The past few months have been an emotional roller coaster. My body had seemed to fail me and I had no idea what was going on. Since September 2014 I have been dealing with numerous digestive system issues. I won't go into great detail but lets just say I've never experienced so much pain in my life before. I wasn't able to eat a normal meal for the past three months and I was losing weight. I couldn't really complain about losing weight but I knew it wasn't because I was trying. I went from my family doctor to the GI doctor to the OBGYN and the ER more times then I would like to admit. I even had a laparoscopic surgery in January to take a look around to see if they could find anything abnormal. But nothing was found. I was so desperate to find an answer.
I ended up at the GI doctor again following my surgery and they determined I had IBS (irritable bowl syndrome.) Basically the easy way to say we don't know whats going on...here is some medicine. By this point I was literally going insane. I was starting to have panic attacks and becoming very anxious. I truly believed I was going to be like this forever and I started to slip into a state of depression. I felt like a horrible mother, wife, employer and friend. I was not fun to be around. Through all of this I began having serve acid reflux. I couldn't stop burping and I had a constant taste of acid in the back of my throat. Between my family doctor, GI doctor and the emergency room I was give at least 5 different prescription strength acid reflux medicines over one month. NOT ONE WORKED.
By this point I had given up. I went out to lunch with my dad and ordered some baked oatmeal. When it came out I couldn't eat it. I could not put it in my mouth because I felt so sick to my stomach. I knew I hadn't ate anything all day and I should try to eat. I began to cry, right there in the restaurant. My dad knew I was miserable. When we went back to the house I started venting to my mom about everything. She asked if the doctors had checked my gallbladder. I never even thought about my gallbladder. She told me about a friend who experienced the same thing and after it was all said and done she had her gallbladder removed and immediately felt relief. I email my friend and she advised me to get a HIDA scan done. This is the only scan that can show you if your gallbladder is functioning correctly. A ultrasound can show if you have gallstones but a HIDA scan shows the function of your gallbladder.
As soon as Monday rolled around I called right away and requested the scan. My GI doctor didn't think it was necessary but I firmly requested for it. They complied. Well guess what? The HIDA scan showed my gallbladder was barely functioning. The GI doctor couldn't get me in for two weeks to even discuss my scan. Meaning nothing was going to get done for a few more weeks. The day after my scan I started getting sharp pain in my stomach and threw up my lunch. I knew I couldn't wait two weeks to see the doctor. Chad and I went to the ER together hoping they would take care of it that night.
When we got to the ER they decided to admit me to the hospital and the next day at 1 in the afternoon I had my gallbladder removed. My stomach hurts from the surgery but I can already tell you all my symptoms are gone! I have been eating again and feeling like myself. I can't tell you how relieved I am to know this is behind me and I can move on with my life. I know it sounds so dramatic but I feel like a new person!
I learned from my friend who experienced the same thing that you really do need to be your own advocate. Doctors have so many patients, it's hard for them to give each person the one on one attention they may need. I knew this wasn't just acid reflux, or IBS. I had to keep calling the doctors and being persistent to get anything done. And although it was an emotional few months I'm glad I kept pushing. At one point I thought this was all in my head and I was making myself sick. But I'm happy to announce I wasn't going crazy!
Thank you to everyone who continued to pray for me over the past few months. I felt so loved and cared for even when I couldn't give the same back. I keep being amazed by all the support we have during the hard times.
