A Week Until the Mayo Clinic

On the 24th, I woke up with a headache - the same headache I've had for a while now. I can only describe it as a dehydration headache.

Do you ever have the feeling that sometimes you're an easy target because you're sick, and usually alone? I've felt that way the past week. I have certain friends who don't usually want anything to do with me until they need or want something. It shouldn't bother me, but it does. I felt I should write about it public-ally because it makes me feel worse than I already do. I also have a bad habit of not saying no. I need to fix this issue but then I'll be called selfish behind my back. I think I care too much about what other people think about me. It's a problem that I've had since middle school and I'm really not sure how to turn that switch off. But, I do need to find the off button. The last thing I need is to make myself even more ill over what someone thinks about me.

I think I have too much time to think. =)

My symptoms are still:

1. Swollen throat - it's hard to sip on water or swallow anything still.
2. Headache - my head still aches and my best guess is that it's because of dehydration.
3. Fever - chills and fever above 101. I can't keep down pills to get rid of it.
4. Teeth - my teeth are really sensitive on both sides so I can't really chew.
5. Vomiting/nausea - vomiting up green stomach acid. There is nothing left in my stomach and I have a dry mouth, too.

I'm going to take what medications I'm still allowed to take and lie down for a bit. I shouldn't be tired but I keep almost falling asleep, even just sitting up typing. I feel awful and a bit sad.

On the 26th, I didn't sleep for two days. I'm exhausted but it's been hard for me to sleep without getting up to vomit or from bouts of pain. I've had terrible, gastric spasms. I call them, "gastroparesis attacks." Everyone is pretty worried about me. I've also vomited myself into a throat infection and now, I'm on antibiotics, if I can keep them down.

I vomited day before yesterday and got fluids at the doctor. My blood pressure was 145/105. I was running a fever and I just want to cry. I'm terrified. I'm tired of vomiting and I'm tired of pain. The IV had to go into my foot because the nurse couldn't find veins anywhere else.

I go back to Mayo next week. I hope that they're able to help me. I'm having lab work done on Monday and I'm there for the entire week full of testing. I hope they'll hospitalize me and give me fluids. My urine is also dark in color which tells me that I'm dehydrated - that and I've only gone to the bathroom once today. That's not a good sign.

I had Miso soup and hot tea for dinner. I'm trying to do clear liquids. The Gatorade keeps coming back up so, I'm going to try clear liquids for a bit. I'm incredibly tired and I hope that I can sleep tonight. I managed to fall asleep around 2pm yesterday - just out of pure exhaustion. I didn't wake up until 1pm today. I hope I can sleep tonight because I REALLY need the rest.

I hope that my GP friends have a pain free and nausea free night. <3

Detoxing - Twelve Days to go Until Mayo

This past week has by far been the hardest I've ever had to endure, GI wise. I didn't realize how much of the medication actually did help, even though I was still sick on the medication. This detox is like being in my own, personal hell. The stomach spasms have not subsided, even though the last time I ate was the day before yesterday and it was just broth. My throat burns, and is swollen from vomiting up bile. I can barely swallow the pills I'm still allowed to take. The Zofran does nothing and I took my last Phenergan pill tonight.

I hope the doctor will call in a refill tomorrow (or later today). At the specialist today, while I was having my spinal cord stimulator checked to make sure it was scarring in all right, my blood pressure was 145/105. I'm guessing that's because of staying up vomiting for two days and the gastric spasms. My blood pressure always sky rockets when I'm in pain. Since my blood pressure had been fine the previous times I had seen that specialist, he wasn't worried. Since I can't take the Vicodin right now for the surgical pain where my stimulator is still scarring in, he prescribed me lidoderm patches to wear throughout the night or day to numb the spot where the muscles are still inflamed. He said it's going to take a while longer for my body to stop fighting the fact that it has a foreign object there. He also told me that if I notice that the stimulator isn't covering the area it's supposed to or if it's taking longer than usual to charge, to let him know and he would call the Boston Scientific Representative in to tweak the stimulator to adjust it. He said that I'm probably going to need it adjusted a few more times since it's still in the process of scarring in.

My throat is so irritated. I might try to drink some hot tea and honey to see if it will soothe the irritation. Sadly, the only juice in the house is cranberry and I can't stand cranberry juice. It's too bitter for me to handle right now. I managed to drink all of the apple juice.

Twelve days to go until my week of testing. I just don't know how I'm going to make it through the next twelve days. This almost feels like cruel and unusual punishment. I feel like I have a charlie horse in my belly along with someone hitting me in the stomach with a metal bat over and over again. The gastric spasms keep inducing vomiting, which is just dry heaves right now because there's nothing left to come up. I've burnt my throat and I'm miserable.

I'm tempted to take a pain pill just to get some sort of relief and to be able to sleep but I don't want to screw up any testing that Mayo will do. I really want them to find the issue that's making the Gastroparesis worse and fix it.

I was hoping to get out of the house tomorrow. I have a project I want to do as a gift to my husband for Valentine's (I usually call it, "the Hallmark holiday") Day. I'm scared with the way things have been going, I was lucky enough to make it to the doctor and back today.

My stomach is swollen and hard to the touch right now. It's been that way for three days. I'm not quite sure why and it's a bit scary.

This is night two of staying up without sleep. I'm so exhausted and I wish I could just pass out. The Nature Made Sleep Aid isn't helping and my throat is killing me. I may have to go to my primary doctor tomorrow. Maybe he can give me some advice on what to do while I'm detoxing. I have chloraseptic spray - but I can only use it so often.

I just really need some sleep. I think that would make a world of difference.

Pharmacy and sickness

I just made a trip to the pharmacy to pick up medication refills. I thought I was going to be ill in my husband's new car. I raced back home and got sick. The only things I can remember eating are wedding food, fries, and pureed sweet potato soup. I vomited up the sweet potato soup shortly after I ate it. The other stuff I kept down but I'm nauseated and I feel like I have food poisoning now

Oh, and I am now mayor of the CVS on foursquare by my house. Sad, huh?

I have to send my brother to my house in a taxi because I'm too sick to leave the house. I'm still a bit hypoglycemic and still feel like I'm in a semi dream where I'm talking to people who aren't there. I'm not on drugs, I promise you.

It's scaring me and I made a follow up appointment with the specialist for next week. That's the soonest she could get me in. I also made an appointment with a pain management specialist on the advice of my knee doctor. I'm scared to see what the can do for the nerve pain in my knee. I'm really scared that all of the nerve pain, even the vagas nerve damage in my stomach, is all related somehow. What if it is? My friends are convinced it's autoimmune. I just don't know what to think. No one else in my family has it.

I just want to lay down on the bathroom floor to be closer to the bathroom. I'm just so sick. I would be happy if I could sleep through most of this.


I just feel useless today. Sometimes, it's hard to find the light in the darkness.

Stomach Spasms

I managed to finally get some sleep but I slept all day. It's raining outside, so that may have helped some.

When I woke up, I felt like I had taken a long drive into the stomach. It's weird. I've also had spasms that feel like the nerve study I had from my stomach, but they make my whole body jump. It's a weird pins and needles feeling (like when your foot falls asleep) but it also has intense burning pain. I have also had esophageal spasms which radiate around my back. With those, it almost feels like I"m having a heart attack. I've been tempted to go to the emergency room but there's nothing they can do. The pain is preventing me from sleeping and the vomiting makes it much worse.

Right now, my throat is swollen and scratchy. It sounds like I'm talking to people through a box fan. I just ate some gluten free pasta and I'm hoping I'll be able to keep that down. It already burns like crazy. It's weird because the top of my stomach burns. Also, the bottom left part of my abdomen hurts ... but that's a new pain.

I'm just happy I was able to get some rest. A good night's sleep really makes a difference. My stomach did behave while I was sleeping and didn't wake me up. However, I feel hung over and still tired. I have no energy. I hope the food will stay down so that won't be a problem. I'm also going to drink lots of water and hope some of it stays down.

Well, let's hope the food stays down. Cross your fingers for me! <3