Last week
Last week was a busy one for me. I had two therapy appointments and two UVA hospital/doctor's appointments.
Last Wednesday, I had to see my neuro-ophthalmologist. Everything went well and I'm happy to report that the tumors in the back of my right eye is stable; and the vision in my left eye (which I have nystagmus) has actually improved! There were some minor issues that he saw but he didn't feel it was necessary to operate just yet.
Last Thursday, I underwent another colonoscopy (this time I was out like a light...completely asleep) My own doctor, Dr. Cerefice, was able to perform the procedure which helped my anxiety a lot. I came into my prep room and talked with me before the procedure and had me sign consent forms. I guess every one is more comfortable with their own doctor performing any kind of tests/procedures; it's not that I don't trust any other UVA docs, but at least my own doctor knows what to look for in my stomach/intestines. What he saw was nothing out of the ordinary and he does not know what is causing my intense right lower stomach pain. We do know I have gastroperesis; we do know that I have stomach contractions/expansion problems which can be helped with medications; but this only explains why my upper left hurts; it doesn't explain why my lower right area hurts. I still get nauseated quit frequently and depend on anti-nausea meds to help me get through those times when I'm not feeling well at all. This stomach issues also affects my whole body physically. I easily get tired and run down. When I'm in a lot of pain, all I can really do is lay down and rest. There are days that I don't even want to eat because I'm feeling so much pain. Thank God I like chicken broth, juices, and protein shakes!
The afternoon/night after my colonooscopy, I was usually tired. I attributed to the medications they gave me; but as the night continued I continued to feel tired but this time my stomach still had an "airy" feeling and it was hurting. I was also achy all over. I took my temperature and it was 102; I didn't think much about it and went to bed only to wake up feeling horrible at 3AM with a temperature of 104. The next morning I was still feeling like my stomach was "airy", I was nauseated, and in pain. I decided to call Dr. Cerefice just to make sure it wasn't anything related to the procedure. He didn't think the fever had anything to do with the procedure but told me that if it continued in the next few hours, he wanted me to report to the ER at UVA. Well, my stomach issues subsided a bit so I didn't bother going to the ER but my fever persisted despite my taking Tylenol. Mom suggested that I was showing signs of the flu which was my last thought since I already had the flu shot. Well, I'm guessing it was the flu since my fever and body aches persisted well into Sunday. Now, I'm just coughing and trying to get over this nasty congestion. The interesting thing is that Dr. Cerefice called me today to make sure I was doing okay....I missed the phone call but returned the phone call and reassured him that I was okay and it was the flu. I haven't had the flu for over 5 years. So I was glad to get over the flu so quickly. I'll tell ya, having the flu and these persistent stomach issues is not fun! So, overall I am almost back to "normal"
Last Wednesday, I had to see my neuro-ophthalmologist. Everything went well and I'm happy to report that the tumors in the back of my right eye is stable; and the vision in my left eye (which I have nystagmus) has actually improved! There were some minor issues that he saw but he didn't feel it was necessary to operate just yet.
Last Thursday, I underwent another colonoscopy (this time I was out like a light...completely asleep) My own doctor, Dr. Cerefice, was able to perform the procedure which helped my anxiety a lot. I came into my prep room and talked with me before the procedure and had me sign consent forms. I guess every one is more comfortable with their own doctor performing any kind of tests/procedures; it's not that I don't trust any other UVA docs, but at least my own doctor knows what to look for in my stomach/intestines. What he saw was nothing out of the ordinary and he does not know what is causing my intense right lower stomach pain. We do know I have gastroperesis; we do know that I have stomach contractions/expansion problems which can be helped with medications; but this only explains why my upper left hurts; it doesn't explain why my lower right area hurts. I still get nauseated quit frequently and depend on anti-nausea meds to help me get through those times when I'm not feeling well at all. This stomach issues also affects my whole body physically. I easily get tired and run down. When I'm in a lot of pain, all I can really do is lay down and rest. There are days that I don't even want to eat because I'm feeling so much pain. Thank God I like chicken broth, juices, and protein shakes!
The afternoon/night after my colonooscopy, I was usually tired. I attributed to the medications they gave me; but as the night continued I continued to feel tired but this time my stomach still had an "airy" feeling and it was hurting. I was also achy all over. I took my temperature and it was 102; I didn't think much about it and went to bed only to wake up feeling horrible at 3AM with a temperature of 104. The next morning I was still feeling like my stomach was "airy", I was nauseated, and in pain. I decided to call Dr. Cerefice just to make sure it wasn't anything related to the procedure. He didn't think the fever had anything to do with the procedure but told me that if it continued in the next few hours, he wanted me to report to the ER at UVA. Well, my stomach issues subsided a bit so I didn't bother going to the ER but my fever persisted despite my taking Tylenol. Mom suggested that I was showing signs of the flu which was my last thought since I already had the flu shot. Well, I'm guessing it was the flu since my fever and body aches persisted well into Sunday. Now, I'm just coughing and trying to get over this nasty congestion. The interesting thing is that Dr. Cerefice called me today to make sure I was doing okay....I missed the phone call but returned the phone call and reassured him that I was okay and it was the flu. I haven't had the flu for over 5 years. So I was glad to get over the flu so quickly. I'll tell ya, having the flu and these persistent stomach issues is not fun! So, overall I am almost back to "normal"
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