Stomach Woes (Part 2)

Before I went to see this new doctor, I saw that he wrote a lot of articles about the gut. He also uses the trans-nasal endoscopy method which is scoping the stomach through the nose. I've never heard of this before!

So the appointment day came and I went to see him. 

He was very attentive, patient and thorough. He asked about my gut history and listened like how Mr. Gastro did when I first saw him. 

Not only did he listen, he explained the works of the gut and how he had to do a endoscopy and colonoscopy to make sure nothing was wrong with my gut before moving on to solving my stomach woes. He drew diagrams and explained how the gut works and how all the digestive parts are interlinked to each other and how symptoms in one part could be totally something else instead. 

The best part was he does not want his patients sedated during the endoscopy and colonoscopy because he wants them to be aware and ask him questions! He wants to educate his patients. 

Wow!

This was the first time I was hearing this. 

He was very alert as he noticed that I was wearing a Medic Alert bracelet. He then asked me about the history of my allergies. 

He is also a doctor who does not want his patients to suffer. Thus, the drinking of the gasoline-tasting-diarrhoea-inducing-drink was not to be taken at night. I was to be in the hospital by 7am and I would start the drinking then. He did not want his patients to be up all night shitting their guts out and then be like the Walking Dead in the morning before the scope has even started. 

The day before the scope, I received a phone call from the nurse. She instructed me to only have porridge the whole day and to stop eating after dinner. I was not to have any fruits, vegetables or dairy products. Only fish or chicken porridge. 

I took an Aerius after lunch to safeguard myself since Lydocaine could no longer be found in Malaysia. I had to have a different numbing spray: Cophenylcaine. This was taught by Dr. Yadav my immunologist/allergist. 

When I arrived at the endoscopy department, the nurse took some blood for tests and left the IV needle in my right hand. They said that the doctor had told them about my allergies and they had prepared hydrocortisone just in case I became allergic to the nasal spray. She then instructed me to finish drinking the 1st bottle of Fortrans within 1 hour! And then I was to proceed with the 2nd bottle. 

Before I was even done with the second bottle, my bowels were cleared. And it was done within two hours.

I then went into the room to be scoped. The nurse placed my Epi-Pens on the table next to me (which was a first time!). 

And then I heard heavy metal music! I wondered whether I had shat my guts out to the point that I was hallucinating. It turned out that this gastroenterologist loves heavy metal music and he played Iron Maiden while he scoped me. 

The doctor then started with the colonoscopy first. He uses the pediatric size scope! Less discomfort and the accuracy and function is as good as the dinosaur-sized scope. Halfway through the scope as the colonoscopy tube was turning in my intestines, I suddenly felt a very sharp pain. I immediately grabbed the railing of the bed like I always did back with Rock Star. This doctor immediately stopped and told me to relax and not grab the railings. By doing so, I would clamp up and that would make the scope painful. He then asked me to point to him the location of the pain. He then pulled the scope out and slowly moved in again on the opposite side of the colon. There was no pain and he continued. It took about a bit more than 10 minutes to finish the colonoscopy. He explained a lot and told me what he was looking for as the scope was going on. I asked a lot of questions too. 

And then the nurses turned the bed around while he changed his gloves and gown. 

He then checked which of my nostrils had a clearer passage. After he had determined that my right nostril was the way the scope would go in, he sprayed Cophenylcaine and waited for 5 minutes for any allergy reaction. Once 5 minutes passed with no allergy reaction, he then sprayed 4 to 5 times at an interval of every 5 minutes. The spray was a decongestant and also a numbing agent. 

He then placed the trans-nasal endoscopy (which is less than 6mm in diameter) into my right nose. I could SPEAK as he did this scope. I did not gag. There was no horrible discomfort of the giant tube going down the esophagus. He showed me the back of my nasal cavities, my voice box, my esophagus and my stomach. 

My stomach was inflamed! It looked like I had measles inside my stomach. 

I had no H pylori, no ulcers and no bleeding. He had no idea why my stomach was inflamed too. It could have been triggered by the chicken pox and my stomach just couldn't heal. All biopsies were clear. 

I was placed on two months of Pariet which is a PPI. And he told me to cut down on VEGETABLES! He believed that the amount of vegetables that I was eating was the culprit to my IBS. I was hesitant as I needed the vegetables to poop. He told me to bulk up on fibre and increase my liquid intake. 

"DRINK LOADS OF WATER!" was his advice. 

With nothing else to lose, I embarked on a 'less-vegetable-diet'. The IBS actually settled! I became almost normal. Plus with the PPI, the upper middle abdomen pain which I had 24/7 for 8 months lessened. As the days and weeks went by, I had bigger pockets of pain-free period. I could eat again. The only set-back was going to the toilet, wasn't as smooth and short as before. The doctor said I had to experiment and find out what works best for me. As I experiment, he would guide me and work together with me to help me get back my life on track. Even if it's not 100%, it would at least be better than what I was. Of course I would be lying if I said I wasn't sceptical. But he said one must have hope. I replied that I've been hoping for so many years now that I've reached the stage of complete burnt out. He told me to take it easy and to try again.

And so that's what I have been doing. 

(I did not have any side effects from the spray nor the trans-nasal endoscopy.)

Here is the the LINK to go to if you are in Malaysia and in need of a gastroenterologist.

Click HERE to read his article on 5 Foods You Don't Have to Cut Out From Your Diet in 2018!

Click HERE to read his article on More Than One Way to the Stomach.

Click HERE to read his article on To the Stomach and Beyond - Via the Nostril?

..... to be continued

Stomach Woes (Part 1)

Ever since I came down with chicken pox end October last year, my gut has not been the same. I have not been able to eat most of my meals without ending in pain, bloating which made me feel as though I was a balloon, retching up acid, heartburn which resembled a heart attack and intestine rumblings which sounded like there was a full symphony orchestra playing a sonata at fortissimo and vivace.

Nothing worked even though I swallowed all the necessary pills which used to work. I'm sure my gut resembled a pharmacy.

I tried restricting my diet even more. Even the non-FODMAP food were causing problems too! It came to a point that drinking water too caused stomach woes.

I went to see Mr. Gastroenterologist who did a few tests and placed me on different medication. But nothing worked. And every test result came back perfect.

And then I started to have loose stools.

Mr. Gastroenterologist took some stool samples but it was perfect too!

Mr. Gastroenterologist then told me that sometimes the stomach goes bonkers for a period of time after a severe viral infection. I'm most probably in that state and that I need drugs to help tie me over till it settles back to normal again. How long is anyone's guess. In the meantime, I had to go on a soft diet. I asked for a period of one month before I go back to see him again. I needed time for the drugs and the soft diet to work.

Unfortunately before one month was over, Mr. Gastroenterologist had to go for an emergency surgery and he has been on medical leave ever since. And I had not gotten any better.

And then in May, I was struck with such crippling pain to the point that it felt like I was having an appendicitis! (I've had an appendicitis about 10 years back and had my appendix removed.) I couldn't move, I couldn't eat. I could just curl up on the sofa in pain. I needed help ASAP!

But who should I see?

I knew that I couldn't go back to see Rock Star. He would just prescribe me Nexium, sleeping pills, anti-anxiety pills, pat my hand and tell me that I research too much and that I'm stressed.

Who then should I see?

I went to a GP nearby my house to get a referral letter. He suggested that I see his university mate who is a gastroenterologist. I thought why not give him a try. But the gnawing feeling in my gut would not leave me in peace.

So I searched and looked up on the internet for all the gastroenterologists in 3 hospitals. And then I saw this doctor and my gut started screaming that this is the guy that I'm supposed to see!

So I made the appointment......


..... to be continued

Shit Happened (Part 6)

I had to fast for the blood tests and was off Nexium for two days. I had tried numerous times to wean off Nexium but it had always failed. I did the cutting-the-dose-down slowly but yet I still could not wean off it. (The same thing happened with Xyzal!)

This time after two days, the gum swelling and teeth pain disappeared. Not only that, my mouth and throat burning was gone! I was always tasting blood. The every morning and everyday reflux cough where I had loads and loads of sputum/phlegm disappeared too. This was the first time I had a breakthrough since god-knows-when. I can't even remember. I decided to persevere. I had to. Nexium/PPIs (Proton Pump Inhibitors) had weakened my stomach to the point that many food which I could eat were now giving me problems. I get stomach upset/diarrhoea/stomach problems so very easily. It became a every month affair. And then it progressed to a few times a month. My stomach was never like this.

I made a small bottle (approximately 500ml) of baking soda plus water to rinse my mouth and also to gargle with consistently throughout the whole day. This was to protect the teeth, gums and throat from the acid reflux that was coming up to the mouth. I sipped the water once or twice when it got a little too acidic. As baking soda is high in salt, people with kidney problems and on a diet with strictly-limited salt should consult their doctors before drinking this. Too much of baking soda water can also cause diarrhoea! Click on LINK to read about the side effects of baking soda.

I restricted my food to really bland and steamed food. I adhered to the low FODMAP diet in order to not trigger the IBS as IBS mimics acid reflux for me. I ate so frequently to the point that I became afraid of food. But things slowly improved.

Day 4 was bad as every fibre and atom in my body were screaming for Nexium! But I could persevere on as I had been through this before while weaning off Xyzal. I knew how bad a withdrawal from a drug could get. I was much more prepared than I was when I was weaning off Xyzal.

I started to develope a withdrawal headache. But I knew this would be part of the process. I trudged on.

And then Day 6 came. Hell arrived and I could have spat acid out from my mouth and wherever the spittle would have landed, it would have melted whatever it was. By evening, I took one Zantac/Ranitidine which is a H2 Receptor Blocker. People who try to wean of PPIs gradually and slowly usually downgrade to H2 before slowly weaning of the H2. My gastroenterologist adviced me to do so.

To understand the difference between PPIs (Proton Pump Inhibitors) and H2s (which is actually a histamine blocker) and how they function, click on LINK.

Also click on LINK to view on the difference between a PPI, a H2 and an anti-acid.

Ranitidine worked within 1/2 an hour and I felt such GREAT RELIEF! Oddly, a very mild version of the reflux cough returned.

P.s.: My blood test results came back fantastic. Everything was fine.


.... to be continued 

Shit Happened (Part 5)

The peace and quiet in the stomach did not last long at all.

It came back with vengeance. The reflux cough came back. The rusty phlegm came back. I could taste blood in my mouth. The pain in the gums and teeth came back. The burning sensation in my mouth and throat came back. I started regurgitating food back up again! I could taste acid 24/7.

I felt so down trodden. Life was being really unfair to me. I felt that I was not being given an opportunity by Life to be pain-free. I was really exhausted, perplexed and thoughts of throwing in the towel flooded my mind constantly. I was so, so very tired. I was drained.

I kept going through my food diary to see what I was doing wrong. Was it the Hong Kong choy sum which I was buying? Hong Kong choy sum is notorious for pesticides. I stopped eating that. Weeks went by but the pain and the symptoms still persisted. Mr. Gastro did say that if the pain returned, I was to take a Tramadol to ease the pain. I refused to take Tramadol unless it is absolutely necessary as that's the only pain-relief medication which I have. I don't have any other options.

I stopped all dairy. No more lactose-free milk or butter. The pain still persisted.

Could it be the grapes? I stopped the grapes. Went back to only 2 cubes of papaya and bananas as fruits. And yet the pain persisted.

Maybe it needed time. Time came, went and left and yet I was still stuck in pain.

And then things got worse. I started to have muscle weakness, tremors, bad muscle cramps in the leg, twitching which lasted the whole day, frequent palpitations and severe hunger pangs.

Have I become diabetic somehow? Was it Parkinson's? What if it was my thyroid? It also could be the peri-menopause stage that I am currently in.

I went to see my ENT to get my thyroid checked out. He decided to run a full range of blood tests...

Shit Happened! (Part 4)

After one month of keeping a food diary, I came to the conclusion that I was somehow reacting to potatoes and iodated salt ever since I had the horrible episode with the rice bran oil. Every time I ate iodated salt, my teeth would hurt and my gums would swell to the point I couldn't bite or chew. After a few days of stopping, the swelling and pain would disappear.

It was the same with potatoes. My teeth would hurt and the gums would swell. The pain in the upper abdomen would 'magically appear' one day after consuming potatoes.

But I still had the pain in the upper abdomen.....

I had gone for a long vacation in March and though the pain was ever present in the upper abdomen, it was manageable. While we were away, our place experienced a water crisis. It came to a point that many of the reservoirs were completely dried.

A few hours after we arrived home, Joel said that the water tasted funny. By then, we had drank quite an amount of water. The 3 of us had some stomach issues the next day. I started having food poisoning symptoms the very night itself.  I had it the worst. I went to see a doctor who had worked at the ER of the hospital near my place. He said since the water crisis, he had lots of patients who had diarrhoea and stomach issues. One of his patient even had rashes all over the body. And that was the first time she ever had a rash outbreak in such magnitude. And it happened immediately after she showered. Imagine how awful the water at reservoirs would be when the water had returned. The mud and algae and whatever that was at the bottom being stirred up and sloshed around......

A week after that I had a follow-up with Mr. Gastro again. I told him of what I went through and he suggested for me to do a stool sample. And I was to continue to keep the food diary.

My stool results came back perfect. No parasites, bacteria, virus or yeast infections. My stools were perfect! And the pain in my upper abdomen was gone too. I had stopped eating gluten once again....

Mr. Gastro told me to do the FODMAP challenge where gluten was concerned and to observe how much wheat I am able to take before my stomach started to give me trouble again. I said things are just too quiet to re-introduce and that I would like to have a longer period of peace and quiet before attempting to re-introduce anything as my stomach problems had plagued me since December.

Peace and quiet in the gut is hard to come by for people with IBS and GERD. Treasure it when it happens.

But then again, Life loves to screw us up, front, back and centre.....

Shit Happened! (Part 2)

Since things began to settle down, I felt that I had found the cause to the whole December episode. It was the rice bran oil that triggered the whole December disaster. I felt relieved and began to feel better as the symptoms started to go away as the days went by. I felt that I could see the light at the end of the tunnel. 

Boy, how wrong I was. 

The light at the end of the tunnel was a high speed train headed towards me at 430km/h. I was caught like a deer in the headlight. 

WHAM!

The gods of pain came crashing like meteorites. 

The pain at the abdomen was so horrible that I thought something must have ruptured. I had excruciating heart burns (that if I did not know any better, I would have thought that I was having a heart attack). The pain from the heart burn travelled to my back (which had never happened before in my 40 years of life). I had acid 24/7 in my throat and my mouth to the point I could only taste acid and acid alone. It went up to my nostrils and sinus. It affected my ears. And I had such painful gums and teeth that I had to send a SOS message to my dentist. I had my teeth checked and X-rayed. I had healthy teeth and gums there was nothing wrong with my teeth whatsoever. 

I couldn't sleep. I couldn't eat. But yet I still persevered on. 

I tried going back to really basic food like I did 9 years back when I had the anaphylactic attack. It worked for a day. And then WHAM! It came back with vengeance.

I took Nexium (and then doubled the dose). Relief came for a day. And then WHAM again!

I changed the PPI to Pariet which the ER doctor prescribed. It worked for a day. And again, WHAM!

I remembered what my new gastro had told me last year: sometimes, IBS mimics reflux. So I tried all the meds that I have: Buscopan, Dupastalin, Meteospasmyl. And then I tried Ganaton, Motillium and Gaviscon. (I know, my insides resembled a mini pharmacy.) 

NOTHING WORKED!

Zilch!

That was when my soul and spirit crashed. I felt really shitty. 

I made an appointment to see Mr. Gastro. 

...to be continued

Pain & Rock Star No More (Part One)

The pain in the upper middle region of my abdomen was becoming worse as the days went by. It was so excruciating to the point I was swallowing all sorts of gastric medication which I had. And yet the pain did not go away. It got worse and worse. I couldn't eat or sleep. All I could do was curl up in bed and whimper.

I finally succumbed to the pain and went to the ER on a Monday night (10th April) The usual ER doctor who knew my history of reflux and my allergies gave me Nexium (PPI) via IV. Usually it would work after about two hours. This time the pain didn't diminish at all. Imagine having this kind of pain 24-hours non-stop. I told my dad that it felt like like something was clawing from the insides, eating my insides and that there was a huge cavity in my stomach. He said it sounded like Ripley's Aliens. HAHA!

The climax of that night was fantastic. I had parked my car in the basement of the hospital because of the rainy weather. Also the open carpark was full of cars from visitors. When I left, I took the lift as usual. The lift was slow in arriving but I did not give it much thought because I was in so much pain. I entered and pressed B (for basement). The buttons didn't work. As I was about to step out of the lift, the doors closed and down it went. I walked out of the lift and pushed the doors which led to the carpark. Lo and behold, they were LOCKED! I then walked back to the lift, and that was when it dawned on me that the lift wasn't FUNCTIONING! I was trapped. And the best part was that my phone did not have a SIGNAL as I was in the basement!!!!!!! OMG! I could see my car through the glass window of the door. I was so near yet so far. I shouted for help at the top of my voice and banged the door. No one came. I continued doing it until I realised that nobody could hear me. I tried the lift again. I jabbed the buttons furiously hoping that the lift would descend. The lift did not move. I then walked to every part of the area that I was trapped in trying to get a signal with my phone. No signal at all. Tried banging the door AGAIN and screaming for help at the top of my voice. Tried jabbing the lift buttons AGAIN! Walked at every corner of the area that I was trapped in AGAIN! Suddenly, I had SIGNAL on my phone!!!!!!! I called the ER and told them of the predicament that I was in. They got someone to send the lift down. Then only was I told that the lift ceased operating by 10pm. Then why did the lift worked when I used it? No one could answer me. Twilight zone? By the time I got home, it was 11pm.

Tuesday was no different. The pain was as bad. My part-time cleaning ladies said I looked like hell. I HAD to see a gastroenterologist. I knew that if I went to see Dr. Rock Star, I would be sent for a scope again and he would prescribe me PPIs to no end. My last endoscopy and colonoscopy was only over a year back.

Who should I see?

I did not know of any other gastroenterologist. I decided to go to the hospital's website and check out each and every gastroenterologist that worked there. Finally, one caught my eye. One of the conditions that he had treated was food intolerance! Dr. Rock Star doesn't believe in this. He told me I could still eat whatever I wanted even though I told him that certain food caused me to be sick in the stomach. He instead said that I was stressed or filled with anxiety and proceeded to give me PPIs and anti-anxiety/sleeping medication. I called up the hospital and the new gastroenterologist had a slot available on Thursday afternoon! I couldn't wait.

Wednesday evening came, and I was at the ER again. Hubby had to take emergency leave and bring me to the hospital. I couldn't even drive. The usual ER doctor who saw me on Monday stayed back to attend to me even thought his shift was over. Bless him! He said I was so pale looking that I looked like a ghost. This time he IV-ed Nexium and Tramadol (an opioid group painkiller which I could thankfully take). And he did blood tests and sent me for an ultrasound. Everything came back excellent. He said that I had to see a gastroenterologist ASAP. I told him that I would be seeing one the next day.

Thursday finally arrived.

I would be lying if I told you that I wasn't anxious. Would he be like Rock Star? Or even worse than Rock Star?

My heart sank when I walked into his consulting room.....

(...to be continued)


The beginning of this journey: 1000 Kilometres and Candida
The second part of this journey: Candida and Dr. Yadav

The Crippling Pain, The ER Visits & THE Scope (Part 2)

As you can see, I was to drink 1L of the horrible-diesel-tasting-diarrhoea-inducing-drink at 7 pm (and must be finished doing so by 8pm) and ANOTHER 1L at 8pm (and must be finished doing so by 9pm). You will gag drinking this. And this is not an exaggeration. The taste will be in your mouth, nostrils and brain. You will smell and taste it in everything and everywhere. By 9 something, I was already running to the toilet. If you're ever going to go through this procedure, don't even attempt to wear back your undies or walk out of the toilet. You will never make it before the next wave hits. Put a stool or a chair next to the 'throne' and wait for the next wave. You won't have to wait for long, I assure you. There will be times when you will think that you're done. You will be wrong.

The very helpful nurse at the endoscopy department said that we must excrete to the point where the last stage of excrement looks like liquid that resembles a-somewhat-clear-water (pictures 7 and 8 of the diagram below).

I was up until 2am and had arrived at stage 7 by then. Thoroughly exhausted, I scrubbed the throne clean, showered and went to bed.

By 4 something I was up to make the last 1L to drink (which I had to begin drinking at 5am and was to be finished by 6am). I was sorely tempted to not drink that as my excrement was clear at 2am. But I remembered what the nurse told me the day before. I was to finish all three sachets. Obediently, I chugged down the last one liter. Boy, was I glad I did that as the next toilet visits became stage 5 again which finally cleared up by the time I arrived at the hospital at 8.30am. (Another important point: Wear diapers! The morning rush hour is mad and you might not be able to hold it. I managed to hold but ran and dashed to the endoscopy department's toilet. And the nurse who checked my stools said I was good to go!!!! Yippeee! No need another 1L of that drink called death.) We met a woman who did not drink her 5am drink as she thought her bowels were cleaned enough. She had to drink another 1L of that drink while I could go ahead with my scope. The relief that I felt was euphoric. But I felt terrible for her. She looked disgusted at the drink and totally demoralized sitting there.

So I changed into the hospital gown and got ready to be wheeled into the scoping room.

I would be lying if I said that I wasn't nervous or anxious. The colonoscopy is one awfully painful procedure when one is not sedated. My dad said when my mum had hers, she was screaming even though she was sedated. They had to give her another shot of sedation.

As I was wheeled in, I saw Dr. Rockstar preparing a syringe to sedate me!

Me: NO WAY DOCTOR! I am not to be sedated. I don't want another problem added to my stomach problems. I have enough problems as it is. So no, I do not want to take the risk of having an allergy attack which can spiral into an anaphylactic attack.

Dr. Rockstar: Yes lah. Take it lah. It's going to be very painful.

Me: I know. But you'll be gentle. (That was me hinting very directly at him to be gentle. But of course I know that there's no way of him turning the scope at the corners of my intestines without causing pain.)

Dr. Rockstar: I can be gentle but you'll still be in pain.... Well ok. If you're up to it. (Of course, he wasn't too pleased. But I was stubborn and adamant and he could not change my mind.)

And so it began.........

Nurse: (Turns me on my left side and sprays Xylocaine (to numb my throat so that the scope can enter without me vomiting and gagging non-stop. Once my throat was numb, she placed a plastic mouthpiece to keep it open.)

Dr. Rockstar: (As he is about to start the scope, he discovers some buttons/knobs are missing! Turns to one of the nurses and barks.) Where are the buttons/knobs? I WANT ALL OF THEM!

One of them disappears like Speedy Gonzales or the Road Runner and returns with the parts that the doctor had demanded. (Later when I told hubby what had happened, he said that now he knew why the nurse ran out and returned with such speed.)

Dr. Rockstar then proceeds and inserts the scope into my esophagus.

Dr. Rockstar: Ok, let's start. (Realises that he couldn't proceed as the monitor would not light up and he is about to blow again.) Why isn't this working??!

Nurse: (Answers real quick) The station outside has not registered the patient.

Dr. Rockstar: (He sounds like he is about to eat everyone in the room.) HOW NOW? THE SCOPE IS IN THE PATIENT ALREADY! HOW LONG YOU WANT PATIENT TO WAIT? WHY WAS THE PATIENT PUSHED INTO THE ROOM WHEN SHE WASN'T REGISTERED?! HOW NOW?!!!!

Nurse: (In a very timid voice) We have to wait for them to register before we can proceed.

Dr. Rockstar: HOW LONG MUST THE PATIENT WAIT? HOW LONG DO YOU EXPECT THEY PATIENT TO LIE DOWN HERE? CALL THEM!!!!!!

The nurse makes the call and squeaks faster than a speeding bullet train telling the outside counter to speed it up.

Bear in mind that I was awake, hearing all this and I had this tube down my esophagus into my stomach and I had to wait until I was 'registered'. I could hear my heart rate accelerating and felt a panic attack creeping in. I started breathing in and out to calm myself down (sounding somewhat like a Darth Vader squeaking) and grabbed the pillow with my left hand. I also started chanting in my head, 'I CAN DO THIS. I CAN DO THIS. I CAN DO THIS. I CAN DO THIS.......' My heart rate actually started to slow down.

Dr. Rockstar: (Bangs on the keyboard urgently and impatiently.) WHAT'S TAKING THEM SO LONG???!!!!

SUDDENLY, the screen lights up and everything started to work. I shouted Hallelujah in my mind and praised every god that exists. HAHA! (Yes, I can laugh now. But I assure you, I wasn't laughing then.)

Dr. Rockstar proceeds with the endoscopy and completes it in a few minutes.

They then turned me around and prepped me up for the colonoscopy.

I continued to grab the pillow with my left hand and I then grabbed the bed railing with my right hand. And I started chanting 'I CAN DO THIS' in my mind again. The first turn came and I turned my face into the pillow and groaned. I gripped the bed railing so hard that my hand still hurts today. This round I didn't scream the hospital down. Hubby was worried as it was so quiet that he thought I might have passed out! When he found out I didn't pass out and did not scream, he promoted me from 'Woman of Steel' to 'Woman of Titanium'. HAHA!

Finally they arrived at the end of the large colon.

WHEW! The nurse pried my right hand from the railing. I immediately went and grabbed it again. She then told me that the excruciating-intestine-twisting procedure was over. Only then did I slowly let go of the railing.

Now here's the good news. My esophagitis has healed. I have no lesions, no ulcers, no polyps, no tear, no nothing in both upper and lower gastrointestinal section. There's no sign of acid reflux burning my esophagus. The Hpylori test came back negative.

Dr. Rockstar concluded that it was a severe IBS attack which he firmly believes was triggered by stress. (Yes, everything is triggered by stress.) I wasn't stressed. But I remember the gassiness started after eating french beans. And then during the weekend, I had garlic! I love garlic. But garlic is a major trigger for episodes-from-hell for me. DAMN IT! It's healthy food. It's not even cake or ice-cream. It's goddamn GARLIC! G.A.R.L.I.C.

All this stomach-throwing-hissy-fits started after I fell sick two months back. I guess it'll take time and I have to build it back up again.

The pain is still on and off. At least there are bouts of relief now. Last week it was 24-hours of pain.

The horrible-diesel-tasting-diarrhoea-inducing drink triggered some allergy reaction. I was itching and had some red patches here and there. I had to take a Puriton antihistamine on Friday night itself. Everything cleared up the next day.

It's adapting period again. I hope things will get better soon.

The Crippling Pain, The ER Visits & THE Scope (Part 1)

The pain started last Sunday. I had thought that it was my usual (GERD) reflux problem which was acting up again. So I took my usual GERD meds - Nexium, Motilium and some milk of magnesia. There was no relief at all. This time, it became a full-blown attack which had me doubling over in pain. I increased the meds and took a double dose. The pain did not abate. And I was extremely-super-gassy.

By Tuesday I was a slow-moving-hunched-over-shuffling Evelyn. I added Ganaton to the list of meds.

I went to the ER at the hospital which is a stone's throw away from my place on Wednesday. Hubby had to take an emergency leave. When I told the doctor the list of meds I've been ingesting, he said that I was already on the highest range of medication for reflux. The only option left was to IV the medicine into my system. Since I am allergic to painkillers, this was what they could do for me.  He asked me whether I would want to be admitted! They could IV the meds round the clock.

NO WAY!

I went home after they IV-ed the meds. It gave some slight relief.

By nightfall, I could feel the medicines wearing out.

By Thursday, I could not eat more than 2 spoonful of anything. The pain came back with vengeance. And I developed a mild fever. And my stools became loose stools.

What could it be? I don't have an appendix anymore as I had an appendicitis 8 years ago. I just had an MRI done last month which covered my stomach, gallbladder, liver, pancreas, spleen, ovaries, and bladder. All my blood tests were normal.

What was this pain?

Hubby rushed back and brought me to the ER again. This time we went to the hospital where my gastroenterologist works. I actually had an appointment later with my gastroenterologist but the pain was awful and I couldn't wait for the appointment time.

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The doctor at the ER was a ........... (I'll let you fill in the blanks yourself to whatever names you can think of.)

Below is the conversation between ER doctor and me.

ER Doctor: So what pain is this you're having?

Me: It's my stomach. I have reflux and this pain which started on Sunday will not let up. (I then proceeded to tell him the list of meds that I have taking and the visit to the ER on Wednesday which I had more meds IV-ed into me.) I actually have an appointment later with Dr. Rockstar but I couldn't wait for it as the pain is horrible and I'm having a mild grade fever. Maybe you could page him to come down to see me instead?

ER Doctor: (Chooses to ignore me and looks bored to death and gives me the impression that I am either on a trip to the hospital for fun or I am making all this up just to make this trip to the hospital so that I can contribute to his September salary. He then proceeds to ask me to lie down and started to press my abdomen to pinpoint to where the pain was.)

ER Doctor: (After pressing my abdomen for awhile...) I think it's your kidneys. I think you might have stones. Let's do an urine test. Also, I would like to give you Tramadol for the pain. (Tramadol is a painkiller).

Me: WHAT?! It's my stomach that's hurting. My kidneys are FINE! F.I.N.E!!!!!! I don't want that Tramadol. Anyway, I have an appointment with my gastroenterologist, Mr. Rockstar later. I'll go see him.

ER Doctor: Ok then. (He had such a look of disdain and an air of boredom about him.)

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Hubby then wheeled me over to Dr. Rockstar's clinic.

When we arrived at his clinic, Dr. Rockstar's assistant asked to why did the ER not page him to go see me? I told them about ER Doctor's wonderful behaviour and superb diagnosis. They just shook their heads.

Dr. Rockstar was actually quite frustrated with me as I have been seeing him for the few months with this same pain in the same area (though the intensity of the pain wasn't this terrible). (That was why he had sent me to have the MRI done last month.) At that time he was worried that it was my pancreas. My grandfather had died of stomach cancer and my dad's cousin died of some stomach ailment screaming in pain in the hospital until he died. Maybe it is some kind of stomach ailment genes in our family. Imagine MY level of frustration when even my doctor is frustrated and perplexed.

Since everything came back fine, we just left it at that last month.

This round, since there was no answer, and the pain was so debilitating and crippling, an endoscopy and colonoscopy was recommended. And I was to have it on Friday morning, (which was yesterday).

The last meal was to be at 6pm and I was not to have any vegetables, fruits, red meat, bread, oats, cereal and etc. And I was to drink this (picture below) horrible-diesel-tasting-diarrhoea-inducing-drink to prepare for the colonoscopy.

(...to be continued.)