Last Friday I finally had my MRI done. I've had a couple MRIs done in the past before but never for my intestines. I get there and drink the contrast type stuff in the waiting room and then the nurse brings me into a prep room. She was very nice and understanding about the language barrier, speaking very clearly and slowly and making sure I understood everything she was saying. She asked if I had any metal on or in my person and I said no except for my bra. Only I didn't know the word for bra so I just showed it to her. Then she told me to take everything off except my socks and a word I didn't understand. I asked what it was and she showed me her underwear. Tit for tat, I guess!
I laid down on my stomach with my arms above my head like superman and entered the MRI that way. A handful of minutes in I realized the contrast solution was dual purpose as my intestines started rumbling ferociously. It dawned on me then that obviously they needed to see how my intestines processed things so of course they gave me something to move things along. No wonder why the contrast tasted like a watered down version of the colonoscopy prep!
Afterwards I run into their single person bathroom to occupy it for an ungodly amount of time. To make matters worse, the light wouldn't work and there were no windows so it was pitch black! I had to use my phone as a flashlight to find everything. I won't be going over the results of the MRI until September, because my GI doctor is on vacation for a month. It's impossible to get anything done in summer in France because everyone takes month long vacations.
On Tuesday I went to see my normal doctor. She had called me on Thursday to say we needed to discuss my blood work. Uh-oh. I've been getting my blood work done monthly for two reasons; one is that anemia can show up months after an incident, and the second is that my colitis medication can cause liver problems. I was really hoping it was anemia or something non-related, because I really don't want to stop taking my medication. If my medication fails or causes liver problems, the next step is steroids which I really, really don't want to be on. I've been on them before for short term use and they make me nauseous and turn me into Super Bitch. Seriously, I am like the grumpiest person you will ever meet while I am on steroids. Poor Jeremy runs in fear.
Turns out it was both anemia and elevated liver enzymes. My doctor, however, thinks that my liver enzymes could be elevated by only the anemia and not the medication so I will take iron supplements for 3 months and then we'll check again. The iron supplement are a real pain to take. I can't eat two hours before or one hour after so I've been trying to find the right method to take them so I'm not starving myself at normal eating times.
I'm having a flair up right now and lost a few more pounds. I have now lost 40 lbs since I came here. My doctor is encouraging me to do sports since I'm so weak but I mean, c'mon, I am the epitome of sport intolerant. I'm just not athletic at all. The swim club near Jeremy's work gives discounts to employees and their families so maybe I'll go there.
I don't mind the weight loss except for the fact that I can no longer wear my engagement ring. A few pounds ago it was staying on but sliding around a lot, and now it is just too big. It's very ornate and has designs around almost the whole band. I've had it taken down as small as jewelers would take it but it can't be taken down any smaller because it would mess up the design and potentially ruin the ring. It has a placement stone (white quartz instead of a diamond) that we were going to swap out for a diamond for the wedding in place of getting a wedding band, but I guess now we will have to get an entirely new ring with a placement stone and then get a diamond for maybe our 5th anniversary or something. I fancied the idea that maybe the original crafter would take it back and offer the second ring at a discount, but it's such an odd size (6 3/4) that I doubt that would happen. Maybe this all sounds silly but I love that ring and I miss having it on my finger. We just don't have the money to spend on such frivolities as a second engagement ring.
Oh the woes of a first-world twenty-something! I'm not too concerned that I lost 40 lbs, have a life-long illness that will constantly need monitoring, and am in so much pain some days that I can't stand up straight, but the fact that I can't wear my engagement ring brings me to tears!
I laid down on my stomach with my arms above my head like superman and entered the MRI that way. A handful of minutes in I realized the contrast solution was dual purpose as my intestines started rumbling ferociously. It dawned on me then that obviously they needed to see how my intestines processed things so of course they gave me something to move things along. No wonder why the contrast tasted like a watered down version of the colonoscopy prep!
Afterwards I run into their single person bathroom to occupy it for an ungodly amount of time. To make matters worse, the light wouldn't work and there were no windows so it was pitch black! I had to use my phone as a flashlight to find everything. I won't be going over the results of the MRI until September, because my GI doctor is on vacation for a month. It's impossible to get anything done in summer in France because everyone takes month long vacations.
On Tuesday I went to see my normal doctor. She had called me on Thursday to say we needed to discuss my blood work. Uh-oh. I've been getting my blood work done monthly for two reasons; one is that anemia can show up months after an incident, and the second is that my colitis medication can cause liver problems. I was really hoping it was anemia or something non-related, because I really don't want to stop taking my medication. If my medication fails or causes liver problems, the next step is steroids which I really, really don't want to be on. I've been on them before for short term use and they make me nauseous and turn me into Super Bitch. Seriously, I am like the grumpiest person you will ever meet while I am on steroids. Poor Jeremy runs in fear.
Turns out it was both anemia and elevated liver enzymes. My doctor, however, thinks that my liver enzymes could be elevated by only the anemia and not the medication so I will take iron supplements for 3 months and then we'll check again. The iron supplement are a real pain to take. I can't eat two hours before or one hour after so I've been trying to find the right method to take them so I'm not starving myself at normal eating times.
I'm having a flair up right now and lost a few more pounds. I have now lost 40 lbs since I came here. My doctor is encouraging me to do sports since I'm so weak but I mean, c'mon, I am the epitome of sport intolerant. I'm just not athletic at all. The swim club near Jeremy's work gives discounts to employees and their families so maybe I'll go there.
I don't mind the weight loss except for the fact that I can no longer wear my engagement ring. A few pounds ago it was staying on but sliding around a lot, and now it is just too big. It's very ornate and has designs around almost the whole band. I've had it taken down as small as jewelers would take it but it can't be taken down any smaller because it would mess up the design and potentially ruin the ring. It has a placement stone (white quartz instead of a diamond) that we were going to swap out for a diamond for the wedding in place of getting a wedding band, but I guess now we will have to get an entirely new ring with a placement stone and then get a diamond for maybe our 5th anniversary or something. I fancied the idea that maybe the original crafter would take it back and offer the second ring at a discount, but it's such an odd size (6 3/4) that I doubt that would happen. Maybe this all sounds silly but I love that ring and I miss having it on my finger. We just don't have the money to spend on such frivolities as a second engagement ring.
Oh the woes of a first-world twenty-something! I'm not too concerned that I lost 40 lbs, have a life-long illness that will constantly need monitoring, and am in so much pain some days that I can't stand up straight, but the fact that I can't wear my engagement ring brings me to tears!