Cipro do your magic

February 20, 2009

It's been a tough week. I tried so hard to feel better, but it just wasn't happening. Wednesday I woke up and was in pain and felt so worn out, I just couldn't get in to the office in the morning. Then I got in to see Dr. T in the afternoon, but she didn't have any answers really. Thursday I got to work in the morning but was in so much pain in the afternoon I had to go home early. I think I got scared too. I don't know how I can do this every day. Thursday afternoon I went to the bathroom and honestly, I felt like my body was going to just stop working - too much pain - that's it. I hardly had it in me to push, but when my body had to I just broke down in tears. So I called Dr. T's office again and said the pain had gotten worse and asked if she wanted me to come in to the GI lab in the morning. The nurse talked with Dr. T and told me I should go to the GI lab.

So this morning Jeremy and I headed over to the hospital GI lab - again. We sat for two and half hours in the waiting room. Finally I got called back. I broke down crying again when one of the nurses asked me the check-in questions thinking about Jeremy. "What's the matter sweetheart?" she asked. "I just feel so bad for all my husband's been through because of me," I said as I wiped my tears away with my arm. He came back to the prep area after they got my IV started and I told him what I was feeling. He reassured me that I didn't have to worry. God bless him.

Dr. T came in before the procedure and said she was going to do a biopsy of my pouch and my rectum. She said that would tell us whether I had pouchitis or whether my Ulcerative Colitis was possibly flaring in my rectum. She said she doubted she would have to dilate me, but that she would if she needed to. She said she was going to send me home on a 5 day course of Cipro because the Cipro would treat either of those things if they were happening. She will have the results on Wednesday and will let me know then if I need a longer course of treatment.

For some reason I remember the procedure a little more this week than I have in the past. I think maybe because I was trying to participate and see what was going on and not just go to sleep. She did end up dilating me a little too. So I guess we'll see what happens. I started on the Cipro tonight. I have a feeling it's going to help. I was on Cipro last week when I felt well and then started feeling bad again after it stopped. Who knows? Dr. T has me scheduled for a defacography study on March 27th. She'll be getting new equipment on the 23rd and said I'll be the first patient she'll study. It should tell us whether there is nerve damage and things like that going on and causing me pain.

I got home and took a four hour nap. That's the most I've slept in a long time. The last few nights I have been waking up every hour and a half to two hours to go to the bathroom. It's so hard to deal with all of this without having adequate sleep. I'm even taking sleeping medication to help, but it doesn't seem to be doing the job. Ugh.

Yeah, I've been in a lot of physical pain this week, but emotionally it hasn't been as bad as it was the last time I wasn't feeling well. I just need hope right now that we're going to figure this out. I think the frustrating thing is that there isn't necessarily just one answer to the problem - there could be multiple things going on. If you're a praying person, please pray for Dr. T - that she is patient with me and that she has wisdom in how to deal with all of this. I know I've got her a bit befuddled.