My much-needed two week break is over. My medical issues are not 100% figured out yet but I am working with my doctor to try to figure everything out. It may take some time. It’s a little awkward to talk about but I’m gonna do it. I have had horrible stomach problems all my life. (The past week being one of the most painful experiences of my life.) Every doctor has said, “You have IBS, there is nothing we can do,” but I am not taking that anymore. It affects my daily life and I can’t take it anymore. No one has ever tested me for anything so I am taking my health by the balls and making my doctor test me for stuff, like Celiac disease. Or maybe I just have a gluten intolerance. I have tried so many diets though. I’ve done extreme healthy foods and still nothing makes it better. I don’t know if it’s certain foods or what. I need guidance from my doctor, not off handed diagnoses. Like, how long do I have to eliminate certain foods until I know how much it’s affecting my body? It’s all so confusing but I have a GI doctor now so I hope she will be able to help me figure this crap out, literally. 😀
The flu I got was bad for 2-3 days. I was straight up hallucinating because my fever was so high. (Seriously, I kept seeing all these people in my room and they were sewing pieces of the United States over my bed. It was weird.) But after the 3rd day it petered out. I’m good now.
So that’s how my side of the world has been going. I feel like I have been going non-stop with everything else in my life. Ugh, and this time change is already messing me up. I hate when it’s dark when I get out of work. The worst. Why do I still change our clocks? That was for farmers, right, way back when? Such a silly tradition.
Anyway, expect my usual posts from now on. I’m back on the saddle and hopefully my brain is ready to work with me. It’s nice to be back.
chucklesthescot
Good to see you back with us! I think your previous doctors really let you down by not further exploring your symptoms and trying to get to the right diagnosis. I’m glad you’re getting better medical help now so fingers crossed that things get better soon.
Hallucinations are great fun…I got them when I tried sleeping tablets once and I was seeing my dragon statues flying around the room breathing fire and rollercoasters coming in and out my ears and nose. It was bizarre and quite scary. I’m glad you’re feeling better from that now.
Nice to have you back and I shall be lurking around again!
Jennifer (Bad Bird Reads)
Wow. Sleeping pills can be weird on your system. That’s crazy though.
kindlemom1
Good for you for demanding answers! I have a friend who after having a baby kept telling the doctors that she was overly tired and just didn’t feel like herself. They kept telling her it was post partum and she kept telling them it wasn’t (this was her fourth child, she knew what was what). Finally she got someone to listen to her and guess what, she had cancer (not saying at all that is what you have just saying she knew something wasn’t right and stuck with it and mind you, she had three different doctors tell her it was all in her head or hormones)! They caught it just in time and she has been cancer free for five years now. It was a long battle and it was pretty serious but she just knew something wasn’t right and it took the right doctor to finally listen to her to get it done so hang in there and fight for what you know isn’t right, it is so worth it. 😉 Good luck with everything and I really hope they can get you some answers.
Jennifer (Bad Bird Reads)
Wow, that is so scary. It’s like you have to make doctors take care of you. So happy the good doctor caught it in time. She is very lucky.
miki
i hope she will discover what you have and have teh right solution for you i wish you all the best
Larisa
Doing the autoimmune paleo protocol for the past three years has done wonders to manage my IBS….also known as severe food allergies, food intolerances, maybe celieac, and plain old miserable weirdness. Highly recommend Mickey Trescott’s blog, and Paleo Mom, as well as their books. Great recipes and more informed conversations with doctors…Plus the community of knowing you aren’t alone in the ick.
Jennifer (Bad Bird Reads)
This is new to me. Thank you so much for letting me know about autoimmune paleo protocol. If what I am currently doing doesn’t work I will try this. Thanks.
Melissa (Books and Things)
Oh I totally get what you are saying and I’m so glad that you insisted (why do we have to get to that point… wait… don’t get me started on that subject… ) but I’m glad you have a GI doc and hopefully you will get everything figured out! Sorry to hear about your flu! Do take care of yourself and have some fun now that you are feeling a bit better.
Jennifer (Bad Bird Reads)
We have to be forceful about these things. Some doctors really don’t care.
Nathan
It is good you have a doctor who is actually going to test to see what you have. Your past doctors let you done in my opinion, they should have at least tested and found out what you had or didn’t have before saying there was nothing they could do. Maybe there is something that they could do. I hope your feeling better soon. I am on the celieac diet, and my Dad is celieac. My digestive issues are fixed now, just not all my other health issues…
You had a fever that made you hallucinate? That sounds a little scary, I am glade your feeling better now and I have missed your posts and have been wishing you well.
Jennifer (Bad Bird Reads)
Luckily, I do not have celiac, though I am on a similar diet to figure out what foods are causing my problems.
Ashley
Ahh that is crazy!! I’m so sorry you’re dealing with these health issues – that’s so frustrating. 🙁 I’ve had a number of similar chronic issues over the last few months and I feel like doctors have been no help at all. They’re all basically like, “No idea what the problem is. Sorry.” Gee thanks. I hope you’re able to get it figured out!
Jennifer (Bad Bird Reads)
I hate that. Doctors can be so horrible sometimes. At least you get free health care, right? My money is really dwindling on this side.
Ashley
Depends on your definition of free I guess. 😛 We do pay higher taxes here in the UK, and since I’m an immigrant (*sigh*) I have to pay a yearly fee.
It could still work out cheaper for me though, since it’s so outrageously expensive in the US.
Braine
Well that is frustratring. I hope they figure out something soon if not then maybe you need to look for a a great specialist who hopefully won’t charge you an arm and a leg.
Welcome back!
Jennifer (Bad Bird Reads)
I have already been charged an arm, hopefully I can keep my leg, lol. It sucks not having free health care.
Northwoman
My daughter has IBS. She got tested for everything, Celiac, Crohns and all sorts of things. She did different diets eliminating dairy or gluten etc, nothing worked. We went to a GI specialist at the U and they said IBS and you just have to live with it. She was 12. She struggled and had really horrible times, she couldn’t get out of bed. Finally last year when we moved to a new state new doctors, she went to a GI and they gave her a muscle relaxer sort of med in a very low dose and it works great – she has very few troubles now. I’m so mad she suffered for 8 years for nothing. So I hope you find an answer. Anne
Jennifer (Bad Bird Reads)
Wow, that’s crazy. They should never say, “Just live with it.” Not in this day in age. So happy they found a solution. I am working on the Fodmap diet right now. Hopefully that helps.
Jessica @ a GREAT read
Glad to hear you’re doing better and getting your doctor to test for things. Sounds terrible. And then to get the flu on top of it? So not fun. So happy that you are doing better though! Hopefully the doctors will be able to diagnose and treat you for it.
Totally agree about the stupidity of DST too. It was for farmers apparently. I like it now just because we gain that extra hour of sleep! Come March…ugh, such a short time away! I will be most displeased about losing said hour! LOL.
Jennifer (Bad Bird Reads)
My doctor has helped me finally but it’s costing me. Ugh!
Carrie
So glad you’re back! Celiac or Gluten intolerance can cause so many freakin’ problems. It’ll be nice to finally have someone who can narrow down the symptoms and get you the help you need. Hopefully it all boils down to what you’re eating or what you’re missing from your diet. There is nothing worse than constantly feeling sick. Hope things start to go your way soon!
Jennifer (Bad Bird Reads)
Good news is I don’t have Celiac disease. I am on the FODMAP diet which should tell me which foods are messing me up.
Anna
I’m glad you’re taking action. Soon this whole thing will be a vague memory. 🙂
Anna from elements of emaginette
Ashley
I know exactly what you mean. How can doctors know that it’s IBS when there’s no test for it? Doesn’t that mean that logically the only way to conclusively say that it is actually IBS, you have to test for everything else?
Jennifer (Bad Bird Reads)
Pretty much, they are just lazy!
Jaclyn Canada
Glad you’re back!! Yes sometimes you just have to take a break and take care of real life issues and we all get that. I do hope your doctors get you sorted out before long. I had bad UTIs for a full year and a half until we finally figured out that I had gotten E. coli from some sushi I had eaten, they finally gave me the right antibiotic, and all was good after that. Sometimes you just have to keep pushing until you get a valid answer. I also was not prepared for it to be dark at 5:30 pm. It’s really not fun going grocery shopping alone and walking back to the car in the dark IMO.
Jennifer (Bad Bird Reads)
We really do have to push to get doctors to help and listen to us. Happy they figured your stuff out.
Lover Of Romance
oh I am so sorry to hear about your medical problems here!!! Doctors can be such a pain right? Hope you get the problem figured out soon.