Sorry I have been out of touch..heres and update! Advice needed....Thanks!

General
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Hi Gang....

I hope and pray that my Chiari family here is doing well and having a decent day today. Also an early HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO YA ALL!!!!

Since late August I have been dealing with lower stomache pain , wt loss, and intermittent vomiting.

Ended up in mid Sept at the ER where they did a CT scan and said it was Colitis and sent me home with anti biotics..and was told to see my primary ASAP..which I did....she sent me for a follow-up CT to see if the colitis had gone...come to find out ..by comparing the 2 CT's the colitis was so mild it should not have been such an issue.

Was then referred to a GI doctor who did a colonoscopy....came out fine..then the endoscopy..again..no findings.

The GI doc is a real gentleman and truly cares for his patients, in my opinion. He asked me about adhesions after the colonoscopy...I grinned and said something like.."YES..I had a pretty bad case 8 yrs ago and had them removed and was fine since ..until recently.

He then made an appt with a well respected general surgeon....the surgeon told me that "Adhesions do not cause pain." He told me "As quickly as these symptoms come..they go"...I was thinking...I can see a week or 2 ..but not mths!!

GI admitted to the hospital this past Wed for pain control and , as he put it...."TO get things movong quickly" as far as consults...One GYN was so honest..."this is not in my skill set..this is a delicate surgery"...then the same surgeon came in and said "The risk outweighs the benefits"..Throught my stay there my GI doc came in x2 daily to see how I was hanging in there..on Saturday b4 I was D/C'd he came in and said something like.."Don't worry, I have your back....call me on Monday at the office and I will have you set up to see a specialist in Rochester..Strong Memorial"..

He is a man of his word for sure....come Monday morn I callled and an appt had already been made and all my reports have been faxed to him....Only wish the appt was sooner...not til Dec 7th....but in reality that is not too far away..plus my GI asked for me to be put on the cancellation list.

Now gang..this is where I need input...I feel overwhelmed and just flat out down...basically home bound...fear of driving while on heavy pain meds, I look like a bag lady, I cry if anyone says anything nice to me..I feel like a fool and a loser...I say loser b/c there is ALWAYS something wrong with me. I find myself saying "I'm sorry" to everyone I speak too.I have nothing to add to any converstion for the most part...so, I am isolating myself...which only adds to my lonliness.

Trying to snap out of this is hard..due to the pain .Any advice on how to 'snap out of it' I say snap out of it with tongue and cheek..as we all know...there are times when that just cannot be done!!!

But any tips on this and also advice on telling my family that I need help around this house...the house was so filthy when I got home from the hospital..I was so hurt inside....

Ok....sorry ..this was way too long......sorry gang!!!

Love ya's

Lori

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Lori -

When I first got sick, someone made the comment to me that I should “snap out of it.” My reaction to that was, “OMG! Snap out of it. Why didn’t I think of that. You’re a frigging genius. What would I due without your vast understanding of my problem, and you’re amazingly insightful opinion on how to fix it. All I had to do all this time was just snap out of it. Wow.” I hope that story gave you a little smile. My advise to you would be to stop being so hard on yourself. If it’s the type of depression that makes you want to cry; not get dressed; curl up on the couch with a good book, fluffy pillow & blanket…then do it. If it’s a deeper depression, the type where you might consider harming yourself, it’s time to get some help. The bottom line is that pain and depression are linked. And you’ve already conquered the most difficult part, which is beginning to talk about it. Are you currently on an anti-depressant? Maybe you could speak to your doctor about starting on one. We are all here for you. I will be praying for you.

  • Belle
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I Love you & will send you a private message tonight.

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Lori,

I am so sorry you are feeling so bad and overwhelmed. I know how you feel. It takes so little to shift the balance of good days vs bad days and when another health crisis hits it seems impossible and discouraging. I have been having my own "extra" health issue and sometimes it's all I can think about and I keep thinking I can't handle something else. Hopefully this will be a temporary blip and maybe once it's resolved you'll feel better in general. Something like what you are going through doesn't happen overnight maybe it's been simmering for awhile and adding to the stess your body has to deal with for a while. Medication can also play tricks with your emotions. We are here for you always. You are such a good person and always thinking of others. Please ust ask for help and don't feel guilty about it. Just think what would you do for someone that ws in your situation?...You would and you do help people. I'm sure your family would be relieved to know how they can help you. Just tell them that the house being messy ads to your stress and feelings of being overwhelmed and ask if they could help you. Don't feel guilty to ask for what you need or want. I am praying for you and sending you a big hug.

Wendy

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I agree Wendyanne....I, too, have a new medical issue, completely not chiari related. It gets sooo old sometimes. Then lets add my wonderful chiari symptom relief with surgery but now i have neuralgia from the decompression surgery. Really???? Sometimes I wonder if people think I make this crap up for attention because it never ends.......haha

Lori...hang in there...we are here for you. I wish i could do something practical for you, but hopefully my virtual hugs will help you, even if just for a moment ....pain is a horrible thing...

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Hi...

Many thanks for all your sweet, caring messages....makes me feel less alone!!!

Ya all have a great day tomorrow!!!!

Love,

Lori