[Off Topic] Health Issues

[hansolo77]

This is way out in left field.  But seeing as how you guys are all kind of my extended family, I thought I'd clue you in on what's been going on in my life as of late..

If you remember, I've been having a lot of pain in my abdomen off and on over the past few years.  Nothing has really been properly diagnosed.  It started out after I had my appendix rupture back in my early 20's (I'm 38 now, so give or take 15 years?).  I get these feelings of really bad gas and bloating, but without the relief you get by passing it.  I've tried all the over the counter stuff like GasEx and Pepto.  Nothing really works.  I take OTC (over the counter) medicine for pain, like Ibuprofen.  The doctor won't prescribe anything for it.  Sometimes it gets really bad and starts causing nausea and occasional vomiting. 

A couple of years ago, I felt like my doctor was finally willing to break down and care a little more about the symptoms and ordered up a Colonoscopy.  The results were inconclusive.  The colon specialist told me I had a good pre-night cleanse, and he saw no abnormalities.  The only issue he had was the colon spasms where it looked like it was fighting the camera, but nothing severe (like cancer/etc).  My doctor prescribed an intestinal muscle relaxer.  It didn't help, I still had the pain.  About a week later, I woke up and had a lot of blood in my stool.  It wasn't black or tarry, it was literally bright red, dripping.  Scared the crap out of me so I went to the ER.  I tried to get them a stool sample but I was all cleared up from the previous bowel movement.  They took me back for X-Rays (or maybe it was an MRI, don't remember).  A few hours later they came back with the results with a definitive diagnosis.. Diverticulitis.  They had photos of them, clearly depicted.  I asked why the colonoscopy didn't show it, and they said it's because a colonoscopy only shows the internal colon, whereas diverticulitis is external pockets on the outside of the colon, they'd not see it.  Nobody gave me any medication to fix the problem, only a suggestion of a diet change (no seeds, strawberries, tomatoes, pickles, etc).  I've done that, still have the problem every now and then.  My doctor's only solution is to eat more fiber and continue taking Ibuprofen.

Years go by, nothing changes.  Same pain, different levels of severity.  I mentioned it to the doctor on occasion while doing a physical, he briefly tosses it aside, saying things like "more fiber, less fats, less sugar, exercise more".  Never offering anything more than that.  No drugs either.  I continue to live life in constant pain, taking 4x200mg Ibruprofen's almost daily.  I have other health concerns too, such as migraines that he literally refuses to diagnose beyond "check for sleep apnea, get new glasses, get your teeth fixed".  I'm about to change doctors, I'm sick of waiting.  Anyway...

I had a physical back at the end of September for work.  It's their new policy for the insurance, have had to do it the last 5 years or so.  I had filled out the pre-exam sheet describing things like my health history in the last month, like vomiting, nausea, change in appetite, change in weight, etc.  There was a section to write down things you'd like to discus with the doctor during the visit.  I said "Athletes Foot still a problem (he wrote a script for a $50 tube of cream that lasted about a week and a half and didn't solve the problem last year), Migraines still a problem, and Stomach Pain still a problem".  I even wrote a "(hernia?)" because my co-manager at work said he had the same symptoms, and that's what it sounds like to him.  I've also been told by coworkers that I have a growing bulge on the right side that looks like a hernia (it hurts too).  Then another coworker suggested it could be gallstones, that she had the same pains and it was finally resolved when they removed her gallbladder.  He looked at the chart and was like "What are you in here today for?  If it's a physical, I can't talk about anything else you're concerned about without having you come back for a separate appointment."  So I told him to do the physical because I need that for work.  He was willing to look over these other concerns, but just glancingly.  Physical went as expected.. Everything looked good.  Weight is down 27 pounds since last year, cholesterol is still high but not serious yet, continue to eat more vegetables and exercise more.  He then checked my foot, prescribed something stronger this time.  Said to come back in a month for a followup on it, and he'll address the other concerns I had then.  He did palpitate my stomach though and didn't seem too concerned about the potential of a growing hernia.  Said to just continue taking Ibuprofen for the pain, and he'll see me in a month.  WTF?

Now today.  I've been having a steadily increasing pain with my stomach since the doctor visit.  It hurts to stand up or while standing, and is more manageable when sitting or laying down.  Even sitting/lying the pain is there, just not as bad.  I woke up today very VERY tired.  The CPAP said I had like 17 apnea episodes last night.  I've been averaging 3-4, and anything under 5 my sleep doctor said is normal.  Makes a lot of sense, seeing as how I was constantly rolling over in pain throughout the night.  I was cramping really bad when I woke up, and went to the bathroom.  Had a normal bowel movement, got dressed and went to work.  I managed to stay an hour and half before practically keeling over in pain.  My job today was to receive our frozen bakery order, and it was 2 pallets.  Damn near killed me.  I got half way through, dizzy with pain, and sat down for like 5 minutes.  Finished, then told my boss I was leaving to go straight to the ER.  I hate leaving work early, especially when I have to go to the ER.  But I did.  I just couldn't take it anymore.

I walked in and told them what was up.  They brought me a wheelchair and said I had to use it because I was complaining about abdomen/chest pains and trouble breathing, and those symptoms require it.  I go with it, and they wheel me back to my triage room.  I get in there and there are like 8 people waiting for me.  I started to panic, because normally when I come here there is only the nurse doing all the work.  Why are all these people here for me?  Am I that obvious of needing help or something?  They calmed me down and I saw their name badges that said they were from the Fire Department as interns.  So I'm their class project I guess.  One guy takes my blood pressure, one guys takes my pulse, another my temperature, another installing an IV while another is watching him giving tips.  The actual triage nurse is talking to me asking questions about my history, the pain, the locations, etc.  Then next thing I know I'm by myself for 20 minutes.  Then a doctor comes in, I tell her all the same stuff again, and she starts doing the palpitations.  She was pushing really hard to try and get a feel for stuff.  She even had me breath in really deep and hold it while she pushed up into and under my rib cage.  That about killed me.  She ordered up an ultrasound to check the gallbladder, and to bring me some pain medicine.  Another 40 minutes go by and a nurse comes in to give me a shot in the arm (said the medicine couldn't be done through the IV).  It killed my arm.  The pain was similar to somebody punching it really hard and leaving a bruise, but it was just the medicine.  My arm is still hurting from it, but there's nothing showing for it.  She then wheeled me back to the ultrasound girl.  We talked and made jokes to make me feel better.  Said we'd split the millions if she found out I was pregnant.    I spent the whole time telling her all the same story leading up to this, including the bits about my lazy doctor.  She was surprised I hadn't found somebody new too.  Anyway, on the way back I asked her if she saw anything out of the ordinary, and she said she's not allowed to say because the initials on her name badge don't give her the clearance.  She just takes the pictures.  So I'm back in my little triage waiting room.  Turn on the Science channel and watch 2 full hours of space stuff (talking about dwarf planets and Pluto).  Then a different doctor comes in and says very clearly "You have what we call the technical term: "Gallbladder Sludge".  Said it's basically the liquids in my gallbladder are getting too thick for it to perform is proper functions.  He said if I've had this type of pain as long as I've said I've had it, and the ultrasound shows this sludge he saw, then I'm definitely going to need to be considering a surgery sooner than later.  He wants me to call a specialist on Monday to have a followup, and said he wouldn't be surprised if a surgery was ordered up within the next couple of weeks.

So that's nice I guess.  Another doctor, with another diagnosis.  One who doesn't believe anything is wrong, who finally ordered a colonoscopy.  A colon specialist who said there's nothing wrong except muscle spasms.  A hospital doctor who said there is clear evidence of Diverticulitis.  And now ANOTHER doctor who says there is clear evidence of what he diagnosed as "Biliary Colic".  All I know is, I'm in pain.  It's starting to effect my work.  And I've had 4 different doctors tell me 4 different things.  And none of them have given me medication to either help with the pain or help address the problem with a fix.  There's still things it could be too.  I've heard Crohn's Disease mentioned more than once, ulcers, IBS, hernia, colon cancer, pancreatic cancer, etc.  The only thing I know it's NOT is Appendicitis.  Hopefully it's true that it's gallbladder and now it can be fixed.  But I've been here before with Diverticulitis, and changing the diet didn't help that either.

So yeah, long winded.  Sorry about that.  I just wanted to share with you guys what's been going on in my life.  Hope I didn't bore you.

[Draco1962]

Had the laparoscopic cholecystectomy back in '93 after several months of pain that I described as if someone shoved a piece of rebar from my lumbar up through and under my sternum. Much the same thing only gall stones along with the sludge. Hopefully that will cure what ails you or at least remove a probable cause. 

[hansolo77]

Yeah I hear more about people that have had these problems AFTER I start talking about my own.  I researched a bit and it looks like this sort of thing is pretty common.  It's probably due to all the crap we eat.  Even if it's not stones or sludge, I'm keeping in high spirits that this guy I'm calling tomorrow will at least be able to help identify what the problem is.  Apparently he's a general surgeon, not necessarily a gall bladder specialist.  But he may specialize in that particular area, which should help me.

[Draco1962]

Two things that will remind you of when you are eating something that is too rich or oily/greasy is your poo will turn bile green since the gallbladder concentrates bile from the liver and is no longer there, the bile (unless the bile duct becomes clogged) will dump everything straight to the duodenum in the small intestine. Also, if you fart a lot now, you will fart even more so. 

[hansolo77]

Oh boy something to look forward too.  All this because I have pain.  Why can't there be a solution that doesn't cause more issues?

[hansolo77]

Just got back from the appointment.   They think it might be a couple of things.  First and foremost, they want me to stop taking the NSAIDs (Ibuprofen) I've been taking for my headaches.  They said I should take Tylenol instead because the other stuff will kill the lining in my stomach.  They think it could be an ulcer, and not necessarily my gall bladder.  According to the specialist/surgeon, I only have a handful of symptoms, it's not a 100% guarantee that the gall bladder is the cause.  They're not ruling it out though.  They just want to eliminate a more likely potential cause.  So the plan going forward is that they are prescribing me a proton pump inhibitor (Prilosec).  Then, in a couple of weeks, I'm to report back for a follow-up to see if it helped.  If not, they're going to do a scope from the top down, rather than bottom up, to visually check for ulcers.  If that shows up ok, then they've eliminated the stomach as the issue, and will focus on the gall bladder.

In all honestly, I'm fine with the Prilosec treatment if it helps.  I'd rather take a pill every day than have another huge surgery and scar on my stomach.

[Draco1962]

Nice.  So kill your liver with Tylenol. Actually, unless something goes wrong, you have 2-3 tiny incisions - one or two for the snipping tool and/or laparoscope and one for the tube that fills your abdominal cavity with CO2 to make way for the instruments. It is outpatient and, unless there are complications, you are out the same day.

[tthurman]

While it's a big deal any time you have surgery, this does a minimal amount of damage.

My wife had the laparoscopic gallbladder removal process done after years of severe abdominal pain that nobody could seem to determine the cause.  Like you, one day it got so bad she just went to the ER and the doctor sent her to the nuclear wing to have some dye injected, which immediately disclosed the gallbladder as the culprit. It was outpatient surgery, took maybe four hours total in and out time.

Scars are pretty minimal and heal slowly over the following years until they are barely visible.   The Davinci RP I had four years ago is similar but they used some sort of glue on my insertion sites as opposed to sutures.  You might want to ask about this if you end up having it done as even though these are similar puncture sites/size, they became pretty much unnoticeable in just a couple of years with the exception of the big incision over the belly button, but that one was about two inches long.

If you go in for this be prepared, there's a lot of farting to get rid of all that gas they pump in your chest cavity   Walking around helps, or it did for me.

Good luck man!

[hansolo77]

I had another flare up again today.  Somebody at work who had their's removed said it's basically like having a heart attack.  If that's true, I hope I never have one of those!  She also said it's almost as bad a kidney stone.  I told her I've already had 2 and that they're supposed to be as painful as giving birth.  She said it's WORSE than giving birth (having experienced both).  I guess kidney stones you deal with for DAYS or WEEKS, whereas the pain of birth is over in a matter of hours or minutes. 

You guys are saying there are tiny incisions made.. are they removing the gallbladder or is it left intact inside and just cut off from system?  I don't see how something like that can be removed with cuts the diameter of pens/pencils.  I'm really getting tired of all the pain I keep getting from it though.  How long were you guys in recovery after having the surgery?  Am I going to miss a lot of work (meaning I'd have to find out about getting some temporary short term disability)?  Right now I'm still in information limbo.  I know what my symptoms are, and I know what my various lab tests have shown.  The uncertainty comes from the various possibility of causes still.  So we're trying something that is probably easier (and maybe more likely?) first.  I like that they're not just jumping to conclusions and are wanting to try and figure it out.  I just don't like the waiting and having to be put INTO pain through trials before realizing it's one thing or the other.  I feel almost like these doctors are playing the game of wait and see, knowing full well what it is, just so I have to keep coming back in for more tests and pay them more money.  But, it could end up being an ulcer and all this gallbladder stuff isn't my particular issue.  Like I said, I just want the pain to stop, and I hate that they're only suggesting OTC medicine and not something stronger for the acute attacks.

[Draco1962]

My diagnosis for the laparoscopic cholesystectomy was determined by my report of the type and location of the pain (i.e., feeling of piercing pain from small of back up through the sternum) and an ultrasound in most cases. Mine had reached your frequency and the ultra sound picked them up clearly.

https://www.everydayhealth.com/gallbladder/diagnostic-tests-for-gallbladder-disease.aspx

Other imaging may pick them up if the ultrasound is inconclusive.

As for removing the gallbladder and stones through a small in incision, think of it as pulling out a collapsed balloon.

Ask your doctor to schedule an ultrasound before doing the endoscopy. Less invasive and may help get thr doctor on the right path. If your doctor refuses, seek a second opinion.

[hansolo77]

I had the ultrasound in the ER a couple weeks ago.  That's what prompted the referral to the specialist.  I was reading online about the problems associated with gallbladder and saw that a classic symptom is the pain around the bottom of the rib cage (which I have) and also in your back by your shoulders.  I don't have the shoulder pain, so that may be one of their key deciding factors.  They were asking me about my diet and whether or not it comes after eating certain foods.  I honestly haven't been noticing any trends.  I kept a food diary for about 6 months a couple of years ago to see what could be causing it and nothing was apparent, it just seems random.  That, to them, is probably another case against it not being gallbladder.  The symptoms I do have that are related are the frequency of the attacks (2-3 times a week give or take), the localization of the pain (right under the rib cage either center or to the right), the level of pain (7-8 on a 10 point scale), and the length it lasts (about 4-5 hours).  But apparently these are also the symptoms of stuff like ulcers, IBS/Gas, diverticulosis, etc.

My other major issue is these frequent migraines.  I might get them 3-4 times a week.  I have a mild headache almost every day.  But the migraines I get cause me to be dizzy, feel nauseous, and end in vomiting if it doesn't go away within an hour or so.  The really bad ones will last 5-6 hours.  Being in a quite, cool place with pressure on my head helps, but it doesn't go away.  I sometimes have to take 2 doses of 800mg Ibuprofen before it goes away.  That's something I have to stop doing now because of the potential ulcer.  I'll take Excedrin Migraine (or the generic equivalent) and it will sometimes help, but I'm taking 4 pills at a time.  That's not good for me either.  But my doctor still refuses to prescribe  me anything for it, believing it's not migraines and that I just have simple headaches due to other issues. "Oh your Dad has sleep apnea, I'd like you to get tested because that can cause them."  Ok, yeah I have a very mild case, been wearing the CPAP over a year, still have them.  "Oh well, uh, how about your glasses?  Lets get your eyes checked because that can make you have headaches too."  Ok, It'd been almost 15 years since I had them checked.  Checked, they changed, I've been wearing new glasses about 8 months.  Still have them.  "Hmm... what about your teeth?  Lets get those checked because if you have any cavities, that might be whats causing them."  Fine.. I went, had a few cavities, a 90% dead tooth and a broken one.  Built a treatment plan, have had all cavities filled, the dead tooth pulled, and the broken tooth crowned.  My last visit to the dentist showed massive improvement and no cavities.  "Well, uh, maybe it's stress.  Do you only have them at work or at home too?  What about the lights or sounds at work?  Anything that can trigger them?"  Nothing here but random shots in the dark.  I get headaches almost every day whether I'm at work or not.  I get migraines more often when the weather changes (from good to bad or vice versa).  But it's not stress or anything like that.  Then finally at my followup on Wednesday, after almost 3 years of him coming up with possible causes, he's finally agreed that yeah, I might actually have migraines.  But did he do anything about it?  Nope!  He wants to wait and see what happens with the surgeon before prescribing me anything.  OMG.  I've had this since I was 12.  I've had an MRI already.  I was diagnosed with them when I was 14 and given a prescription for them THEN.  The drug doesn't exist anymore so give me something else.  What's the big deal?

Anyway...  I'm hungry.  Going to go get lunch.

[Draco1962]

Don't forget to note you lunch in your food diary!  Your doctor sounds like the definition for "medical practice." Let's keep ruling out all the obvious stuff and not listen to the patient. My gallbladder attack triggers were rich, oily, or fried foods mostly but a few of the attacks were after eating bland things. As for the pain, not everyone has it exactly in the same place since it is actually a referred pain.

[RIP-Felix]

It seems like they're on the right track for a proper diagnosis now. They're being cautious before removing an organ, by ruling out possible conditions with less invasive treatments. That's a good thing, but it takes time...meanwhile you're still in pain and have to wait for them to make up their minds. Then there is the expense of all the office visits, procedures, scans, prescriptions, and so on. Your frustration is guaranteed by the process. And it's everywhere now. Doctors are notorious about shrugging off the initial symptoms until things become serious and force them to make a diagnosis. They treat everyone as hypochondriacs. It's not just you!

In the mean time, if you are unable to work because of the pain, let your doctor know that you need something stronger in the interim. Unless your job requires you to operate machinery or vehicles, you should be able to use opioids at work, as long as your boss knows and is okay with it. The doctor should be able to prescribe something for pain management in the short term. Just so you can work until a definitive diagnosis is made and you're on the path to healing.

My guess is your doctors see alot of drug seeking behavior in your area and are being overcautious about prescribing opioids (they are worried about liability). Not so much of a problem where I live. Another possibility is they flagged you as having drug seeking behavior and are holding out until they see conclusive evidence of a painful condition. Sounds like that point has been reached, so I'm not sure why they're still holding off. It just could be prejudice.

What gets me is how stingy your doctors are being with the opioids. I had a rectal abscess this year that required me to go to the ER and have it lanced. It was incredibly embarrassing for me, but they told me it's actually a more common condition than you would think and were professional about it. 75% of all people will deal with hemorrhoids. Hemorrhoids lead to fissures, fissures lead to abscesses, and if untreated abscesses lead to fistulas (they rip you a new one). They prescribed me Oxycodone like it was nothing, but I think they assumed it was more painful that it actually was. I can usually manage that kind of pain with Ibuprofen and an Ice pack, that's what I did after my wisdom teeth extraction. More of a dull ache than a sharp stabbing. I did try one (they said to take 2 at a time), but it just made me queasy, like the bad part of being drunk. So the rest are still in the medicine cabinet. I had to go in every other day for wound care and each time it was humiliating and painful (They had to measure the wound by sodomizing me with a ruler). It felt like poking the raw skin under a blister, because that's exactly what they were doing. The time and co-payments added up to a literal a pain in the A$$.

My sister gets kidney stones. She goes in and they bust out the opioids for her too. She gets even sicker off them than I do, so she avoids taking them if possible, but with that kind of pain ibuprofen doesn't cut it.

The point is, our bodies are fragile and need looking after. Since, we can't do it ourselves, we have to outsource it to doctors. Because of lawyers and a few bad people, doctors are more interested in looking out for themselves than making the process easier for us. They say not to ignore symptoms, then dismiss them as if we're all hypochondriacs. They take an oath to "do no harm" then send people away without a way to manage their symptoms, which cause them to loose work and insurance, which in turn makes care unaffordable. They treat you like cattle, trying to get people in and out as quick as possible. Caring Doctors are overwhelmed by the volume of patients they see and are incentivized to minimize cost and liability to the hospital while maximizing sales of pharmaceuticals and medical devices. When you ask a doctor for medication to alleviate the pain, you can see them balancing liability vs pharmaceutical kickbacks, rather than hearing the pain in your voice. To the medical industry, helping patients is the excuse used to rationalize exploitation. It wasn't like a secretive group of evil nazi's colluded in secret to devise the system. It was small changes over a long time that. One small decision to improve efficiency, one small practice to reduce liability, one more patient an hour, one more overbearing parent pushing their kit to become a doctor despite their lack of empathy...and so on. So the lesson everyone learns when they have a real problem requiring medical intervention is this: Doctors are to be avoided if at all possible!

Monologue over.

[hansolo77]

Oh, I know opioid addiction/abuse is HUGE where I live.  I don't know if we're ranked highest in the nation or not, but it's constantly on the news about it.  It really has become a liability thing.  My stepmom has numerous issues with her; sciatica, slipped disk, arthritis, etc.  She was on a low to medium dose of Vicodin for probably 30 years.  Took it everyday as part of her routine.  Then some new law passed and they were no longer going to make it available as a routine medication.  You were limited to no more than 90 pills a year or something.  She took 2 a day sometimes when her pain was really bad.  They cut her off cold turkey.  She tried seeing different doctors to see if anybody would script it for her, and they all turned her down.  This was a medication that WORKED for her.  The sudden cease drove her absolutely crazy.  She was admitted for 3 days in the hospital to come off her addiction withdrawal.  It was crazy.  They tried giving her something else but it never worked.  Now she has to go every other week for injections in her spine to kill the nerves causing the pain.  It's costing her a LOT more money, and recovery takes 2-3 days after every injection where she can't work.  Not to mention the frustration of being scheduled for an appointment at 10:00am, show up at 9:50am but don't go back to your exam room till noon and don't get your injection till almost 1:00pm.  All because there is only one office in the city that does that specific treatment and they schedule 5 people at the same time.  It's crazy.

When my appendix ruptured, they gave me a script for 90 Oxycontin.  When I got it filled, the doctor and the pharmacist both told me to only take it if absolutely necessary because it's highly addictive.  I was so scared to take the stuff after that, that I ended up spending 3 weeks in bed suffering rather than take the pills.  I took 3 the whole time I was recovering.  I saved the bottle though, secretly saying to myself I could get rich by selling them (I think they're like $10-15 a pill).  In reality, they actually DID help with my migraines.  Although, they probably didn't fix the problem, just got me high to where I wasn't thinking about the headache anymore.  But even then, I think I only took 3 or 4 total in the years I had the bottle.  Eventually, we had the fire and afterwards I tried to salvage stuff and found my bottle of Oxy with nothing but a foamy white paste in it.  They had either melted in the heat or had just gotten wet from the hoses and dissolved.  Very upsetting, considering that was like $50 I had spent some 10 years prior that went to waste, and it was something that helped.

But yeah, I totally get the situation doctors are in with this.  At least 3 times a week we have people overdosing at work in our public restrooms.  Our pharmacists have to come running in with injections of stuff depending on what they take.  It's really bad.  So with it being on the news all the time, seeing first hand the addiction/abuse that's happening, I understand why doctors would be hesitant to prescribe something like that.  But they need to step back and look at the long term situation.  I've already been diagnosed with migraines in the past, and now I'm being told my taking of 4 Ibuprofen's a time as needed is probably killing my stomach.  You'd think that whole "do no harm" bit would throw up a red flag with them telling me to take up to 1200mg as needed for pain.  4 of these is 800mg, so I'm not even at the max dose I was told to take.  I would think getting a script for something that is only 1 pill, once a day or even as needed would be better.  Plus, now I have this stomach issue happening, where if I'm in pain I have to take SOMETHING, so now I have to take Tylenol, which I know from past experience my body has developed a tolerance to and doesn't help at all.

<throws arms up>

Whatever!

[RIP-Felix]

Well, my mom's been taking ibuprofen everyday since I can remember. She takes 5x 200mg tablets 2-3 times a day. She has spinal stenosis (her sacrum and lower back are fusing) and the nerves are all pinched. She'd rather die from the side effects of ibuprofen than live in excruciating pain. Tylenol doesn't work for her.

I've been told not to exceed 2400mg of ibuprofen daily. That's 4x 200mg pills 3 times a day, which has always been more than enough for most normal pains. However, I slipped a disc in my 20s skiing and for 4 years afterward I would periodically aggravate it. I'd bend down to tie my shoe and feel a pop, then not be able to walk to the bathroom to pee for 2-3 days afterward. Ice/heat and ibuprofen helped just enough to make peeing possible, but for that kind of pain, the disabling/unmanageable kind, there is really nothing you can do but try to get through it. That's what opioids are meant for. They help you get through the worst of it, so you can get back to regular pain management with OTCs. When I've had to use opioids I was pretty much laid up anyway, so I wasn't going anywhere it would matter if I was doped out of my mind.

I hope you feel better and get a positive diagnosis, so you can start the path to healing. Let's hope it doesn't take them too long.

[hansolo77]

Well, they said 2 weeks and we'll see.  I had another attack mid week, around Tuesday.  I've only been taking the Omeprazole since Saturday.  So tomorrow marks a full week.  The bottle contains 14 days, which is smart considering my followup is 2 weeks out.  I've actually been trying to push it.  Omeprazole is supposed to help with really bad acid reflux.  So to almost prove a point, I've been purposely eating stuff that would cause it in other people.  I had 2 days of Asian Buffet where I ate all kinds of deliciously greasy (Veggie Lo Mein Noodles, Mongolian Beef, Chicken and Broccoli, Sesame Meat Balls) and spicy (General Tso's Chicken, Kung Pao Pork, Hot Pepper Chicken, Jalepeno Poppers) food.  I went to 2 different locations to get the double whammy.  And then last night for dinner I had nearly a full 12-inch supreme (with pepperoni, sausage, peppers) frozen pizza.  I was too full to eat the last 1/8th slice.  Granted, that's a lot of food in the last 3 days.  What bothers me is my bowel movements are negligible.  I've been constipated for over a week, and my poop is looking like all I had to eat was a peanut butter sandwich.  I know that pizza was a good pound at least, and all that Chinese food should have shot through me, but it hasn't.  On the plus side though, it doesn't look like any of that food caused any flare ups.  It could be that the Omeprazole is kicking in and doing it's job.  Or it could be that the problem isn't related.  I told the docs that I never notice anything that could trigger it.  In fact, I've had attacks from a seemingly empty stomach, where I hadn't eaten in 12 or more hours.  But they still want to eliminate the issue with the stomach before investigating deeper, post stomach. 

Let ya'll know if something changes.

[RIP-Felix]

Oddly you're making me hungry. You'd think the talk about poop would curb my appetite, but a supreme sounds good about now.

My family has a prescription for Omeprazole (everyone but me). I'm a knock-off Pepsid guy. 20mg Famotidine twice daily, no blood tests every 3 months. I'm staying away from those sodomite doctors!

[hansolo77]

Guess I failed to keep everybody up to date and in the loop with this thread.  So.. I had the followup with the surgeon specialists.  I told them the Omeprazole wasn't helping.  I still had an attack WHILE taking the medication, and then again when I ran out of it.  The nurse I was telling this to seemed oddly interested in that fact, and went to go track down a resident doctor of the office.  This guy was cool as hell.  I wore my red "Sith Lord" Darth Maul shirt, and we had immediately became friends.  We talked a good 10 minutes about Star Wars and how he had met Ray Park.  So a very true and passionate Star Wars fan as myself was a nice surprise.  After a good while, I felt I could really talk to him, and that he was genuinely listening to my complaints.  We talked for a bit about how the Omeprazole idea was a good try, but the fact that I've been dealing with this reoccurring pain for almost 10 years with no support from my primary care doctor was an eye opener.  I told him I get indigestion maybe once a week if I'm being dishonest, and more like maybe once a month if I eat something really stupid like a can of spicy Pringles in under an hour.  Then I asked him about my hernia, and wondered if the problem people are thinking is my gallbladder might actually be caused by something like the hernia blocking something.  He said it was possible, but wanted to make his own observations.  So, like all the rest, he had me lay down on the exam table on my back, and started feeling around.  He spent a good deal examining the hernia area, and was confused where the incision from my appendectomy was.  I pointed it out to him, that it's this long 4-inch vertical cut next to my belly button, lost among stretch marks.  That took him aback.  He started asked about why the vertical cut instead of the typical 1-inch horizontal cut.  I told him they said in the hospital that they started with a cut where it was supposed to be, but because I was overweight they had to keep cutting till they found the area they had to be in.  He was like "what were you 400 pounds?!"  I told him I've never been heavier than 250.  That surprised him to, said that there was no excuse for a cut this long at that weight, unless it was trainees and I was their example guinea pig.  As a result, I developed some muscle tissue degradation around the incision, but he didn't feel anything majorly out of place to support a hernia theory.  So I asked him if I could show him the area while standing up, because every doctor that's looked at it has me laying down, and everything falls back into place.  He said sure, so I stood up and lifted my shirt.  Pretty much immediately he said "Oh yeah, now THAT'S a hernia.  He grabbed it with his hand, fell the tight/hardness of the muscle, and said "That's a problem.  It's definitely an "incisional hernia", and we're going to have to get that repaired!".  I was all like "Thank you!  You've finally agreed to what everybody at work and my own observations are seeing!".  He was shocked that nobody has done anything about it yet, but I told him it's only been developing over the last year and even then, only started to be painful in the last 5-6 months.  He went to grab the surgeon specialist and talked to him about HIS observations.

The surgeon came in and told me he had discussed with the resident that the Omeprazole wasn't working.  He didn't want to completely take it out of my regimen, saying sometimes it takes a while for the effects to benefit.  But then he said he remembered the plan about doing a scope if it wasn't working.  He wanted to completely skip that and go directly to surgery and remove the gallbladder.  He said based on the information about the attacks while taking Omeprazole, the fact that I don't get indigestion very often, a proven ultrasound that I have stones and sludge, the family history of everybody on my mom's side of the family having it removed... it just makes sense to do the surgery and not keep testing theories.  If it works, great; if not, I'm no worse off and might be better in the long run.  I said that was great, that I've been suffering from the attacks for years and they've been getting worse.  I pictured it like kidney stones, only instead of them getting stuck and hitting the ducts from the kidneys, they were getting stuck and hitting the ducts from the gallbladder.  They said that's pretty much it.  The stones are too large to go through the ducts, so they back up the bile and cause incredible pain while your body tries to force them out.  The sludge is the looser stuff but also a problem.  So that was set into motion and the plan was to have the surgery in 2 weeks.  Then the resident asked the surgeon about my hernia.  He had me lay on the table again while he looked.  Again, didn't really see anything special.  Then the resident had me stand up and show the surgeon what it looks like standing.  He, too, immediately said it was problem and will definitely need to get repaired.  The only problem is that its in the same area as the surgery for the gallbladder would be in, so they couldn't do it at the same time.  He explained the gallbladder surgery, and said they were going to do it laparoscopic.  1 cut above my belly button the diameter of your thumb, and 3 smaller ones under the rib cage the diameter of your pinkie.  Then they go in with robots and a camera to remove the gallbladder.  That's if the surgery goes to plan.  If not, they have a fallback to a larger incision which would result in a longer recovery.  He said while they're in there with the camera, they will scope out the hernia, and make a game plan for the future repair of it.  He said by the looks of it, they'll need to go in and pull the 2 sides of the muscle tissue back together and suture it.  Depending on what they see, they might need to put a mesh in there too.  All good news as far as I'm concerned!

Fast forward 2 weeks.  I was at work yesterday, they called me and told me my time to be at the hospital was 6am.  Great.  I had to be at work till 8pm that night.  So I went home and immediately went to bed.  Woke up this morning around 5:10.  Took a shower, wrote up a list of my medications, and had Dad take me to the hospital.  Went through registration, went back to the waiting room, changed into my gown, got the IV, belly hair shaved off.  At least 6 people came to talk to me about the plans, my allergies, my CPAP, etc.  Then it was into the OR.  The guy asked if I had any questions or concerned, I just laughed and was like "Just don't give me any meatball surgeons!"  He didn't get the reference surprisingly so I explained it was from MASH, then he got it briefly by saying he never watched it but remembered his parents loved it.  OMG I feel old, even though it was before my time.  They had me change from the bed to the table.  Asked if I wanted my legs propped up on a pillow.  I said it didn't matter to me.  Then they're all verifying my identity for the 10th time (I'm glad though).  The one nurse was putting on some kind of compression straps to my legs, kinda like blood pressure cuffs, but they were heated so that felt nice.  Apparently they're used to compress the blood flow so (I imagine) the anesthesia doesn't waste it's time going down to my toes.  Then I remember looking at the huge lights getting moved into place, and that was it.  They didn't gas me, it was an IV drug to put me under.  If I dreamt, it was vague and I don't remember it.  I woke up very slowly, not sure where I was but in like 10-15 seconds I remembered.  They didn't need to use smelling salts (they did that to me when I was having a colonoscopy, yet another failed attempt to identify why I was having these pains like 5 years ago).  They were printing off the "go home" papers, and let me get dressed.  I asked if they needed to do the longer incision, and they didn't, which is good news.  The surgeon was off doing another operation so I couldn't find out from her if there were any specifics I should know, like complications or something I should watch out for.  The 10-page release papers explained the things to watch, and the pain medications, etc.  They wheel-chaired me out to Dad waiting in the car and drove me home.  Been here resting every since.

Dad waited 2 hours before taking my prescriptions over to the pharmacy to get filled (about Noon).  One of them I was supposed to take at 4pm.  3:45 comes around and he hadn't gotten them yet.  I then found out that he took my stepmom to work, and had to pick her up at 5pm.  So he left the house AT 4 to go get the pills.  I'm laying here in agony and nothing.  4:30 comes around and he calls me on the cell "I went to the pharmacy but there are still 3 cars ahead of me, I have to leave the line to go get Louise".  So he abandons me to go get her.  5:15 comes around, still no pills, and SHE's calling me "What's your date of birth?"  I told them and they said they were just leaving her work and would be back in line at the pharmacy.  She works 20 minutes from our house, but got stuck with 15 minutes of overtime.  UHG.  6:00pm comes around and they're finally home.  I'm half dead in pain, she comes stomping up the stairs, opens the door, throws my bag of pills the floor, says "here's your pills" shuts the door, and stomps back downstairs.  I'm laying here unable to move, like "WHAT THE FUCK?"  I waited 2 hours for this medication, and you don't even hand them to me?  Let alone provide me a means to take them like a bottle of water?  My God.  This is going to be a long recovery.  What the hell did I do?  Then 8:00 comes around, she's pounding on my door telling me to turn it down she's going to bed.  I'm laying in bed, in the dark, CPAP on, trying to sleep myself.  WTF is she talking about?  Oh, the neighbors are listening to music again.  Big surprise lady, it's Friday Night.  Get over yourself.  You don't need your nightly 14 hours of sleep when you only work 12 hours a week.  WTF.

Anyway, I woke up about an hour ago and figured I'd update everybody because it's time to take another dose of my meds (every 6 hours if needed).  I think I'm going to try and skip a dose of the narcotic.  They only gave me 10.  Then again, the first day is probably going to be my most difficult, why suffer?  I just love how there was supposed to be somebody here the entire day to observe me and nurse me the first 24 hours, and I find out Dad and Louise left for like 3 hours after taking me home to go grocery shopping, then another 40 minutes (to and back) to take her to work, then 2 hours to get my meds and go get her.  Guess I'm lucky that in the 7 hours after surgery I managed to survive almost 6 of them by myself.  UHG.

So yeah, I'm going back to bed.  Got an ice pack on my belly and my insides are screaming.  Hope I can get some sleep.

[tthurman]

Hang in there man, the first few post-op days are always hell, but at least it sounds like the end of this nuisance is in sight!

[Draco1962]

Get well soon, Han. You're on the right path. Don't let your stepmonster stress you out. 

Unless absolutely necessary, try to avoid the mesh. Too many post op issues resulting.

[RIP-Felix]

I have to agree with @Draco1962 about the mesh. Putting on my Biology hat (I hold a degree), It's a foreign object and the resulting inflammatory response can push the mesh into surrounding tissues. Once in, scar tissue envelops the mesh. It can be impossible to completely remove if it later causes issues. You should discuss it with your surgeon before making a decision, but avoiding any permanent implant is usually preferable. Find out why they want to use the mesh, and if it isn't medically necessary, don't do it! If you can at all avoid the mesh, It would be wise! Don't just accept the treatment advice as gospel (except post-op care instructions...that's your 10 commandments), do your homework and ask questions. Be informed and make the best decision you can.

You may want to check out "The Bleeding Edge" on Netflix. There are many bad reports of pain and suffering from them.

Be well, my friend.

[Draco1962]

I work with a friend that is questioning having mesh put in for his hernia repair and is really considering joining one of the class action suits as his quality of life as suffered worse overall than it did before the surgery and dealing with the hernia pain.