Pancreatitis or Red Herring?

Another fun day at our home!  It appears that I have one good diagnosis that may answer a lot of things going on... finally!  I've been admitted to the hospital and if things go well, we might even be able to put together a plan. 

Thank goodness that the ER doc who finally saw me felt that things were not what they seemed, that things were a bit off with the pancreatitis diagnosis. GOOD! FINALLY!  A THINKING doctor!

lt appears that I have volvulus of the sigmoid colon. The other things, including the pancreatitis, appear to have been red herrings.  I can't believe this and yet I'm not at all surprised. 

I hope you can "forgive" my quickly put-together info but I'm not at my best.  I'm worn out, depleted, with a head that's swimming.  But for four days, I've not eaten in close to 10 weeks now.  Furthermore, things may still change, things are still being investigated, but there is a bit of hope that this latest mess might finally be addressed. 

I've not done my research about this, so please just keep in mind that this is all "hot off the presses" and things may yet change.  And since I'm in a hospital bed, I'm using my iPad to write this up, so formatting, etc will be a problem.  Anyway....

This volvulus could have developed into a ischemia bowel, where the bowel dies and a colostomy is then done. I admit that I did a bit of crying when they put the tube into my nose down to the lowest part of the colon (way low) because it was and is just so gross, disgusting.  Word is that it'll have to stay in for 24 hrs, approximately. There's a lot of stuff coming up, the bile, gases, a quart-full now, and "they're" amazed at the amount. 

Who died of this, the twisted bowel?  One of the BeeGees, Maurice, if I'm not mistaken.  I remember because it was so terrifying to hear that this sort of thing can happened.

As mentioned above, the pancreatitis was a red herring, according to the doctor who I ended up with.  He just got a feeling that something else was going on.  I felt better from just hearing the expression "red herrings."  I don't know if anyone remembers that a year ago I wrote that I felt all the problems going on were red herrings, masking the real "new, major" problem, and that I was on "The Hunt for Red October."  No one knows what exactly is happening, however.  Hopefully, more answers if/when my gastroenterologist comes by, as well as "Dr.Hunk," the surgeon who did my gallbladder surgery last year.

When hubs walked into the house earlier today (that is, Friday, having not had sleep I feel as if we're still in Friday) and saw me, he immediately said, "ER, NOW!"  

I cried hard because it hurt to move at all and I had to walk downstairs, plus get into the car.  I was not about to call an ambulance as Friday night's entertainment for Dimmeydale, our neighborhood. On the way to the hospital I cried because I was so afraid of getting a tube stuck into my nose down to the nether regions I know nothing about nor care to learn about... I have enough to figure out with the darn CFIDS/ME/CFS and fibro.  I was also so afraid I'd get "Dr. Dear."  I did.  Of course.

Hubs sort of recognized him but wasn't sure if it was from one of my past visits or one who had treated our daughter.  It came out of my mouth, before I could stop my words, "oh no, Dr. Dear!"  

He recognized me, and, thankfully, turned around to leave.  At the door he said something I'd not heard or have forgotten, but ended it with, "DEAR," getting "back" at me.I very much wanted to ask him if he felt like a 3rd grade bully in a school's playground. (During my last fiasco of the run to ER I couldn't stand his condescending attitude and finally asked him to stop calling me "dear" at the end of each sentence, that my name was Mrs. BlahBlahBlah.) This was the genius who told me that my pancreatitis was just like a bit of a mild flu, sending me home with no medications, no eating instructions, not even giving VERY dehydrated me a saline bag....

Anyway, hubs had to phone the administer-on-call to complain that 2.5 hours had gone by and I hadn't been seen by a doctor.  No saline, no pain meds, no drinking liquids, no nausea med, NOTHING.  No one would give hubs the administrator's name or phone number but with a few phone calls he had the info. The guy was furious and wanted to know how hubs got his name and number - as if hubs was going to squeal on someone and get that person in trouble.  You could tell that that spouse of mine was very respectfully yet firmly, blowing the administer-on-call to smithereens, so much so that the guy hung up on him!  Hubs called him again and the guy wouldn't pick up the phone.  He wouldn't pick up when hubs called on my phone either. I will say no more....

For many reasons, the charge nurse knew of my hubs, for good reasons, nothing sinister.  She was quite helpful. My main nurse was helpful, as well as my "other" nurse. 

Funny: both of the CT Scan technicians remembered me from a few other visits. I was so sick then that my savant-like facial recognition abilities failed. I couldn't remember them at all, nor the ER visit, though I did find that I've posted about it!  But as one was rolling my bed back to my cubicle she said, "I hope they get to the bottom of all this, especially given how you were treated before."  Wow...!

The sigmoid colon hadn't twisted completely (thank God!), it was twisting and untwisting, back and forth. That, plus the gas building up, largely explained the pain, cramping, stabbing, etc.  

A CT scan w/ barium contrast was done, blood, urine.  The barium was delicious, of course. In the past few days I've had trouble swallowing one sip of water to take my meds.  So imagine how good the lemon flavored barium tasted. (I AM so pathetic, I know!) 

I'm in my hospital room now.  So far ok.  The nurse seems nice.  But boy, are we ever fodder for gossip!  I'm actually scared of seeing the GI despite the fact that we traveled in the same circle back when we actually got out and about back in the day.  He's also my daughter's local GI and he's been good to her.  I'm also worried that I've built up "Dr. Hunk" too much in my mind, afraid something bad will happen to their manners or any number of other things.

So, that's where things stand at the moment.  Again, my thanks go out to so many out there.  

And so too, as always, I hope everyone's feeling their very best, only better.  Caio and paka!

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