Please pray for me...

Hello All,

I know it has been some time since my last post! I had planned on posting this weekend but alas, have had a very eventful past few days. These are the events that have comprised the past couple days...

Friday a.m.

I woke up at about 7:00 a.m. to start my day. I had many errands that I wanted to run, including some fun activities for the kiddos. Around 7:30 I began to notice a pain in my side, similar to the pain I had experienced back in June when I was diagnosed with a ruptured ovarian cyst. Within a few minutes the pain had increased and was so acute that I sat on couch and called Tom. He had a big job on Friday so we decided that I would try and tough it out as long as possible to buy him some time. I called my family physician and scheduled an appointment for 3:00 p.m.

Friday p.m.

I made it through the day allowing the kids to watch too much television because it was all I could do to feed the baby and get the boys breakfast and lunch. They did really well and by God's grace we made it until Tom got home. He drove me to my appointment and I met with a Physician's Assistant who sent me on to E.R. fearing that I had an ectopic pregnancy. I told her that I did not feel that was the case as much since the experience was almost identical to what had happened back in June. Nonetheless, away to the E.R. we went.

Five hours and a myriad of tests later, they sent me home with no answers as to what was causing all my pain. They did two ultrasounds and several other test and found no abnormalities with my ovaries. The doctor at the E.R. looked at me questioningly and it became evident to me, as well as a dear friend who was there with me, that he was not taking me seriously. He gave me the option of staying another three hours and getting a CT scan or going home and trying to have one ordered through my family physician. At that point, poor Ellie had hardly eaten all day and was screaming back at home with poor Tom trying to console her. I decided to go home.

Saturday a.m.

I awoke around 2:00 a.m. to feed Ellie and could not go back to sleep because the pain was so great. I was awake until around 5:30 a.m. when the Vicodin finally kicked in and I was able to fall asleep. Ellie was up part of that time and at least gave me something to keep my mind off the discomfort I was experiencing.

Saturday morning I spoke with our family physician's office to see about having a CT scan done. The nurse that I had spoken with wanted me to come in to be examined before the doctor ordered the scan. I told her about all the tests they had run the night before and she said nothing more of me needing to come in but that she would talk to the Dr. and see if they could order the scan. I told her in that conversation that I was having suspicions that the pain was not related to my ovaries at all but perhaps was related to my kidneys, e.g. kidney stones. My husband had passed a kidney stone back in May and my symptoms were very similar to his. She called me later to say they had ordered the scan.

Saturday p.m.

Several hours and almost two liters of barium sulfate later, I headed to the hospital to have the CT scan. Upon laying down and being prepped, they informed me that they were going to give me an injection of iodine to enhance the images picked up by the scanner. I inquired as to the safety of such a procedure since I was breastfeeding and was told I could not breastfeed my baby for the next twenty-four hours if I got the injection. Many of you know that Ellie will not take a bottle, let alone formula in a bottle, and with tears in my eyes I asked what I was supposed to do. The technician said I could opt out of the injection but that the results might not be as accurate. I opted out of the injection as I just felt I could not take the pain I was experiencing along with a screaming baby.

The Results...

The doctor called me to tell me results of my scan: my left ovary was slightly enlarged but otherwise everything looked normal. I asked her about the kidney stones. Her voice sounded irritated and she said, "The scan we did was not looking for kidney stones and they would not appear with the type of procedure I ordered for you." At this point I was in tears and asked why they did not check for kidney stones. She explained that the nurse that morning had communicated to her that I had refused to come in and so ordered a scan based on what the E.R. doctor the night before had been looking for. She explained that had I come in that morning, she could have examined me and run tests accordingly but that I should be thankful because she did me a favor in ordering the scan that she did.

I was so angry and frustrated! I told her that I had not refused to come in and did not realize that it was essential for me come that morning. She did not seem sympathetic at all. When I asked her what I was supposed to do in the meantime she said I could either go back to the E.R. or go home and wait until Monday and get an appointment to be examined again at the clinic. I chose to go home.

Today...

Last night was a hard night. I got more sleep that the previous night but am still very uncomfortable. The pain comes in waves and when it hits, all I can do is sit, curled up in a ball, until it passes. Sometimes it lasts a long time. On top of the pain, I feel very nauseated and have had very little to eat since Friday. I am feeling extremely discouraged today and confused as to why this whole thing has been such an ordeal. I am planning to go in for a follow-up appointment tomorrow and hopefully will soon have some answers. At this point we are not sure if Tom will have to take some time off. I guess we will see.

Anyway, I am sorry this is so long but I needed to vent. Please pray for me as I am very uncomfortable and very tired. Tom has been doing his best with the kids but it has been a long weekend for all of us. Please pray I will get some answers and that they will find what is causing all this discomfort. I speculate that I was misdiagnosed back in June and that nothing is wrong with my ovaries. I wonder if I had a kidney stone back in June and now have another one or perhaps the one back in June never passed and now is back. I am not a physician so I could be totally wrong but everything else is normal and I am still in so much pain.

Well, thanks for reading. Blessings to all of you on this still beautiful Sunday morning--praise God for a day of worship!

Love,

Andrea