The vagus nerve: in Korean

This is the vagus nerve, which like every other nerve in my body, is on a permanent vacation...

The stomach disease known as GA-STRO-PA-REE-SIS

The picture above is really old. This was when I played "the stomach" for an interpretive experience of the human body and the current irony of that is not lost on me. I am unfortunately still quite ill. I have been reading a lot about gastroparesis. It's becoming clear that it is the main culprit. I'm taking prilosec and erythromycin (an antibiotic). I also got this stupid drug from the hospital called bentyl for IBS but I'm not too keen on it's effects. I honestly thought I was having an allergic reaction to it yesterday. It made me feel like the acid was trapped in my esophagus which was very unpleasant and then my throat was burning! I guess after an hour it made me feel a little better, but it reminded me of how I felt on reglan. It's supposed to be the opposite of reglan, but I wouldn't be surprised if I ended up in the E.R. anyway. It really bothered my asthma, too. I don't remember the last time I drank black coffee just to breathe better. My big problem is all the stomach acid I'm constantly dealing with. I can't even eat applesauce. It sounds like people can have both GERD and gastroparesis. I certainly haven't been treating much for either aside from vitamins and probiotics. I get tired of taking pills. I might have to take some of the amitriptylin I have for a few nights. I just loathe the side effects. It's technically an anti-depressant so it's full of them. Are you getting a sense of how many things I've tried over the years? For now, all I can do is try to eat bland foods. I was seriously jealous when I heard these two old ladies on the bus talking about getting cheeseburgers yesterday. I can't haz. I forgot how emotionally draining it is to be so sick... it's awful. I can barely enjoy anything. Another thing that seems plausible is SIBO (small intestinal bacterial growth). I've never heard of it but I'm getting a lot of cramps and gurgles in that area, as well. It apparently can go along with grastroparesis. I keep thinking about the day I started feeling sick. I ate this dish at Noodles & Co with tofu in it. All that soy fermenting! Gross! I probably seem stupid for not knowing some of these things about my own illness, yet as I said it was fairly mild before. I guess I need to start looking at this like Crohn's. It will come and go as it pleases. I just hope I can start feeling better soon. I don't see my gastroenterologist for another two weeks. I've exhausted my options around here, although I was referred to a clinic that's pretty out of my way. It's not very fun to ride the bus when I'm nauseous. Anyway, Cushing's really leaves a lot of gifts behind. I don't doubt for one second that it hasn't been a domino effect. I'm miserable right now and lonely. Will there ever be a day when I don't need this blog again? I really hope so

This is what I was mimicking in my title above:

Just put on a happy face or a nice hat... (my stomach: No)

 

EDIT: totally forgot to mention I lost about 10lbs within this time frame. I'm at 130

 Well, a lot of shit has gone down in the last two weeks and I'm blogging about it because I don't feel like explaining it twenty million times. I've been having bad indigestion/heartburn to the point where I couldn't sleep after I ate. And I don't mean a few hours. I mean full nights. Therefore, I haven't been able to eat a lot either. Honestly, the first night it happened I considered just going to the hospital but I'm poor and I don't like being in one. Especially the one here in Eau Claire. They know who I am which makes me uncomfortable. Anyway, after more than a  week I went to a doctor and all we came up with is maybe I should switch back to my old birth control. Done. I was sick of all the side effects I was getting from it. I've seen that doctor before, too. He told me flatly that I was so "complicated" that he probably wouldn't be able to figure out what was wrong. Did I mention nothing over the counter has helped? Or my prescription zofran! I finally threw up my hands and went to the hospital. I was getting really anemic. Once again, they didn't find anything. I have some medicine to pick up today that helped, though. It's starting to look like maybe my gastroparesis is flaring up... A LOT. I really haven't thought much about it since I got my gallbladder out. I was told my slow stomach was a mild condition, but this wouldn't be the first time my body has decided we should be sicker. I mean, I have been pushing myself a little, but I'm just trying to be healthy and you know, actually have some fun and be a normal 27-year-old. Most of my friends and family mean well. That being said, there are times when I shouldn't have walked so much or eaten that snack that was offered to me. I don't want to be a baby. I don't want to be impolite. I do need to pace myself. This is something I need to remember and I wish others could see that. I hate coming off as cranky. My true personality is upbeat. It's hard to keep it up when I feel sick for weeks. I feel okay right now, except that I'm madly hungry. I only ate soup, jello, and potatoes yesterday. Surprisingly, I don't think all alcohol is bad. I had some schnapps and orange juice. Didn't cause any pain. It's stuff with fizz that kills me. I'm guessing constantly going back and forth from Minnesota to Wisconsin this summer caused more stress than I needed, as well. The most annoying part is I know I can't take reglan ever again for gastroparesis. The reaction I got from that was one of the more terrifying trips to the E.R. I've had. I need to figure it out and adjust pretty much. I don't enjoy the fact that it's trial and error. But it is! Time to go test fate