Today was my last check in for the patch testing…and there was absolutely nothing. So not sure where we’re going from here, other than the allergy shots…
Not one allergy reaction!
Category Archives: Appointment – Jen
Patch testing was a bust.
I was legit not allergic to a single thing they tested for. Which sounds great — yay, no allergies! — but it also means I have no answers. I technically still need to wait two more days (and come back again) in case there are any latent reactions…but I’m not holding out hope. And again, no showering.
Patch testing day!
Testing a whopping 43 different things like chemicals, metals, preservatives, medications, etc. I’m really hoping this gives me some answers.
I get to leave these for two days, at which point I come back so they can remove them and see if I have any reactions. So no showering because I can’t get them wet.
Allergy testing!
Here we go! I’m hopefully going to get some answers to why my eyes (and face) have been red, dry, and puffy.
I confirmed that environmental intradermal testing is first. Then a patch test (for chemicals, etc., at another date), and then it’s a discussion with the doctor of we want/need to try foods.
The first tests were just a simple pinprick. The follow up are actual under the skin shots. I need 19 of the 21 available.
By the time she was done with all 19 individual shots, this is what it looked like…and then 30 minutes later.
The shots are going to be freaking annoying since I have to do them there. Either once a week for 9 months or once a week for 9 weeks (sped up process in which I get two shots pet visit with a wait in-between). I have to call insurance to see what’s covered.
5 Cottonwood tree
6 Oak tree
10 sagebrush/mugwort weed
12 Alternaria mold worst
13 Aspergillus mold
14 Helminthosporium mold
16 DP Mite worst
18 Feather
19 Cockroach
20 UF dog
21 AP cat
So, I wasn’t super allergic to anything…which is technically good, but rather disappointing because that means it wasn’t an easy answer to what’s been going on.
Float therapy!
I’ve always wanted to try a float tank…and today I finally did it!
First you shower and wash your hair. They provide earplugs and a cool foam ring headrest.
I didn’t take my phone inside the sensory deprivation tank, so I didn’t get “during” pictures, but I took this one after
It was really disconcerting to step into a tank of water that was only about 8″ deep knowing you’d be floating in it. It was a little slippery.
You could either be in total darkness or have pinpoint stars (my choice) as well as silence or relaxing music (my choice).
And you really did float! Nothing ever touched the bottom of the tank! It took awhile to actually relax and figure out where my arms felt best—I had them above my head but that ended up feeling weird so I put them at my sides and they floated out away from me.
It was also weird having earplugs in—because it makes everything louder in your head and you hear your breathing and realize you’re breathing faster than you need to. I wasn’t nervous, but it was a weird sensation to get used to. I tried to take consistent breaths and just let my mind wander. I was warned it was possible to fall asleep and I didn’t think it would happen…but I must have dozed off a few times because I woke up a few times. Again, weird.
Before I knew it the announcement was playing telling me my time was up. I got out and showered again. I did feel calm and relaxed. I’m not sure I got any definite health benefits out of it, but I think I’d like to do it again—now that I really know what to expect, I might relax sooner and get more out of it.
In honor of my dad…
I went to get my nails done today and realized it’s the two-year anniversary of my dad’s death so I did my nails in his honor…blue + daisies.
Some days my veins play nice.
Today was not one of those days. Two sticks in the back of my hand to get about 8 vials of blood for a bunch of tests… Thyroid, allergies, menopause…all hoping for some answers as to why I’m still wheezing after three months, why my eyes have been puffy and itchy for the last month, and if I might possibly be starting perimenopause.
I went to the doctors to get my anxiety meds refilled
Y’all. I went to the doctors to get my anxiety meds refilled and he asked if I’ve ever thought of going off it as a trial since I’ve been on it for two years.
I said dead straight I HAVE AN 11YO DAUGHTER and he just laughed. And gave me a refill. And said “maybe when the kids go off to college.”
It’s that time, ladies!
Consider this your reminder to go get those girls squished! It legit took me 5 minutes! And honestly I’d rather do this than go to the dentist!!
I know mammograms aren’t usually a fave thing to do but seriously it’s NO BIG DEAL. GO DO IT NOW!
Watermelon nails!
Almost the exact color of my Plumeria LipSense!
Did my Botox shot make me look younger yet?
Just kidding, it’s for my jaw pain. Hopefully this will let me open my mouth without pain again.
That said, I don’t think I look 49, do I? I don’t need any other Botox because SeneGence has taken care of all that for me!
Next up? Botox.
A follow up to my constant jaw pain consult — now I’m scheduled for a botox shot in my jaw!
It’s probably fibromyalgia.
Today’s the day I hopefully get SOME answers. I’m already annoyed because I never got a phone call with any results and it’s been over a month! I even called to check and they told me (paraphrasing) that he’s really busy and wears a lot of hats — implying that this wait is normal.
So the lab results and x-rays showed absolutely nothing. There was something in the lab work that was ever so slightly elevated but nothing to worry about at all. So at least there’s nothing like rheumatoid arthritis or anything serious going on.
So he wants me to see a rheumatologist just to see if they find anything else. But in the meantime he said he’s 95% sure it’s fibromyalgia.
In the meantime, I need to lose weight, watch my diet, and start taking blood pressure medication because my blood pressure is really high — HE WANTS ME TO LOWER MY SALT INTAKE AND EAT LESS RED MEAT.
When I told Tom, he said I needed a new doctor. LOL
Four hours from door to door!
So I’ve had sore joints for about the last 3-4 months…some days are worse than others, but it didn’t seem to be getting any better. So I finally decided to get it checked out since it wasn’t going away.
So today I’m at the hospital (where all my docs are) to hopefully figure out what has been going on with me.
I just might be getting old. It might be arthritis. It might be something else entirely. I’m sure some of it has to do with all the weight I’ve gained but it can’t be the entire reason because, like, my toes ache in the morning. So, fingers crossed we get some answers.
I didn’t plan to be gone all morning but the doc ordered labs and x-rays and prescriptions—and wanted me to schedule a vascular surgeon consult and stop at prosthetics to get some compression hose.
I got three prescriptions, I have four pair of compression hose coming (yuck), I got about 20 x-rays on my ankles/knees/elbows, I got 6 vials of blood drawn, I am waiting for the referral to schedule the vascular surgeon consult, and now we wait for x-ray and lab results.
OH! And my blood pressure was really high. It has never been high except for a few rare and random times during pregnancy. So I’m taking it at home for a week or so to let him know if it continues. I’m sure losing weight will help with that, but in the meantime that’s a little scary.
Does this look say “I’m getting my first colonoscopy today” to you?!
I debated doing everything from absolutely nothing to a completely full face and ended up in the middle with CCTM, brows, blush, and a very light eye look (skipping mascara).
Wish me luck!
And a few hours later, done! Easy peasy!
And the results?
Based on the size and number of polyps you had, the current guideline recommendation for follow up exam to evaluate your colon for polyps is 10 years.
If you’re of a certain age…it’s that time. IYKYK.
It wasn’t too bad going down…but I didn’t like the aftertaste so I also had my first “meal”of the day.
I’m boosted!
And Katie’s getting her shot next Friday! It’s a good day!
Flu shots!
Can’t get Covid boosters yet so getting what’s available!
I have sucky veins.
I had a full panel of blood work done (nothing wrong, just checking things because I haven’t been to the doctor in awhile) and of course my veins didn’t cooperate.
So this is frightening.
I just received a whole handful of letters from Northwestern all saying the same thing—their records indicate I don’t have insurance to cover my recent services. Except everything (or almost everything) was already approved. Sigh. This shit exhausts me.
Staples be gone!
Today is my follow up #pissygallbladder appointment to get my staples removed. I’m wondering if the doctor will even recognize me. If only I had my CCTM in the hospital I would have looked MUCH different.
I wasn’t sure what to expect when removing the staples but I honestly wasn’t expecting him to just pull them straight out! It didn’t hurt and it makes sense that’s how they do it but it was just weird.
I asked about the sizes of the gallbladder and stones because they were supposed to give me pics and never did. First he said the big one was the size of a marble but then he said the size of a small egg. And the other ones (which were hundreds?) were the size of small peas. I’m not sure he knows/remembers/cares but regardless, that’s a ton.
Why not pay to get my hair washed and styled?
I decided to splurge and have my hair washed and styled today. After my somewhat painful shower last night, I just knew I wouldn’t have the energy to wash my hair… and I couldn’t really postpone it too long since it was already WAAAAAAY past due. While I was there I got my toe polish changed, too, so I look way more put together than I feel.
Don’t worry, I didn’t drive. Tom and the kids dropped me off and then afterwards we ran a few errands for the kids’ pool party tomorrow (yes, that’s still on!), ate lunch, and now it’s nap time.
Lake Forest, Day 7—I’m sprung!
I woke up assuming it was discharge day but I had to get the official word. While I waited I took another walk.
And then one of the docs came in to remove my pouch—which I’m just remembering I didn’t tell you about. So I had a little pouch with a line in my abdomen to drain the surgical site. I hadn’t even known I had it until like late into the day after surgery. Anyway, they emptied it a few times and I didn’t think much of it. But last night, one of the nurses came in…and wanted to show me how to drain it in case I went home with it.
WAIT—WHAAAAT?
I might be going home with this thing? Oh hell no. I wanted no part of that. But I diligently watched and tried to accept that I might actually have to do it. Ewwwww.
So back to the doctor coming in to remove it. I was ecstatic and told her she just made my day! I had no idea what was involved in removing it, so I was a little surprised when she just said she was going to pull it out. Yikes. Okay. She said it shouldn’t hurt but it would feel weird. Ooookay. And she was right. And it felt just like you’d imagine it would feel to pull 4″ of plastic tubing from your body. (Which, sidenote, I had no idea it was that long. I hadn’t even thought about it. I mean it makes sense but ewwww.) Then she just put a bandage on it and that was that. She also then gave me the good news that I would be going home for sure today!
12:23p — Anna was on call to come get me because Tom had an interview that morning—so here I am in her car! In real clothes! Feeling sore but in good spirits since I was going home!
Final thoughts? Man was that a crazy experience… I never would have predicted SIX days in the hospital for a gallbladder issue (what should be a very typical and easy thing) but apparently it was as old and cranky as I am! Let’s just hope I don’t need another visit for a very long time. I think nine years (to the date!) between visits is good!
Oh! One thing that surprised me was how much weight I gained from all the IV fluids! I had thought I’d lose weight since I didn’t eat for five of the six days…but they were literally pumping me fill of liquid all day every day. There happened to be a scale in my room and I remembered what I weighed upon admittance…and I had gained like 12 pounds! And all my clothes—even though they were stretchy—felt uncomfortably tight. Yuck. But I knew it would go away on its own (which it did within a week).
1:56p — Ahhhh. I have my dog on me for a nap. I’m good.
2:02p — Three nappers. (I think we let the kids binge on devices to leave us nap in peace.)
I stayed pretty chill the rest of the day and moved slowly, but the pain meds helped quite a bit. I was only allowed to go up the stairs once a day, so that was at bedtime… At which point I finally got to take a shower!
I actually asked Katie to come in the bathroom with me so she could be there in case anything happened (I mean who knows?). I had her help me remove some of the bandages, too, so hopefully she wouldn’t be super freaked out… And also so she could see this really was serious so she would hopefully not be a poop when asking her to do extra things to help out.
The shower felt good but I couldn’t really bend much so everything was slow and measured and I spent most of the time just standing there. I know Katie loves her Band-Aids so I had her get some ready for me so they were unwrapped and ready to go!
And I was stupid excited to do my full skincare regime!!! After a week without most of it, it felt like heaven!
Lake Forest, Day 6
12:44a — On my third walk of the day (though technically it’s the next day—Day 6).
6:37a —I’m doing better today…but still moving slowly. I had morning med changes so now it’s hopefully time for a nap before the Ambien fully wears off!! I didn’t sleep well the previous night—I seemed to be in a strange half awake half asleep Ambien-induced state (but maybe I was fully dreaming, but just dreaming I was half awake/half asleep?!). Anyway, I liked the Ambien much better last night—it stopped me from tossing and turning and I slept pretty solid from 12:30-5:30. In a hospital that’s a veritable vacation.
6:56a — Yes I’m eating part of a s’mores cookie that Tom got me last night. Now that I can eat real food AND I am supposed to fart and poop before I can leave, I’m eating ALL the things that I can!
7:01a — This fun contraption was dropped off. Also? You suck it—not blow it! It was hard to inhale strongly enough to reach my goal (2000) but I could do it from the start.
7:34a — A delicious REAL breakfast of Texas French toast, bacon, and granola parfait!
9:22a — Sooooooo…. The bad news is the surgeon wants to keep me another day since the #pissygallbladder (my words, not his) and removal was so extreme. Like twice the size of a normal gall bladder and twice the size of a normal incision. There was one huuuge stone surrounded by hundreds of little stones. Tom called me a hoarder.
The good news is I’m doing really well AND (TMI?) I don’t actually have to poop in order to leave. They said as long as I was feeling fine and food was staying down I’d be good to go. AND then the second doc came in and said she thinks I might be able to go home later today or this evening — she’ll talk to the surgeon and they’ll look at my daily bloodwork.
9:59a — The mom and baby section is really quiet and nice. They even put pictures of flowers on the occupied rooms.
10:11a — Coming back from a walk…might as well take a picture of my room for posterity.
6:57p — Perfectly cooked asparagus in a hospital meal? What alternate world am I living in?! The mac and cheese looks better than it tasted for sure.
No, I didn’t have any special diet (a lot of people asked). They said as long as I’m feeling okay, there’s no worries! After each meal they ask if I had any issues. I haven’t.
7:15p — Guess what? I had to move rooms AGAIN. They needed the space for an actual mother and baby so I got the boot. And it’s back to the surgical ward. At least I think. It’s hard to keep track.
8:34p — I’m here in my new room and still getting antibiotics. And drugs. Hopefully HOPEFULLY going home tomorrow.
10:30p — OMG I’M GETTING A ROOMMATE. I mean, I assume they really need the space, and if I needed the space I wouldn’t give two shits where it was or if I was sharing. But still. This is frustrating after a week by myslf. I am sure they don’t like doing it either. I am sure no one is happy. So there’s no point in being bitchy about it. It is what it is. #firstworldproblems I just think I might be taking my Ambien sooner rather than later.
Lake Forest, Day 5
8:01a — The surgeon just came in and confirmed the survey is still scheduled for 1p. If everything goes great I could be going home tonight. But since the surgery is a tiny bit later (the surgery takes about an hour, and usually it takes about an hour to wake up) they may want to keep me overnight one more night.
Look at all my gidgets and gadgets!
And look at what Owen texted me? I love him.
How are the kids doing? Just fine. They’ve been spending a lot of time at Anna’s with the boys and today she treated them to ice cream!
3:30p — The surgery went very well. I personally haven’t had the post-op discussion with the surgeon but the doctor apparently told Tom that my gallbladder was large and they needed to make an extra-large incision to remove it…and it was FULL of stones!
There are no crazy videos of me coming out of sedation! By the time I got back to my room where Tom was, I was pretty coherent. Sorry!
I know I had thought I might possibly be able to come home tonight (since this is typically an outpatient procedure) but with the bigger incision plus my pain level getting in and out of bed, I was actually glad to be staying another night.
I actually felt the best I have felt in days so I invited Anna to come visit for a bit so I actually felt human again eating CHICKEN POT PIE from the real food menu and visiting with people who weren’t staff.
By 7 o’clock or so, I was able to maneuver pretty well and didn’t need help getting out of bed. I kicked Tom out so I could catch up with my bestie and we actually took three laps around the wing.
Then—SURPRISE!—I had to switch rooms so now I’m in the even quieter mom/baby unit so hopefully I’ll get a full night’s sleep. They said they won’t bother me unless I page them. Fingers crossed.
So all is well. Now I just need to fart (AND poop!) before they’ll let me leave! #tmi
Lake Forest, Day 4
9:27a — I was in pretty good spirits initially since I thought this would go quickly but everything is moving so slowly and the drugs are starting to wear me down and I’m just exhausted, hungry, have a headache that won’t go away (I just want to curl up in a fetal position and cry and they only gave me Tylenol), and I just pulled a muscle in my groin trying to sit up. I didn’t even want any visitors since I was so miserable. I couldn’t even look at my phone or the TV for more than a few minutes so I tried to sleep as much as I could.
11:52a — Surgery tomorrow around 1! Which means I had to get another Covid test (since the first one was only good for 72 hours). I was pretty sure I hadn’t picked up Covid in the hospital but I guess they had to be sure. Unfortunately, this one went to the brain.
12:56p — I heard our Ring camera go off so I checked and it was Katie. Our friend Jen was coming to get the kids to take them to the pool and she was waiting outside. So I surprised her and talked to her via the doorbell.
4:23p — Still have a killer headache. Even tried an ice pack…and more Tylenol. Nothing was helping.
6:22p — The doc finally came in and SURPRISE! She said it’s a hunger headache and I should have been on a sucrose drip this whole time since I wasn’t eating! Plus she gave me Tordol and sleeping meds. I’m happy things are going to get better but I kind of feel like they should’ve known it was a hunger headache since this was my third day of fluids only.
Soooo. It’s possible I’ll be released tomorrow. But also possible they keep me another day to do the actual gall bladder removal surgery. I’m actually hoping for the latter so I don’t have to repeat any of this.
My liver readings are still a little high and she said the surgeon likes to have them more normalized before doing surgery but it’s also silly to go through all this again.
But on the bright side…they brought me a salt packet with my broth. It’s the little things.
The Awkward Yeti nails it.
I never thought I’d truly appreciate these The Awkward Yeti comics. But here we are.
Lake Forest, Day 3
7:20a — Currently awaiting prep for surgery—even though I still haven’t officially been told what surgery I’m having…or when. But I did finally brush my teeth and take a hot washcloth to my face this morning! It’s killing me to not have my daily skincare regimen but I figure missing a few days won’t kill me.
2:24p — I was just told I’ll need to have the Endoscopic procedure today (first) because there’s a stone stuck in the duct. Because of course there is. I’ll still need to have the lapriscopic surgery to remove the gall bladder, but they don’t know yet whether it will be tomorrow or scheduled at a future date. It depends on how I recover from the first procedure.
5:05p — Endoscopic procedure complete—and I didn’t feel a thing!! I do remember them warning me the mask smelled like plastic and that was gross. Anyway…they removed sludge! There were no complications and I feel totally fine. Now to wait and see if they say I can have the lapriscopic surgery tomorrow… In the meantime, the countdown is on until 6:30 tonight when I can have clear liquids for dinner!
Anna came to visit since I was feeling really good…and she brought me gorgeous flowers and a balloon!
Hospital #2: Lake Forest, Day 2
Technically day 2 since I started at hospital #1 on the 10th and it was now the 11th.
Being taken to my room, this was the elevator—Living Lippy, right?! Obviously the pain meds were working at this point.
Everything went well…until Tom showed up and they wouldn’t let him stay because it wasn’t visiting hours! WHAAAAAT?! No one told us that so we were really annoyed. Thankfully they at least let him come up to see me for a few minutes and drop off a bag for me (with some clothes, my glasses, lip stuff, laptop, and makeup remover wipe—it was driving me crazy that I hadn’t been able to do my nightly skincare). Oh, and surprise—no kids allowed as visitors!
I finally got about three hours of solid sleep from 6-9. The pain started up again so I’m on morphine again. Have talked to a few docs and the surgeon and they’re tentatively planning the surgery for tomorrow morning. Today is antibiotics, an MRI to see just where everything is, and pain mediation. And trying to grab whatever sleep I can.
6:40p — I’ve been sleeping most of the day. Just had the 45-minute MRI (actually an MCRP) and fell asleep in there for a bit…and now have to wait for the doc to figure out which surgery I need—endoscopic plus lapriscopic or just lapriscopic.
Magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) is an MRI exam that produces detailed images of the liver, gallbladder, bile ducts, pancreas and pancreatic duct. It identifies gallstones and can show gallbladder or bile duct inflammation or blockage.
https://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info/gallstones
I knew I couldn’t have Tom bring ALLLL my skincare, so I had to narrow it way down. My Overnight Lip Mask was a definite yes. I had to dig through and empty my whole backpack but I found it! My lips are now happy!!
Soooo, they said it might be 24-48 hours (!) of observation?! So much for “emergency surgery” eh? But apparently my gall bladder is so pissy they need to calm it down first (lots o’ antibiotics). It depends what the doc says. So I’m waiting for her to come discuss my ultrasound results.
#pissygallbladder
PLOT TWIST, continued!
Out of nowhere about 9:15 I started having extreme pain in my chest and just felt really crappy—enough so that I texted Tom to come home because I was NOT GOOD. It was time to start getting the girls ready for bed and I couldn’t even think straight so needed him to come handle it.
It wasn’t reflux or gas or anything I’d felt before—and I knew women’s heart attacks had different symptoms and that’s all I could think of. I googled and it didn’t seem like a heart attack but whatever was happening was not normal. I thought if I could just go to bed and hopefully fall asleep…maybe I could sleep through it. But the pain wasn’t going away and it was actually a little scary. And then just like that I felt better! Weird. I sat up in bed and just as I was getting excited that it was over…BAM, it came screaming back. At this point I called Tom upstairs and actually told him I was scared and it was at this point (about 10:30) that I said I needed to go to the ER.
Someone obviously had to stay with the kids—and Tom wasn’t able to drive safely (remember, he’d been at a poker night with the boys)—so he called Anna and she got here—from a dead sleep—within about 10 minutes. She drove me to the ER as I writhed in pain and tried to breathe through it. We spent the next five hours at the ER (10:30p–3:30a), most of which I was in about a level 7/10 pain.
I was on morphine for the pain (thank God for morphine) and it was weird how I could feel the pain ramping up (I started breathing differently) and knew to ask for more. Anna was googling trying to figure out what it could be. She was staying in touch with Tom. She was updating the sleepover moms on my phone. When I wasn’t incoherent with pain we visited like normal.
After some tests and bloodwork—my heart was fine, kidneys were fine, my liver was a bit elevated but not worrisome, and overall bloodwork was all fine. But the ultrasound. The ultrasound showed a really pissed off gallbladder. Stones and something else I forget. So then it was my first Covid test ever (which wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be) and a leisurely ambulance ride to another hospital to be observed and prepped for emergency gallbladder surgery! Anna went back to our house to stay with the kids while Tom drove to the hospital to meet me there.
Not exactly how I planned to spend Katie’s birthday…
But I cannot thank Anna enough. Seriously. She was my angel tonight—from the initial car ride to admission to keeping Tom in the loop to grabbing nurses to texting the sleepover moms…to relieving Tom at home (and watching the kids) so he could come see me. Whatever I needed, she was there.