A lot can happen in just a few days...

Mini Update---A lot can happen in just a few days.

Since I posted on Wednesday, the swelling in my feet and ankles is getting much worse (I don't think I've mentioned this in previous posts, not sure why, guess I didn't think it was really important until now).  This has been happening since I had the CT scan. When I saw the surgeon for the CT Scan results, he said its because I'm not getting enough protein, since I can barely keep food down. Its the protein that holds salt and water in the blood vessels and when it gets too low, edema occurs.  So basically, this means I have malnutrition. I have to keep my feet elevated above my heart, which means laying down a lot, which is hard for me. On Friday this swelling was so bad, my feet actually hurt and it was hard to walk. Plus, I started to have a lot of pain and burning, whenever I went to the bathroom, with pain on my right side and in my lower back.  I tried to push both off, figuring I could wait until I saw my gastro specialist on Thursday.  But, by Monday morning, I didn't think I could wait, dealing with the burning, because it was getting really bad and the swelling (edema) is constant now.  As usual lately, haven't been able to reach my family practice doctor (so much for thinking this one cared...guess she's another one that thinks this is all in my head), so I decided to go to urgent care, after the hida scan, and its time to find another doctor (I'll start working on this today).

So anyways, I had the Hida Scan yesterday (Monday) morning.  I truly hope I don't have to do another one of those anytime soon, let me tell ya, it was not fun.  Since narcotic medications affect the outcome of the test, I was told I had to be off all pain medication for 24 hours before it.  So, needless to say, this completely ruined my Easter Sunday, as once the pain medications wore off, I spent the entire day and night (didn't even manage a half hour of sleep---zip, zero, none) in pain, pain, pain. The test itself wasn't painful, although the first injection of the CCK enzyme caused a lot of nausea (usually this is used to cause the gallbladder to contract, but for me they were looking at the sphincter of oddi), after this they injected a radioactive isotope, but that didn't cause any reaction. This appointment took about 2 hours all together (registration, getting the IV and injections and then the scan--which believe it or not, I slept through.  I don't think he gave me any pain medication, guess I was just that tired from not sleeping and relieved to be getting it over with).  I'll get the results on Thursday when I see the gastro specialist.

I went urgent care afterwards and that doctor was really nice.  I wish she had her own office, but she only works there :(   During this appointment I had to pee in a cup (big surprise), she pressed on my abdomen and back, etc. and she looked at my feet and ankles too. I had a fever, even though I didn't know it, and the results showed bacteria & blood in my urine.  She explained that it was a good thing I didn't wait until Thursday, since what once started as another bladder infection (I had one in November) was now a kidney infection. A kidney infection can be really serious if it is let go for too long, since the infection can enter the blood stream and it risks serious damage to the kidneys.  So she put me on anti-biotics for the next 14 days, plus she gave me this great numbing medicine, so I can go to the bathroom without the burning...although, my pee is orange now, LOL.  As for my feet and ankles, she gave me a prescription for these special socks to wear and she insists I need to tell the gastro specialist to check my blood work. The malnutrition is wreaking havoc with my immune system and I keep getting sick:  the edema, bladder and kidney infections, the thrush infection, colds and flu, and I'm at risk for worse.

Anyways, I'll update again after I talk to him on Thursday and see what he decides to do next.

Obviously, this isn't in my head, someone needs to figure out what is wrong with me before I get too sick.