How It All Began...

In retrospect it seems that I've been feeling more and more poorly for quite a while, much longer than I realized until I thought about it. Back in April 2007 I quit smoking and began to feel better, but some months later, while trying to get a new business up and running, it seemed that I started to run out of steam quite easily. While trying to see clients I worried that I wouldn't have the energy to make it through the appointments, and of course I needed to stay pleasant and focused, tough when trying to hold oneslf upright! I started to let promotion of the business slide, thinking I needed to lose the stop-smoking add-on pounds (and more), get in better shape, eat better, etc. It had to be outside forces making me feel bad, or even just age (seriously though, 46 isn't that old).

As time went by I started taking naps in the afternoon when I got home from work, a strange habit to start at age 46. It seems that people are either nappers or they are not, and I never had been before. Eventually as summer rolled around again the humidity was almost unbearable and I started developing a random group of symptoms that came and went, not the least of which was all-over muscle aches, a couple of incidents of all-over joint pain (man, did those hurt) that would last for a day and lay me up. I sought treatment from a new doctor (my favorite GP had just moved out of town) for Plantar's Fasciitis and the anti-inflammatories made me have a couple side effects, but he never found much wrong besides the feet. After his refusal to refer me to a podiatrist I took a recommendation and switched to another doctor. Good news: he immediately recommended a podiatrist, who is one of the better doctor's I've been to ever, but bad news: the GP seemed to treat my other symptoms as a big bunch of nothing, even once I started with diarrhea for more than three months straight and simultaneously had a 40-day period. He literally shrugged and walked out of the room once when I asked him to help. I guess my bloodwork didn't show anything, so that was that.

In the meantime I had made myself an OB/GYN appointment, and I must admit that it had been two years since my last visit. I have been seeing my OB/GYN since moving to Richmond and feel she is a wonderful doctor, however she had switched offices in the last year and it took quite a while to get on her books at the new practice (MCV/VCU Physicians). I had an appointment for October, and was counting the days, even in mid-summer, but her office called and had to push me back to November 5th. I of course agreed, but went ahead and made myself a gastroenterologist appointment the same week, since by this time I was having severe stomach cramps, nausea, diarrhea and occasional vomiting whenever I ate or drank and was dropping weight (not a bad thing, but not the way to do it, trust me). There were times I considered going to the ER, but I guess unless I see blood or a bone sticking out it seems like they'll just poke me to death and never resolve anything. I held off till November 5th, and my next entry will relate that exciting visit...let the games begin!