I haven't been using the forums much apart from a couple of responses to others posts. I stopped as I was too busy & trying to keep up with the forums was becoming too stressful. In September My husband went to Europe which was great although tiring due to the pace of the tour we did. Unfortunately a few days before returning home I fell heavily on concrete steps hurting my right side. I continued on relying on icepacks to manage the pain. I couldn't sleep because of the pain when lying down. The last day I came down with a bad cold which developed into a chest infection later on. The pain eased after 6 weeks & I recovered from the chest infection but have ongoing problems with fatigue & abdominal discomfort. My GP arranged pathology tests. The blood tests are normal but urine isn't. Today I was sent for a ultrasound of kidneys & bladder. Next week I have a gastroscopy & colonoscopy. My stress levels seem to be escalating out of proportion each time I see the GP & get sent for more tests. Prior to my accident my mental health issues were settling down but the last week it is much worse. I have lost my temper a few times in the last week without much provocation. This is not normal for me. I have been on a diet for several months but I am now finding it really hard to stick to it I just want to go & eat food I know will make me feel worse. The diet is a healthy one which I normally find easy to stick to because the food is satisfying.
I just want to get back on track & feel in control of my life & not feel so stressed & down. I also feel guilty for feeling this way because There is no confirmation of a serious illness.
Yesterday I received a message from my GP's clinic asking me to make an appointment to review test results. It was too late to ring when I got the message so I have to wait till Tuesday because of the holiday. I had some tests done last week at the request of the specialist I was referred to. He asked for copies to be sent to the GP. The tests are looking for cancer & I was told I wouldn't need to come back if they were fine. I still have to go to hospital for one more test but I'm still waiting for a date.
After getting the message I felt very anxious. I feel like I'm on a treadmill of one test after another each just in case but then finding something needing more tests. I try to block out the thoughts telling myself it is nothing to worry about but I'm not being effective. Worrying isn't going to help but I can;t stop.
Just want to let you know that I am thinking of you Elizabeth in regards to these tests and such. And you are right, worrying properly isn't helping. I think you are normally a "busy to do sort of person". Can you keep your mind busy or distract it onto something else?
I was sick last night. My digestive system has been out of whack for a couple of months which is what initiallly led to the tests but they don't seem to be explaining the problems. I must have ate something which didn't agree with me so I am feeling tired & under the weather which makes it hard to do things to distract me. I then have an argument in my head with one side saying rest & the other saying you are wasting time. That is one of my real challenges
Saw the doctor today to get results from tests done last year. Found out my stomach lining is chronically inflamed due to a bacteria infection. Given a script for medication to take for a week and then another test to ensure the infection is gone. This finally explains why I have been feeling sick so often & the other symptoms. The meds are likely to make me feel rotten but I can put up with that for a week to get better
Glad they found out what it was Elizabeth. And glad you can be healed from it too. Are you feeling much lighter now ..ie because perhaps you are less worried about it all? I wonder if you picked up something from Europe??
I probably had the infection for a long time but it wasn't affecting me much. Apparently it can lay dormant for a long time. Stress & certain foods can trigger the bacteria to start affecting you. Possibly the stress & pain reduced my immune system after injuring myself in Europe allowing the bacteria to start multiplying & causing more problems. I do feel relieved to finally have a treatment. My previous visit to the GP was so negative especially her throw away comment that stress was causing my problems. Even if that was true being told that doesn't help.
I still have another test to be done in hospital but I'm waiting for a date. Hopefully that will be negative as it is for cancer.
I have finished the medication & my mouth no longer tastes so bad. The horrible taste has lessened considerably. I am still very tired but feeling better than I was. I guess it will take time for the inflammation to settle. I need to have a test to check that the bacteria were all killed. Next week I have the last test to rule out cancer. If the hot weather would stay away I'd recover quicker.
Elizabeth, probably a good time for a timely reminder that you really need to watch you diet at this time. If you can stick to really healthy foods, your body will absorb the goodness quickly and help you recover quicker.
Hopefully there are no good quality foods that you cannot have at this time.
Hi Mark, You are right Diet is important. I spent the last 6 months on a diet & I'm now at my goal weight so I need to maintain that weight. The diet I used involved eating the correct number of portions of each food group & restricting things like carbs, fruit fats etc to the amount to keep you healthy. Now I can increase those amounts so I maintain rather than losing weight. The benefit of the diet is that it has got me into better habits of healthy eating. My problem comes when out & faced with tempting but not so healthy foods because my illness seemed to make me more sensitive to unhealthy & particularly fatty foods. As well as eating healthy I need to be diligent in exercising regularly & trying to get enough sleep to allow my body to recover. Fatigue is still a problem.
