Down With The Sickness

So...a few weeks ago, I started taking Chantix (spelling?) to stop smoking. I've smoked for around 12 years or so, and I really, really, really want (and need) to stop. This medicine is supposed to make you feel sick when you smoke, but so far, the only thing that makes me sick is the price of the prescription...ouch!

Anyway...around three weeks ago I was spending the night at Jessie's house (about two weeks into the Chantix medication), and in the middle of the night around 2 am, I woke up with this terrible pain in my stomach that went all the way through to my back. I tried changing sleeping positions, sitting up, walking around...but nothing would make the pain stop. Just when I thought I was going to have to wake Jessie up to help me, I ran to the bathroom and threw up. It was bad! It was one of those times when you are sick and you can't even come up for air between hurls. I ended up throwing up that nasty yellow stuff (bile), and kept dry heaving after everything was out of my stomach. YUCK! After I had gotten sick, my stomach/back pain was not gone, but it wasn't nearly as bad as it was before I got sick.

Jessie kept saying that it was the stop-smoking medicine making me sick, and I thought that if it was...the reaction was a little extreme. My stomach actually hurt to be touched, and that just wasn't normal.

A couple of days later, the same thing happened in the middle of the night. I was convinced I had a bad stomach bug. Three days later, it happened again. This time, it was worse than ever, and at 3 am, I had started getting dressed to go to the hospital. We had important people in at work from out of town, and this couldn't have hit at a worse time. Once I threw up, I felt better, so I didn't go to the ER. But, I did call the doctor in the morning to see him.

I teased the doctor and told him that I think I'm a closet bulimic, but he was convinced that it was either my pancreas or gallbladder. Several tests later, we found that my pancreas is fine, but I have big gall stones, and one is actually blocking the entrance from my gallbladder to my stomach. (Your gallbladder stores extra bile from your liver to help break down food when needed.) So, when I eat high-fat foods or lettuce (my #1 trigger for attacks), it tries to release the stored bile, and it's blocked from entering my stomach. Since it can't go into my stomach, it has to come up and out of my mouth. This causes the horrible pain and causes me to get sick.

I'm scheduled to get my gallbladder removed on Monday morning. I'll arrive at the hospital at 8 am, and the surgery is at 9:30. (If you happen to remember me during that time, please pray that I will be okay and that everything will be fine.) I'm having the surgery at St. Catherines Hospital in Charlestown. I know that they have a bad reputation, but my surgeon is really awesome. I love him, and my doctor says he's the best around this area.

I'm very relieved to know that very soon, I should stop being so sick all of the time. When I looked back at the past few months, I realized that the gallbladder issue is the root cause of why I have been eating tons of antacids, and feeling nauseous all of the time. This has been going on for the better part of 6 months or so.

On Tuesday, I am having an Upper GI procedure to see what is causing another problem I'm having where my food gets stuck in the middle of chest when I eat. I'm hopeful that this is not a big deal, and they can just fix it without another surgery this week. I've had this problem for probably a year and a half, and have just changed the foods I eat, and the way I eat to reduce the scenarios where this causes an issue. When this happens, the food starts to swell where it is stuck, and it feels like my chest is going to explode! I have to throw up to make the pain stop. Seems like I'm doing a lot of throwing up lately. :) I'll let you know what they find as soon as I get the results from the test.

I have a tendency to let things go until I just can't take the pain anymore. I really need to stop doing that. Now that I have a new, adorable doctor, I may just have to make more regular visits to see him. The bad thing is that when I saw him for the first time, I made the comment that I would need to find reasons to be sick so that I could have more doctor time, and then the gallbladder thing blew up! Be careful what you wish for, for sure!

If anyone is in the market for a new Primary Care Physician, I would highly recommend Dr. Hoke in Charlestown. He has a practice with Dr. French, and both doctors are really caring and kind. They are both super hot, too, so you can't go wrong! Delores Eickholtz works in their front office, and the nurses that I've had encountered are wonderful as well. I am very pleased with every experience I've had with their office. Tell 'em Cara sent you if you decide to try out their office. I think after I refer 10 new patients to them, I get a discounted surgery. I think I'll choose liposuction (in many places) or collagen lip injections. Maybe I can refer 20 people and get both. :)

Lauren's Blog

My 6 year old daughter has started her own blog. Click on the "About Me" area to go to 'Pretty Princess Lauren's Blog'. I'm letting her type it, create the content, and spell words like they sound without my help. She's soooooo smart, and I love her soooooo much! She's a little Cara. :)

Check it out!