I had my colonoscopy and upper endoscopy on Tuesday. The prep was hell, but my doctor gave me enough pain medications that I didn't really feel anything when he did the tests. Of course, that also meant that I didn't realize what he told me afterwards. When I got home, I slept until around 6:00. When I woke up, I couldn't remember at first if I had had the tests yet or not, or if it was 6:00 in the morning or evening. I checked the clock, and it was in the evening. So I called my sister, who was with me after the exam, and asked her what the doctor said. She related that he told us that the large intestine showed no ulcers. That was good news! But it didn't explain why I still have symptoms. He also said he took some biopsies during the upper endoscopy, and that I should get the results in the next few days, and they'd be sent electronically. Then I spent the entire night vomiting. I hate what pain meds do to me!
Instead of getting results electronically in a few days, I got a call from Tiffany, his patient coordinator the next day, saying that the doctor got my biopsy results. It is never good news when they call you right away. That is a given. The first thing she said is that I have a condition called duodenitis, which according to the doctor, is caused by excessive use of aspirin However, I haven't taken aspirin in years. Maybe 10 years or more. I might have taken 3 or 4 ibuprofen in the past 10 years, but no more. So I have no idea what that is about.
She also said there was inflammation in the beginning of my small intestine. It could be from Crohn's or from Celiac Sprue. I really REALLY hope it is the Crohn's. I don't want to give up pizza! And honestly, it is more than enough to deal with Crohn's, I don't want to have to eliminate gluten from my diet. But I'm getting ahead of myself. I will have a blood test after my appointment on Wednesday to see if it is Celiac.
I also get to have a pill cam test. This pill cam test is a huge pain in the ass! It involves first taking a "fake" pill cam to make sure my system can pass it. This fake pill will eventually dissolve. Then I have to do an 8 day bowel journal before I can do the actual test. The test involves going to the doctor's office first thing in the morning, taking the pill, and then getting a special belt that will receive the pictures transmitted by the pill camera. Then I have to follow some clear liquid diet restrictions, then at the end of the day, I get the belt removed. It is all very annoying.
I also got a call on Wednesday that my long term disability claim has been approved. That is such a weight off my shoulders. I got the call from disability before I got the call from my doctor's office. I was sure that once they got my colonoscopy results, they'd cancel it, even though I'm still having symptoms.
I'm still unsure what to think of the results. I don't get the duodenitis, and I hope it is not celiac.
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