A Good News/Bad News Sort of Thing

Good News/Bad News...well, maybe Fabulous New/News that really bites it - might be a better title or perhaps Amazing News/News That Sucks, WhooHoo News/BooHoo News, Yea News/Nay News, etc. First of all, the Good News. Last week I saw glimmers of my weight seeming to settle into the 160s after skirting there a few times over the past couple of months but never lingering there for long. Last Friday, my weekly weigh-in was 168 and that was the lowest weigh-in yet, yadda, yadda, yadda. Then, of course, I had my bowel prep Sunday and nothing to eat but clear liquids and then Monday morning nada to eat or drink so the scale showed 164. I knew that to be an obvious fluke due to the cleansing so I've watched the scale go up from there but it went up and now is down a bit so I think after 2.5 days of eating again... I'm back to an even keel. So, I can honestly post that I weigh 166. That is indeed my lowest weight EVER as an adult. The last time I weighed this was probably when I was 1973-74ish when I was in 8th grade - so I was 13! As for the Bad News... I saw my surgeon today. He is at a complete loss as to the source of my pain. He has another patient that sounds like she has the same issue. All tests were negative/normal. He went in surgically and found nothing. He referred her to another bariatric surgeon (Dr. Hutcher) for a consult and he could shed no light either and she has even been sent to Georgetown University Hospital for a consult. Nothing thus far. Sadly, I wonder if I am following down the exact same road. In the meantime, he wants one more test just to be sure. An MRI angiogram to make sure blood flow to the bowel is good. He is going to put me on Zelnorm just to see if that changes anything. That is for bowel irritation - mine seems to work okay but it is worth a try. I'm on ulcer meds which has helped my pouch but made no change in my side pain. Other thought it is make sure it isn't referred pain from my back but my back issues are lumbar not thoractic. So perhaps I need to see a neurologist to rule that out too. Other than that... surgery, I guess. I'm so very afraid of him going in and finding nothing. Kathy

Kathy, I'm sorry you doctor is at a loss as to the source of your pain. I hope this mystery will be solved soon for you. Try and take it easy and I'll be praying for you. Keith

Thank you, Keith! Kathy

Back last year . Mom had the pain in her side too .. went thru all these test . As they did find a small tumor blocking her pancreas .. They also did a ct scan of her back and found a disc out of whack .. Once they corrected her disc.. her pain went away in her side .. HMMM Something to think about .. Hugs, I hope you feel better soon .. Nat

Thanks, Nat! Already had the CT scan (twice), ultrasound, HIDA scan, gallbladder removal, MRCP (specialized MRI looking for stray gallstones), MRI lower back (prior to back surgery), and all sorts of things. Geez, I think I should glow in the dark by now, eh? As always, I'm hanging tough. Hugs, Kathy

Kathy~ Great news on your weight loss and I wish you the best on finding out what this is. Hopefully they will get a conclusion soon and it will be something simple. How is your sister? Tammy

Thanks, Tammy! My sister is doing well. She had 2nd chemo last week so she is halfway through the one type (will have 4 of those total followed by 4 of something else). Her blood counts are staying high which is great news. She feels okay except for pretty strong acid reflux. The doc is adjusting her anti-nausea meds to try to fix that and put her on Nexium. And she lost her hair last week but is doing well with some caps she bought in different prints. She has one with bears on it and another with pigs. LOL! Take care, Kathy

Kathy~ You crack me up with the talk about the caps! I am glad to hear she is doing okay. I will keep her in my prayers for a full recovery! ~Tammy

Tammy, Seriously, she said she had bears and just ordered one with pigs on it. Don't know from where though. But I suspect they are like this: http://www.shop-blueskyscrubs.com/blueskyscrubs/w_h_mini.html But I could be wrong! Kathy

Hey Kathy! Glad to hear your sister is doing well. I was just thinking about you guys last night, so, I'm doubly glad to see your post this morning. On the topic of your sister, did you know there's a shop out in Warrenton that's run by a breast cancer survivor? It's called "I'm Still Me" and she has quite a variety of products specifically for breast cancer patients and survivors. She has a web site, too, at http://www.imstillmellc.com/ Hope to see you and Rich again real soon! I'm still keeping my fingers, as always, crossed for you... hugs, Kathie