 lbs should put me solidly in the healthy BMI range.
Labels: health
