Total Weight Loss

Thursday, February 11, 2016

No Gall Stones!

I saw my PCP yesterday.  My appointment was at 12:45.  Through a major comedy of errors, I finally saw the doctor at about 4:00.  He was more than mildly annoyed with his staff regarding the turn of events.  I was so concerned about my belly and the prospect of another surgery that I think I would have stayed all night!

His initial thought was gall stones, although, I did not have all of the classic symptoms.  He, of course, needed an ultrasound to confirm the diagnosis.  Due to the lateness, I had to go back today for the scan.  It was fine.  They redeemed themselves today.  I waited a reasonable amount of time to be seen and I hadn't gotten home before the doctor called with the news.  No stones!

That is wonderful news, of course, but still leaves us wondering what happened Monday night.  I said all along that I hurt in the middle of my stomach not my right side.  In fact, it is still a little sore there.  That is my esophagus.  So, now the thought is, I had a major acid reflux episode. I've never had one before, so I have no idea what one felt like.    I have some medication to calm the acid and am free to eat as I please once again.

I've had precious little to eat since Monday night.  That kind of pain was a strong motivator!  My diet tends to be low carb, which translates to higher fat.  I do my best to eat the good fats, but when fat is the enemy it doesn't matter if it is good or bad.  So,  I had very little on hand that I could eat.  Being stranded at the doctor's office, kept me from eating.  Then, I could have nothing for eight hours prior to the ultrasound!

I left the doctor's office today with a screaming headache due to the lack of sustenance of any kind!  I wanted a Sonic cherry limeade.  As I sat in line, I contemplated ordering something else, but at that time, I still thought I might have gall stones and nothing at Sonic would have helped.  So, I decided to get a regular cherry limeade instead of diet.  After all, I needed calories, right?  Plus, I didn't know what sort of artificial sweetener was in there, and those things are almost like poison.  When it came my time to order my automatic request was diet.  So, I got a diet one after all and drank the poison liquid.

The doctor called with the news after I left Sonic .  I was glad for that timing or some more poison in the form of popcorn chicken may have come home with me.  Folks, I was beyond hungry.  Don't judge!

When I got home, I shared the good news with 65MD, and decided to eat something.  It was a hard decision because I really, really wanted to eat and I really, really didn't want to have another episode like Monday night.  I settled on a boiled egg.  It was good.  It had fat in it, but not much.  So far, there have been no repercussions.  

My theory now is, and remember I have an MBA, not an MD, I have irritated the lining in my esophagus with all the various pain medication I have been on for the last year+.  I know that some pain meds need to be taken with food to keep stomach upset away.  Although I tried to take the medication as prescribed, I could have erred in my addled state.  Even if I didn't and took everything as prescribed, it is hard for me to believe that taking that amount of medication for that long would not have some sort of impact on the digestive system.  My MBA and I think that now that I'm off the meds, in time my esophagus will heal and that will be the end of the matter.  (I have not suggested this to my doctor.  If it happens again, I will.)

65MD suggested that we try a low acid diet, at least for a while.  We've both done a little research and it seems quite doable.  Although we are not catholic, I like the idea of saying that 65MD and I are giving up acid for Lent!

12 comments:

  1. "The doctor called with the news after I left Sonic . I was glad for that timing or some more poison in the form of popcorn chicken may have come home with me. Folks, I was beyond hungry. Don't judge!" I can so identify with this!! :)

    So glad it wasn't gallstones!

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  2. Yay for no gallstones! Sometimes an MBA is just as good as an MB ;) Hope you stay well!

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  3. I'm Internet free for 4 days and all hell breaks loose. Take it from a person with a hiatal hernia and major acid reflux, nix the soda. Nix juice. Or limit it drastically. Acid is not your friend. Certain things trigger mine more than others. Find your trigger food. Tagamet and I are best friends. Glad you are feeling better.

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    1. I've cut cola out almost completely because I am trying hard to eliminate artificial sweeteners. BUT, I had recently started drinking a small glass of OJ each morning to take my multivitamin with iron because I heard it helps with iron absorption. I'm out and not buying anymore. Caffeine is another trigger for some. I don't have much since I mostly drink water, but that's going to.

      If there is anything else you can think of, let me know. I do NOT want to live through that again.
      Lori

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    2. Small meals are better than large feasts. I try to eat my bigger meals early and light at dinner.
      Heavy sandwiches hurt me, like grilled chicken on a thick bun. But hamburger isn't as bad. Not sure why

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    3. I have eaten quite small since Monday, mostly because I am so afraid of another episode. I'll try to keep that.

      We have discussed flipping our eating around so that the 'main' meal is in the middle of the day. There are hundreds of very good reasons for that and we've tried before but haven't been able to make it stick. For one our lifestyle just isn't conducive to our lifestyle right now. Another is that I have it in my head that is what old people do, because it is what my grandparents did! I am kicking and screaming, against anything that seems 'old' to me. I am NOT aging gracefully!
      Lori

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  4. I get the WORST reflux! OMG! I have even had acid bile run up my throat in the middle of the night while I've slept and woke up with a mouthful of acid burning my mouth! Yep! Not nice! I am still finding out what foods give me reactions, but soft drink is definitely one of the worst things! Even soda water! I'm not sure why?!? good luck working your triggers out.

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  5. I work with lots of people who have a secondary affect of acid reflux (phlegm in the throat, chronic cough, voice issues) and three pieces of advice get the best feedback from my patients: elevate the head of your bed three to six inches (gravity helps keep the acid in the stomach where it belongs); no eating three hours before you go to bed (acid concentration in your stomach is higher at night than in the day); and go to sleep if you can on your left side (the sphincter in your stomach is located more on the right and if you sleep on your right side stomach contents press up against that valve and may leak through.)

    The pain comes because the cells in your esophagus and throat are not made to protect against the acid, so you feel the burn, and the cells become inflamed and red and they make mucus--like a sunburn from the acid.

    I have some folks who swear by aloe juice as well.

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    1. I tried drinking aloe juice once for something (probably weight loss!) but I didn't get the effect I was wanting so I quit. I'm not opposed to trying it again.

      Thanks for the tips.
      Lori

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  6. I know right? We get things in our head based on what we've seen and it's hard to change It is like a sacrilege or something. Like meat and three? Or steak and loaded baked potato? I watch my kids now (as opposed to looking back on my youth) and seeing how they eat. They are much better at portion control and stopping when they are full. Not the whole, clean the plate thing. I do have to make them choose something besides goldfish sometimes. But they aren't even bad with sweets. They have the one and done approach as opposed to eating til it's gone approach. That reminds me, tea that is too sweet affects my acid reflux. (Think Cracker Barrel)

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  7. I'm happy to hear you don't have gall stones. Hopefully you can figure out what caused the pain.

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  8. I'm glad that you got a clean bill of health from the doctor. Frustrating because it doesn't clearly let you know what the problem was....but I do think you are on the right path!

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