Another happy day in paradise

Time to face the music and go to the VA hospital again to have more testing. I spent three days in hospital here in town the first weekend of November with another bowel obstruction and raging kidney infection. Blah! Humbug!

This was a big part of the lack of blogging recently. Nothing great or good to tell. I've become sick and tired of being sick and tired. My anemia problems are back; I have zero stamina these days for any sort of strenuous activity. That brings me to the last day of November, and the next round of tests.

I rode the DAV van over to Memphis, thank goodness for the volunteer drivers! My appointment with the GI lab was for 0800, and I was there on time. Alas, there were others scheduled for the same time, and they took them in first since they all were having a single procedure, and I was there for two. The handsome Latino RN was very nice, but he could not get an IV to run after two tries. He called over another nurse, and she tried twice with no success. Finally, they called in Miss Gussie, whom I have seen before in the GI lab, and she got it on the first shot. I seem to recall they had to call her in the last time to stick me for the IV port. She is such a nice lady, and so calming in this sea of chaos that is the VA system.

I lay on the stretcher for nearly two hours before my turn came to go in the procedure room. I joked with the nurse who was going to do the anesthesia to please make me plenty stupid because I was very nervous. She asked if I had undergone this procedure before. I replied I had, that was why I was nervous. They gave me some foul-tasting stuff to gargle and swallow to numb my throat; she popped me with the Demerol and I vaguely remember gagging on the endoscope as they put it down my throat. I began to come round when they were going at the other end with the sigmoidoscope, and whined enough that they asked if I wanted more drugs. I most certainly did! Next thing I knew, I had been asleep for an hour or so.

The doctor came in to tell me what they found. Sometimes, I wish they would just give me a written statement, because my head was still quite fuzzy. I know he said that they found that I had reflux problems, and some ulceration in my small bowel due to Crohn's. They had also checked what is left of my rectum and said there is a possibility of a fistula there. Biopsies were taken, and I suppose I will find out within a week or so. Waiting for the definitive is the hardest part.

I have no idea how they are going to treat all this. I am going to be asking a lot of questions shortly. At least we now know where the blood I'm evidently losing is coming from and that, I suppose is good news.

The van ride home was a blur, and I made it home from the shopping mall where the van picks us up without incident. I came home, fed the cats, and we all curled up in bed for about the next five hours. They know how to comfort me, the little fuzzy buddies!

The weather has turned cold now, from 66 degrees F when I got on the van this morning, to 35 degrees with a 25 degree wind chill out right now. It rained all day, and I hope that it doesn't ice up overnight. We might get past that. Snow, I can deal with that. Ice? No.

Looks like a three cat night. Brrr.