Blog Entries With Tag: IBS

I've not been feeling 100% the past month - and today - I decided that enough was enough.  I called up Info Sante (a government run help line here in the province I live in)  - and spoke with a nurse to explain my situation.  In the end, she told me to either go to a walk in clinic or ER - she didn't want me to take a chance and wait until I saw my endo in September.  

 

This is after a month of having to wait to see the same doctor I had seen a month ago (my spread your legs doctor - aka gynocologist).  At that last visit when he asked me how I was doing - I said "I feel like crap - I'm not myself".  It was like he didn't hear me - SCREAM - as he proceeded to plod along with the usual questions.  He eventually told me near the end of that appointment that my various descriptions of how I felt (I try to be a concise as possible with all doctors as they only have "x" amount of time to spend on patients) - meant 500 different problems and would cost $60K in blood work, etc. etc.). I think I caught him on a day when he'd rather be golfing.

 

Now a month later this week, I'm back in his office again (I'm a masochist aren't I?).  Blood pressure is taken and high of course due to white coat syndrome.  In the end I break down as he drills me with questions, have a cry, try to be as precise with my answers as possible, sob, sob - and he actually listens to me!  He thinks that perhaps I have a spastic colon (IBS), that I should keep a diary for the next 2 weeks, and if I still feel the same (discomfort in left side of stomach, nausea, difficulty eating) - I should come back to him where he'll refer me to a gastrologist.

 

Fine, I go home, start to do research on IBS.  Then I start to look into some of the other symptoms I've been having, swollen feet/ankles, varying hot/cold temps in those appendages, something doesn't sound right.  Kidneys perhaps?  I did have protein in my urine last endo visit. Hmmm.

 

The wheels in my head start to turn -  what about Autonimic neuropathy?  This type of neuropathy effects the bladder, intestinal tract, genitals, and other organs - similar to what I've been going through lately.  I'm thinking maybe I have gastroparesis.   Nope, blood sugars are good.

 

So, loaded with this info - and after the call to Info Sante - then drive to a clinic near my house - I wait 3 hours to speak to a doctor.  The results are that again, white coat syndrome - blood pressure is high (but not as bad as the other day), my lungs aren't filled with fluid, good.  I have been given diuretic pills to help ease the swelling in my feet/lower legs. 

 

I'm not really keen on taking the meds that have been prescribed, but if they can help alleviate the discomort in my stumps (feet/ankles) without any ill effects - then I'll give it a try.   I've been prescribed a diuretic called Apo-Furosemide (strange that the doctor/pharmacist said to take with food and every article I've come across online says EMPTY STOMACH - urrrhhh). 

 

I will be patient (pun intended) I'll find that needle in a haystack - or my bare feet will (ouch).   I am determined to go on a motorcycle ride tomorrow to Mount Washington - I'll just have to maybe stop at restrooms abit if these pills do what they are supposed to do.

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Tags: pressure (1) blood (1) IBS (1) spastic colon (1) automic neuropathy (1) gastrologist (1) diuretic (1)

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