Today's Testing

I got up at 5:30 to get my shower and take care of things around here before leaving at about 6:45. Checked in at the clinic. The nurse last week told me the test could take 4 hours or more, so I had to take the day off from my job (which I HATE to do) for test time, driving time, paperwork time, whatever. In actuality I was done with my test by 10:30. Pete had appointments in another city in that area of the state so I was able to go with him, and my sister didn't have to drive me all the way home, and back downstate where she lives. A Praise!

Test consisted of eating a bowl of plain oatmeal containing radioactive isotopes. The tech took a 2-minute-long picture (guessing like a video? don't know for sure) right away, and then every 15 minutes to see where the isotopes were. I won't find anything out until the doctor gets the results and tells me about them. I hope they got pictures of the oatmeal coming right back up into my esophagus, although I was able to prevent it from coming up all the way at least...

It's not my place to talk about Pete's appointments and issues. Let's just say that they potentially could make my own, as bad as they are, pale in comparison. He has more appointments coming up as well, and has to go to the BIG VA hospital in Ann Arbor for more sophisticated testing... Difference is, his stuff may very well have a greater long-term impact on him than mine may (have no way of knowing at this point of course) have on me...but at the moment his stuff isn't impacting his life as much. Right now I'm more concerned about him than about myself.

Not much has changed of course. I take the pain meds and hope I don't get addicted, eat when I can, and eat whatever I can, and only as much as I can. But I'm not convinced that this "new" pain is even digestive-system related. I already know I have pain from GERD, already recognize and deal with pain from nerve-damaged digestive tract and sluggish peristalsis. Have lived with that for several years so far and it's familiar. I have a sense that they will see what I already know, and miss the cause of the new symptoms that I went to see my doctor about on May 3rd - this is different...I don't want to hear the same thing I heard 3 years ago, and the doc thinking she's found it...

Anyway, one step at a time. I don't know what's next. I guess wait for results from last week and from this week? Will report back as I learn anything, or if anything changes...

Gut stuff may be taking precedence at the moment but I want to be able to walk too. the pain in my legs is every bit as bad as in my gut, and has as much - if not more at times - impact on my quality (using that term loosely!) of life. But the time will come to address that too, I'm sure. If I'm asking too much, then it might only be because I want too much. I have an appointment at the end of next month for my blind eye too - if I could get that fixed I could...well...one thing at a time...

Thanks for all the prayers. Storming the throne of grace on my behalf is what will make all the difference, I already know this. And I do have hope. It is only here, on my blog, that I take off the happy face and let my real feelings show. But I do have hope for a more normal, less painful, more ambulatory, less dependent life again, and realize that it's just in the getting there that is the biggest trial.

God is still on his throne.