an ER trip

For the past week and half I have been dealing with some mild stomach aches. They would come and go, I'd notice them more after eating something. I paid attention to my diet but nothing in particular would stick out as the culprit. I didn't take it serious as I thought it really had more to do with what I am eating than anything else, and admittedly my diet in the last two or so weeks hasn't been the best. Than as quickly as the aches came, it was gone. I spent an entire 24 hours with no issues and I thought the problem resolved itself. I couldn't be more wrong though. Come Sunday afternoon while running errands with Aaron I found that old familiar ache resurfacing. Again I began to think about what I ate, hoping something will stick out. While Aaron was trying on some shoes I found myself unable to stand up straight, the pain was getting a bit too intense for me. I sat down and distracted myself with Facebook on my phone. Once we left the store I had no desire to go anywhere else and so Aaron took me home. I figured if I lied down for a bit, drank a little water, it'll pass. I have to say the pain I began to experience was like no other pain I had ever felt in my life. For the next 12 hours I would go through waves of intense pain, each time the wave would hit it would be that much more intense. I opted to sleep on the couch to not disturb Aaron and was holding out for the morning to get in to see my doctor. By 2 am I have had enough and could not take the pain anymore. I was beginning  to fear that it was my gallbladder causing all the discomfort so I decided to go to the ER. Immediately they took my blood pressure, temperature, drew blood, and asked for a urine sample. I was taken back to a room almost right away and the doctor was already there waiting for me as he feared it was my gallbladder as well. After a quick chit chat he decided to rule out something else first, and so I was required to drink the god awful GI Cocktail of Malox with Lidocaine. Now anyone who knows me well know weird I get with texture, so imagine how hard it was for me to swallow something that was slightly chunky. I felt like I was taking a shot of wet snot, seriously! I had to fight not to throw it up and I was forbidden to drink any water. I was greatly frustrated and wanted answers. And to my surprise almost immediately the pain began to subside, along with my tongue and throat beginning to numb out.

So the outcome? Well this instant relief meant it was NOT my gallbladder which was a great news. The doctor asked me a few more questions and we talked about possibilities and where to go from there. What he believed was going on is that the lining of my esophagus and stomach had become irritated. I had begun to feel it mildly and it finally got to a point where it needed attention. The cause is unknown but my bad diet may have not helped it much. The course of action is to take a prescribed medication for two weeks. If my symptoms persist or get worse I am to go back in ASAP, otherwise I need to go see my PCP for a check up in about a week.

I am thankful that it was not something as serious as my gallbladder but somewhat frustrated that it is something that is without a definite explanation of cause or reasoning. I hope my prescribed medication will be the key to healing and being back to my normal self!

Take care of yourselves!