Black Friday

Spent Friday doc hopping.

GI follow up to learn the polyp was a fundic polyp likely from GERD med use. Which is pretty much what the internet told me (and yes, I know, I was whigging out good about the growths, the growths of doom! So sue me.)

No signs of Barrett's, which is great news. Doc says science isn't sure if GERD meds prevent Barrett's or not, but, comparing my experience with my parent--20 years of nothing vs. 20 years of GERD meds--I have to say the meds seem to be winning.

If I get brave, I can have the surgery to tighten the sphincter if I want extra insulation from Barrett's. Which sounds like a nice idea, but I'll hold off until the adrenal demons are done with me.

Oh, and no more scopes. The post-op nurse must've been reading someone else's file because I do not need a colonoscopy. Or any endoscopies in the near future. Just lots and lots of Nexium and I'm good.

Then off for the ankle x-ray. When I woke up Friday morning, I could not put any weight on it for several hours. Between alternating doses of Motrin and Tylenol, plus a wrap and a shoe, I was able to put more weight on it, but not walk. Eventually the joint went numb which was a blessing.

Xrays didn't show a break, but I was put in an air cast because of the sprain. That has actually been very helpful. I didn't realize how much help just stabilizing the joint would be. You would not even guess that I had seriously considered picking up some crutches at one point, that's how great the air cast is. I even stumped around Target for a bit because I forgot it was Black Friday (thankfully, it was later and everyone had already been trampled to death). Hopefully it will heal quickly.

By the way, did you know they sell air casts to just anyone at drugstores? I could've saved myself a lot of time and money if I'd known that! Instead I took the two hour route to a prescription for one, which I didn't even need!

Note to self: Check the drugstores before the doctor's office next time.

Oh and if you want to make a doctor laugh, wrap your ace bandage too tight over your Santa socks so that your whole foot is covered with imprints of Santa.

Energy wise, Friday was the best day yet. A little tired but definitely 80% good and only 20% tired. I'll take it! Eating was finally more normal. Took only 15mg. Serious thumbs up.

I really think the family drama on Tday was pulling me down as Thursday was horrid. Really horrid.

And no, I didn't find the ankle stressful at all. I'm sure physically it was, but I had no emotional whig out about it. Broken bones that don't break skin do not worry me. At all. I've broken this particular ankle twice before, once doing almost exactly what happened on Tday. Plus I broke a rib and my arm twice.

Yes, I am a walking disaster.

The point is, breaks hurt, but they are not life or death. Sometimes there's nothing they can do anyway. Like with the rib.

I also remember the time the toddler put her hand in the car door as I was slamming it shut. The door latched around her fingers. I gave her a hug, checked her fingers and took her to lunch as planned while calling the doc to set up the x-rays. The mommy friends with us were horrified and I think they thought it was weird that I didn't freak out.

Do you know some of them avoided me after that incident? Look, she needed to eat if we were going to spend hours getting x-rays. Eating also distracted her from the pain, plus she got a happy meal toy, which, same thing. And, no I will not be running in circled and flapping my hands like a decapitated chicken. That doesn't help the toddler. Medical care was delayed like an hour. Oh the horror! Call CPS!

So that's how I handle suspected broken bones. Unless my femur is in pieces sticking out of my leg with copious amounts of blood, it is a non-event.

Maybe someday this adrenal unpleasantness with be a non-event too.

Except, I still flip out about blood. Not so much mine, but the toddler's. Gasping in horror and everything. I know it's not serious, but my baby bleeding makes me go DEFCON 5. So there may be no hope for me.

You Are So Going to Roll Your Eyes

Thanksgiving was such a mess. All I can do is laugh.

First, I think I broke my ankle. Maybe. You aren't surprised at this point, right? Of course I would (allegedly) break a bone. The sidewalk looked even to me, but it was about 3" higher than the next panel. I rolled my ankle. Badly.

The entire joint is now swollen and I can't walk normally or do stairs. Initially, I could put weight on it, but not so much this morning.

I would kick something, but I only have the one good leg. Don't want to risk it. Not with my luck!

The real bad news is we have a New Year's Eve wedding invite. As in dancing. Staying in a hotel without the toddler for the first time in over a year. I knew there was a reason I hadn't bought a dress yet!

Hubby wanted me to go to the ER and I refused. Outright refused to be bothered by a maybe broken bone, which could be nothing more than a teeny tiny fracture that won't even require a cast (had those kinds of breaks before). I wrapped it, elevated it and told it to kiss my grits. That's about all I planned to do unless there were obvious signs of instability in the joint.

That's what I said yesterday.

This morning, the tune I'm singing is more.... Wow. This is much worse than I realized. I think maybe I went numb with denial there for a minute. Wow. Bad. Muscle strains from the arch up to my knee. Serious pain in the joint and it doesn't feel right. Will try to get an x-ray today.

After the ankle incident, we went home and saw on the news that the pumpkin in the pumpkin pie we've all been eating has been recalled. Don't eat it, they say. No information on what to do if it's too late for that. They don't know what the problem is but they do know we shouldn't eat it.

Great.

All my pies went into the garbage.

Some consumers have posted notes about diarrhea on the various news websites. So at least I won't panic about an adrenal crisis.

The thing is, my sense of taste has been off all of a sudden--food doesn't taste right or even good most of the time. I thought the pumpkin was funky, but everyone else said it was fine. So I just assumed it was me and my wonky taste buds.

On top of that I was exhausted all day. Just really wiped. I don't know if all the activity Wednesday was haunting me or what. Don't know if I'm just still digging myself out of the hole and recovering from the last few weeks or if something else is going on. Don't know anything other than steroids are like an on switch.

Arrived at Thanksgiving and was comatose with fatigue. Couldn't even talk, just whisper like a lame-o. Had to lay down until the 5mg dose kicked in and then I could talk and function.

I have lost yet another pound, but managed to eat stuffing and mashed potatoes. The turkey tasted funny to me so I fed it to the dogs. Then I fell apart again. It's like my battery just dies, so another 5mg and that seemed to do the trick for the rest of the day.

When it kicks in, I sit a little straighter and engage. It's really bizarre to feel that kick.

So I am doing better, but it's not perfect. Not yet.

One good thing, this has been the first morning I didn't wake up with bone crushing fatigue. That's a pretty significant change. Let's hope it marks the true beginning of more good than bad.