Series of (Un)fortunate Events: Chapter 13: Fighting Through

So, I survived swine flu.  I still think it's crazy that I caught it.  Who else got swine flu? Seriously, I'd really like to know!!

Anyhow, I finished out my first year of teaching and my GI symptoms (AKA constant diarrhea) were ever-present.  It was not terrible, but it was clearly not good either.

My second year of teaching rolls around, and I am still having symptoms and by November they are VERY reminiscent of Chapter 3:  Rock Bottom in NYC -- we're talking fevers, diarrhea ALL the time, fatigue, and blood in my stools...plenty of it.  I continued going to school and I counted the days that I went to school under these conditions--67 days in a row. I know I only made it through by the grace of God...

So finally (remember I had that one doctor back in college that basically told me to just deal with it) I called and got an appointment at a little clinic that shall remain nameless in Bella Vista.  I couldn't get in to see an actual doctor quickly (classic), but I could see a nurse practitioner the next day.  By this point in late November, I was DESPERATE to see someone to help me.  I could practically feel my hemoglobin levels dropping as I got weaker and weaker!

The nurse practitioner to put it bluntly was the worst medical "helper" I've ever had.  In going through my medical history with him he told me, "You must be the type of person that really wants a dramatic story to tell."  (Yeah, you're right you, idiot, all I really want is to poop alllllllllllll day and feel like poop all day. You're exactly right?!?!?  What the heck?)  I know those are not grace-filled thoughts, but I was thinking it, believe me.

So he had me do stool samples (remember those??)  and blood work.  They were a lot less traumatic this time because it was not my first rodeo.  Although walking out of the clinic with the stupid collection hat will always be traumatic...there's no way around it.  I hate those things. 

Photo from: therapak.com

He then had me come back a WEEK later to see if anything had changed. In the mean time, he told me to go on the BRAT diet (bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast diet) to see if I would find any changes just like I did in college.  Remember that when I was back at UNI in Chapter 11??   

Let's just say--NOTHING changed in that week, and by now I am even more desperate for him to take some action.  I just couldn't believe with my past medical history that he wouldn't take action more quickly.  We even called Iowa City and had them send my medical records to the clinic, thinking that would speed the process up.

When I returned another week later, they finally had my stool samples back and did another round of blood work to see if there were any changes.  My hemoglobin levels were even lower, I was anemic, and my stools did indicate blood in them (duhhh--I told you that!!!) and I had one liver function test that was SKY HIGH that he seemed to think was no big deal (we'll get to that later), so needless to say he suggested I see a specialist to set up a colonoscopy, which is what we wanted all along!!!!  Seriously, I think that was the only good thing he did for me, and even that didn't go so well. 

It took the specialist's office 3 days to call me, and by this point I was ready for a colonoscopy to take place the very next day because I literally I thought I was dying.  Nope, they scheduled my colonoscopy for February 22nd!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  (By this point we are in the middle of December, folks so that's 2 months away).  That was simply too long for me to wait.  I remember sitting in my classroom sobbing on the phone with the receptionist telling her I would LITERALLY die if we waited until then because there would be nothing left of me, but she had no response for me.  Ugh.

I was very discouraged, but thankfully I had made it to Christmas break and could at least rest.  Oh yeah, by the way, I had lost 13 pounds through this process and was getting weaker and weaker by the day.

I was literally fighting for my life I felt like and just hanging on day-by-day waiting for the Lord to intervene and help me...help was on the way...I just wish I had known what was to come...God had my back (and my butt)...

More to come!