Chronicles of a Late Bloomer

It’s a little silly for me to post this on Monday, because I have a doctor appointment with a specialist on Tuesday. However, I have a feeling I won’t have many answers on Tuesday, so it can’t hurt to keep you in the loop.

You may recall that I have had episodes of severe (super severe) abdominal pain in the past few months. The last internal explosion landed me in the emergency room when my pain skyrocketed out of the 10-point pain scale all the way up to 11. I finally chose a doctor, got some lab work done, and have learned that my liver and pancreas are seriously malfunctioning.

My doctor wanted a $20 copay to give me her opinion. Of course, the Great and Powerful Dr. Google gave me his thoughts for free. If I were a betting lady (or, if one could actually make money on such things), I’d predict that I have pancreatitis that’s secondary to severe gall stones. There are several reasons for my amateur self-diagnosis, but we’ll know more tomorrow after I visit with a gastroenterologist. Cross your fingers that this process won’t be dragged on for 5 or 6 more weeks of overbooked doctors and time-consuming diagnostic tests.

In the meantime, I have been so terribly fatigued that I can barely keep my eyes open. I’ve literally slept 13-18 hours for the past 5 days. I’m now aware of a constant, low-grade abdominal pain that sometimes twinges up to a level 4 or 5 after eating. I’ve been instructed by my doctor, because of how high my liver enzymes are elevated, to “for the love of God not take any pain killers.” Let me tell you, that made last week’s 3-day migraine super fun.

Will keep you posted. If you think it’s anything but a dead or dying gallbladder, feel free to toss your hat in the ring!