The next day I had an endoscopy (where a tube with a light, a camera, and a tool for taking biopsies is introduced down your throat). It was a pretty amazing of an experience. The anesthetist came in and introduced himself as Sergio (Dr. Sergio Gomez). He was very personable. Then when the gastroenterologist came in, she introduced everyone and then said she wanted to start with a prayer. She addressed “Dear Heavenly Father” and prayed for each person on the team, prayed for me and prayed that Heavenly Father would guide her hands and we could get clear and accurate results to eliminate my pain. She ended in the name of Jesus. My heart was touched by her humility and faith.
I expected the endoscopy to simply confirm the gall bladder disease. Instead I now have two new diagnoses. I have esophageal reflux, but the damage from that is not serious at this point. The more serious concern and the cause of my excruciating pain is chronic gastritis and lots of excess bile. It has been going on for years, but with my high pain threshold, I didn’t notice it until it became a crisis. She ordered three new medications and said it would take 2-3 months to calm it down. She also took a total of 13 biopsies from my esophagus to my duodenum. The pathology reports are back. Good news: no malignant or premalignant lesions. The lesions are all from the chronic gastritis. I’ve also had a ton of lab work done. Tomorrow I go for a Doppler study of the liver and ports. I think that is all due to the excess bile. I have a ton of medical reports to take home with me.
I’ve exchanged emails and had a phone conversation with the Area Medical Doctor. He is over 9 missions. He suggested I not take the migraine med because of some very serious side effects. He had the same concern for one of the meds for gastritis. It can cause Parkinsonism type tremors in “patients of a mature age”. He was also concerned about the UTI antibiotic for six months both because of the risk of creating a “super bug” but also because it is so hard on my stomach. My Celebrex for my back is also hard on my stomach and has side effects—but it is about the only thing I can take and pain management is my only recourse for my back, or I’d be terribly limited in my mobility.
So what is in the future? Tomorrow I have the liver and port studies. Monday in Guatemala City I see the Gynecologist and the Urologist for re-evaluation of treatment and prognosis of the UTI’s. Then on Thursday I see the Cardiologist, as I mentioned.
I still have lots of abdominal pain after I eat. I can hardly wait for 2-3 months to pass so the gastritis will be calmed down. The headaches are less, but I do I still have sporadic severe headaches (sometimes migraines, but not always). And the back pain is ongoing, but not new.
It was funny when I went back to get pathology reports, the doctor was concerned about my 2 hour post prandial (after eating) blood sugar which was only 52 (normal is 80-120). She thought I should see an Endocrinologist. I told her it was ancient history—I’ve managed it with diet for many, many years and I do not want to see any more specialists.
At this point I’m managing everything adequately enough to not come home early. I’ve missed some shifts at the temple due to doctors’ appointments. But otherwise, I’m able to go as assigned, and find that serving others is a great distraction from pain. So it is a win-win to be there.
Thursday, January 1
Another update on Jeanin'e health
Another update on Jeanine’s health: Since my last update, I have been seen a cardiologist about the bradycardia (low heart rate). EKG confirmed the low heart rate and the stable heart murmur from when I had rheumatic fever 50 years ago. He didn’t think either were serious, but did order a Halter Monitor for 24 hours. I did that this week. Taking the leads off my chest created “interesting” bruising. I will meet with him on January 8, 2015 to find out the results. He didn’t think the bradycardia was severe enough to cause the headaches. He prescribed an RX for migraines. More about that med later. Here is a crazy picture of the bruises:
The next day I had an endoscopy (where a tube with a light, a camera, and a tool for taking biopsies is introduced down your throat). It was a pretty amazing of an experience. The anesthetist came in and introduced himself as Sergio (Dr. Sergio Gomez). He was very personable. Then when the gastroenterologist came in, she introduced everyone and then said she wanted to start with a prayer. She addressed “Dear Heavenly Father” and prayed for each person on the team, prayed for me and prayed that Heavenly Father would guide her hands and we could get clear and accurate results to eliminate my pain. She ended in the name of Jesus. My heart was touched by her humility and faith.
I expected the endoscopy to simply confirm the gall bladder disease. Instead I now have two new diagnoses. I have esophageal reflux, but the damage from that is not serious at this point. The more serious concern and the cause of my excruciating pain is chronic gastritis and lots of excess bile. It has been going on for years, but with my high pain threshold, I didn’t notice it until it became a crisis. She ordered three new medications and said it would take 2-3 months to calm it down. She also took a total of 13 biopsies from my esophagus to my duodenum. The pathology reports are back. Good news: no malignant or premalignant lesions. The lesions are all from the chronic gastritis. I’ve also had a ton of lab work done. Tomorrow I go for a Doppler study of the liver and ports. I think that is all due to the excess bile. I have a ton of medical reports to take home with me.
I’ve exchanged emails and had a phone conversation with the Area Medical Doctor. He is over 9 missions. He suggested I not take the migraine med because of some very serious side effects. He had the same concern for one of the meds for gastritis. It can cause Parkinsonism type tremors in “patients of a mature age”. He was also concerned about the UTI antibiotic for six months both because of the risk of creating a “super bug” but also because it is so hard on my stomach. My Celebrex for my back is also hard on my stomach and has side effects—but it is about the only thing I can take and pain management is my only recourse for my back, or I’d be terribly limited in my mobility.
So what is in the future? Tomorrow I have the liver and port studies. Monday in Guatemala City I see the Gynecologist and the Urologist for re-evaluation of treatment and prognosis of the UTI’s. Then on Thursday I see the Cardiologist, as I mentioned.
I still have lots of abdominal pain after I eat. I can hardly wait for 2-3 months to pass so the gastritis will be calmed down. The headaches are less, but I do I still have sporadic severe headaches (sometimes migraines, but not always). And the back pain is ongoing, but not new.
It was funny when I went back to get pathology reports, the doctor was concerned about my 2 hour post prandial (after eating) blood sugar which was only 52 (normal is 80-120). She thought I should see an Endocrinologist. I told her it was ancient history—I’ve managed it with diet for many, many years and I do not want to see any more specialists.
At this point I’m managing everything adequately enough to not come home early. I’ve missed some shifts at the temple due to doctors’ appointments. But otherwise, I’m able to go as assigned, and find that serving others is a great distraction from pain. So it is a win-win to be there.
The next day I had an endoscopy (where a tube with a light, a camera, and a tool for taking biopsies is introduced down your throat). It was a pretty amazing of an experience. The anesthetist came in and introduced himself as Sergio (Dr. Sergio Gomez). He was very personable. Then when the gastroenterologist came in, she introduced everyone and then said she wanted to start with a prayer. She addressed “Dear Heavenly Father” and prayed for each person on the team, prayed for me and prayed that Heavenly Father would guide her hands and we could get clear and accurate results to eliminate my pain. She ended in the name of Jesus. My heart was touched by her humility and faith.
I expected the endoscopy to simply confirm the gall bladder disease. Instead I now have two new diagnoses. I have esophageal reflux, but the damage from that is not serious at this point. The more serious concern and the cause of my excruciating pain is chronic gastritis and lots of excess bile. It has been going on for years, but with my high pain threshold, I didn’t notice it until it became a crisis. She ordered three new medications and said it would take 2-3 months to calm it down. She also took a total of 13 biopsies from my esophagus to my duodenum. The pathology reports are back. Good news: no malignant or premalignant lesions. The lesions are all from the chronic gastritis. I’ve also had a ton of lab work done. Tomorrow I go for a Doppler study of the liver and ports. I think that is all due to the excess bile. I have a ton of medical reports to take home with me.
I’ve exchanged emails and had a phone conversation with the Area Medical Doctor. He is over 9 missions. He suggested I not take the migraine med because of some very serious side effects. He had the same concern for one of the meds for gastritis. It can cause Parkinsonism type tremors in “patients of a mature age”. He was also concerned about the UTI antibiotic for six months both because of the risk of creating a “super bug” but also because it is so hard on my stomach. My Celebrex for my back is also hard on my stomach and has side effects—but it is about the only thing I can take and pain management is my only recourse for my back, or I’d be terribly limited in my mobility.
So what is in the future? Tomorrow I have the liver and port studies. Monday in Guatemala City I see the Gynecologist and the Urologist for re-evaluation of treatment and prognosis of the UTI’s. Then on Thursday I see the Cardiologist, as I mentioned.
I still have lots of abdominal pain after I eat. I can hardly wait for 2-3 months to pass so the gastritis will be calmed down. The headaches are less, but I do I still have sporadic severe headaches (sometimes migraines, but not always). And the back pain is ongoing, but not new.
It was funny when I went back to get pathology reports, the doctor was concerned about my 2 hour post prandial (after eating) blood sugar which was only 52 (normal is 80-120). She thought I should see an Endocrinologist. I told her it was ancient history—I’ve managed it with diet for many, many years and I do not want to see any more specialists.
At this point I’m managing everything adequately enough to not come home early. I’ve missed some shifts at the temple due to doctors’ appointments. But otherwise, I’m able to go as assigned, and find that serving others is a great distraction from pain. So it is a win-win to be there.
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