Dr. Bellyfixer Scores 100%

Better Buy Stock In Miralax

Back at home after driving to St. Louis and back (five hours going and five hours coming back) to see Dr. Bellyfixer.  Experiencing lots and lots and lots of pain this evening.  So glad I took both Tuesday and Wednesday off because I have taken my breakthrough pain medication (dilaudid) and it doesn't seem to be doing anything.  I probably could take more of it, but I think I will make a supreme effort not to, and see if I can just suck it up and bear with it.

I didn't take my neurontin Monday night or Tuesday morning because it makes me sleepy.  I also took some OTC anti inflammatory but they didn't help much. Tried to stay alert, but had to pull over numerous times for 15 minute naps.  I hate to drive long distances anymore because of this.

Dr. Bellyfixer and his fellow specialist in training Dr. Bowels were very helpful.  I have so many things wrong with me they let me pick what problem I wanted to tackle first so I chose abdominal pain caused by bacterial overgrowth of the small bowel for priority #1.  They were able to come up with a new strategy without adding any additional medications so I was thrilled.

Because I am now having electrolyte depletion and leg and foot cramping Dr. Bellyfixer wants me to start using Gatorade each day.  I am to add a couple of capfuls of Miralax to the Gatorade.  Dr. Bellyfixer hopes this will control the fecal incontinence a little better.  Once every three to four weeks I am to purge my system top to bottom using Miralax - something like half a bottle with 32 oz. of Gatorade.  Dr. Bowels said that I cannot overdose on Miralax and Dr. Bellyfixer agreed with her.  He said Miralax is a large molecule preparation that causes the bowel to excrete fluids.   Dr. Bellyfixer's nurse said don't go far from the bathroom on the days scheduled for purging.  They said they have one patient that has to take 12x the recommended dose. Not tasty.

I will be consuming mass quantities of Miralax and Gatorade, neither of which are covered by my insurance.  If buying these sends me to the poorhouse, I'll have to make sure it has a poop-house attached! 

Dr. Bellyfixer asked if I would participate in a study on persons with bowel motility issues, like irritable bowel syndrome or Crohn's disease.  I was happy to!  They took some blood for DNA testing and some other blood tests and I have two or three information booklets to fill out and mail back. Not a big deal and I don't have to write a diary or anything like I had to for the occipital stimulator study, and it's a one time effort.  Hoping it helps other people, as my issues are more bio-mechanical than genetic.

I have a March appointment to go back to Dr. Bellyfixer.  I will have made progress on getting my bowels straightened out by then (a bowel joke as my bowels are kinda kinky = HA!) and maybe will be able to pick another issue to tackle. 

I hope that this post makes sense - the dilaudid and the phenergan are making me "drift" so I keep snapping back to the post and then zoning again.  Wish they did a bit more for the pain.

The Power of The Subconscious

Suggestion or Inspiration?

I decided today that one of my resolutions for the New Year was to learn to knit socks.  When I was young I was taught to knit by my mother and a pair of house slippers was the first project I was taught to knit, a very simple first project.  I learned soon to knit "in the round" using four needles and then moved up to hats and mittens, graduating to gloves with five fingers.  I have made afghans and scarves but really haven't knitted for years except for a disastrous doggie sweater I made for my dachshund Augie.  It might have looked OK if he was a foot longer, had a large hump in the middle of his shoulders and a couple of extra legs and if his throat had been as big around as his butt.  Otherwise, it was a really good fit.

I started wondering this evening why I had a sudden urge to knit.  Why was this dwelling on my mind? Then it dawned on me.  CATHETERS!  The intermittent catheters I am using sorta generally remind you of a knitting needle.  Duh.  I'm handling them over and over and over and over, and I guess it has been tickling at the back of my brain.  Now that I have already gone and bought the yarn and new needles and downloaded some new patterns I have figured it out.  Probably should have saved myself the trouble - I thought I was being inspired, instead I was being nagged.   Sigh.

Since I have some new wonderfully crazy yarn I think I am going to have to knit some socks.  I know myself tho.  Probably this resolution is going to go into the box with all my other unfinished resolutions. I will hit myself over the head later and say "Why did you ever start this??" - at least this time I have figured out the why!

I am on my way to St. Louis tomorrow to see Dr. Bellyfixer.  With gastroparesis I have to take "Miralax" every week in order to make everything move through my system.  Some weeks it is very hard to make things move.  Such is my dilemma tonight.  Watch - I will be three hours into a five hour drive and the Miralax Miracle will decide to happen between rest stops. I guess I'll take extra clothes.  Gosh, I feel like Charlie Brown  - I just can't seem to win. Drat or as Snoopy would say "Bleah."  Thinking of Snoopy maybe I will go dancing in my mind with Snoopy and the bunnies; beagles are Always Happy and Joyous (at least our family beagle Max was).  Wandering down memory lane a little too much lately I think, but its such a lovely lane!