Another little health update.
So last week, 07-01-2024 to be precise, I got an endoscopy to follow-up on the small ulcer I had in my esophagus, which was found when I had a colonoscopy / endoscopy back in February 2024. Luckily the ulcer was found to be shrinking and I was told to just keep up with whatever I was doing, because it was working. So I’ll take it. It’s a win from a health procedure and a gold star on my health records. This procedure was not bad. You fast for 8 hours and then get put to sleep for like 10 minutes and then you are on your way. The colonoscopy back in February, was not as pleasant. The prep put me into tears and then afterwards I had a stomach-ache from gas for the next day. I also became so extremely dehydrated from the prep that I had to go to the hospital the day afterwards for some fluids. Fun times and something I will never forget. However, I do not regret this procedure because of the finding of the very large polyp that was removed that could’ve turned into cancer had it been undetected until the recommended colonoscopy age of like 50 years old. It’s insane to me that mammograms and colonoscopies are not recommended until much later in life when those are sometimes lifesaving procedures for people. And also for a population where breast cancer and colon cancer are on the rise in younger generations. Don’t even get me started there.
Another medical update is that I had one of the most unpleasant procedures to date. An anorectal manometry. You can Google it if you’d like some more information. However, the prep for that was to give myself 2 enemas. Which I thought was no big deal… but boy was I wrong. I got about halfway through one of the enemas when I started to get shaky and sweaty and really dizzy and was like NOPE. I am done now. I was worried they weren’t going to let me come in for the procedure but luckily, they said it was fine. Then when I get there, I realized the exam was going to be much more unpleasant than the enema. Again, you can Google it if you’d like some more information. I’ll just say at the end of the exam I was in full on tears and was really shaky and sweaty. I don’t know the results of my exam yet but it will let me know if there are any issues with my pelvic floor which will be interesting to discover.
Next, I have a routine 6 month dental cleaning this Thursday and am getting a bite guard / mouth guard because I grind my teeth in my sleep. Typical. Then next week, I am going to get an overnight (take home) sleep study done to see if I have sleep apnea or anything else sleep related that is making me so fatigued. Then after that test, I have an appointment with a colorectal surgeon to see if there is anything that needs to be done surgery-wise in relation to all of my gastrointestinal issues.
It’s honestly comical at this point the different tests and doctors that I am meeting with. I can either cry or laugh through this and I choose to do both. I do find all of the things that I am learning to be really interesting and it really ignites the medically inclined person that is inside of me.
I’m not sure if you know, but from a very young age I used to check out my family and give out bandaids when people got sick. Then I’d write out cute little bills for my services. I always knew I wanted to be involved in the medical field and even tried to go to veterinary school at one point, but that’s a story for another day.
(Picture from Lake Beulah, East Troy, Wisconsin. One of my favorite places on this Earth.)