Endometriosis — You are in My World Now

Now I remember why I hate going to the family doctor

June 2, 2010 by Tricia

I had a physical at my doctors office a couple of weeks ago. My first in a few years! My main doctor is off on medical leave – I’m not sure what’s wrong with her, so I saw her replacement for the first time when I went in for my physical. Not the ideal time to meet a new doctor in my opinion. LOL

Everything seemed to go well with my physical and I liked the new replacement doctor. My husband also saw her as well and liked her too.

Then, last week I got a call. I guess my Cholesterol is off. So I have to go back to see the doctor soon and find out if I need to start treatment for high cholesterol or perhaps low cholesterol. Mine is probably a little high – it has been occasionally in the past, but I mentioned low cholesterol because that’s my husbands problem. His low or good Cholesterol levels are too low and that can be as bad as having high cholesterol too.

I’m being a bad patient though. Before I left the doctors office she armed with with a few requisitions for tests I need to get done before I see her again ie mammogram, pelvic ultrasound (I have endo) and a thyroid ultrasound and I haven’t even booked those appointments yet! ARgh … I’d better get to work on those.

When you go to see your family doctor do you end up with a bunch of follow up tests that you have to do too? I hate it, but I have a tumor in my thyroid and I’m supposed to have an ultrasound and biopsy every 6 months and like I said, I hadn’t had a real physical with my regular doctor for a few years (probably because she saw me so often she didn’t think I need it, duh) so the other tests are important add ons.

I hate being stuck at home on medical leave

November 17, 2009 by Tricia

I’ve been off work due to Crohn’s for going on five years now. It’s tough being on medical leave from a job you love for so long. I’m sick of feeling sick all of the time and frankly I’m more than a little bored.

Unfortunately it doesn’t look like I’ll be returning to work any time soon. I’m just not getting better. I tried a new medication this month that was supposed to help lower my pain levels and of course I ended up getting hives and having other reactions to it … so, so much for that. Too bad too, because I think it was helping a bit!

So now my doctor wants me to put in a new disability appeal. I did that the first year I was off work but they turned me down, but now that I’ve been off for so long my doctor thinks I might have a chance at getting disability coverage from work … so I might give it a try.

It was so disappointing last time when I was turned down though. That’s one reason why I put off trying again. So wish me luck!

Losing weight again

September 23, 2009 by Tricia

I was at the doctors yesterday and as usual she made me do my monthly weigh in. Why she weighs me every visit I don’t know … maybe she’s afraid that with my Crohn’s I’ll have a sudden drop of weight … it’s happened before.

The worst Crohn’s related weight loss I had was shortly after we moved into our house back in 2001. I lost 40 lb in one month! Worst of all was the fact that I didn’t need to lose any weight so I was really really skinny … like underwear falling off skinny. LOL I certainly didn’t need to use diet pills that year!

The ironic thing is that I’ve been in a Crohn’s flare for over 5 years now (yeah it won’t settle down!) and I actually gained a bit of weight during this time … probably due to feeling so awful and not moving around as much. Also, some of the meds I was on caused me to gain a bit of weight. Luckily – over the last few visits at my doctors I’ve learned that that little bit of weight I gained is coming off and with any luck I’ll be back to the weight I should be for my height and body type very soon.

Now that I’ve started losing weight again I just hope that my body doesn’t go into overdrive and makes me loss it really fast. That would be unhealthy!

Side effects while on Depro Provera

May 5, 2009 by Tricia

You’d think that once you reach adulthood your skin problems would be over, wouldn’t you? I never had really bad skin as a teenager, but it seems that I’m starting to have a few problems now.

Maybe my skin problems are caused by the Depro Provera that I’ve been on for a year now. My face is breaking out a little bit and so are my shoulders. Nothing bad, but considering that I’m used to not having any kind of skin problem it’s bothersome.

Oddly enough I’ve started paying more attention to acne skin treatment ads. I know that I don’t need any heavy duty acne treatments, but maybe I’ll by some Clearasil or something the next time I’m out shopping.

Anyone else experience skin problems while on Depro Provera? I think it’s also causing other problems too … I’m sweating more when I walk or when I’m active than I ever used to do. I think I might go off it soon!

Poked and prodded

March 10, 2009 by Tricia

Today turned out to be busy!

My husband usually has Mondays off and works the rest of the week, but he did someone a favor and traded shifts so he worked on Monday and had today off instead. Good timing on the switch as I had a doctors appointment in the afternoon and if I had taken the subway as I’d planned to do it would have taken me well over an hour to get there. Instead it only took about 15 minutes by car!

I’ve been seeing my family doctor and other doctors fairly regularly because my Crohn’s just won’t settle down … plus I had to go in today to get another shot of Depro Provera. No I’m not using it as birth control – even though that is how it’s working on my system … we’re trying it out to see if takes care of my endometriosis. I’ve been on it for almost a year now and since I don’t get my period while I’m on it I’ll have to say it helped because now I don’t have those horrible horrible period pains that were almost making me pass out in pain prior to my starting Depro Provera.

The only bad side-effect is that it’s caused me to gain at least 10 additional pounds … since I have Crohns that’s not too bad (Crohn’s tends to make you lose weight!), but still … I don’t like the extra weight – not at all. Hmmm maybe I should try some Solo Slim ?

I’ve also been having a lot of trouble with my back lately. I’d say it’s been hurting more and more for over a year – especially if I walk a few blocks or do house cleaning like sweeping or vacuuming. I think it’s because I tend to lean forward a little bit when I do those things. Anyway, my back goes into spasms that get worse and worse until i lie down and let my back muscles rest.

At the beginning of February – when my husband was in the hospital with a heart problem – I did a lot of walking back and forth to the hospital. I was carrying things back and forth as well. I think that did my back in … because sometime during those first few days of the month my left thigh went numb and now my whole left leg is pretty numb. I have Vitamin D deficiency too so that might be affecting the bones in my back.

So in addition to seeing the doctor today we also made a trip to the hospitals x-ray department and had my lower back x-rayed.

Then it was off to a drug store to pick up some digestive enzymes. Since my bowels are inflamed due to the Crohn’s disease it’s causing me not to digest some of the foods I eat very well. I also don’t digest some of the pills I have to take each day either … so I’m going to try taking digestive enzymes for a while and see if helps at all.

Finally after being out for about four hours we arrived back home. I didn’t get to rest my sore back though … my husband wanted me to edit one of his posts and he always seems to have trouble resizing photos and then adding them to his blog. I’ve even written out directions but he seems to always need my help. Arghhhh! It’s not that hard – right?

I think I”m just going to relax for the rest of the evening. God knows I need to recover from being poked and prodded all day! LOL But first – dinner! I made a roast yesterday so we’re going to have leftovers … easy!