Self Health Awareness Week

This is the name I have given to summarize my mini health adventure this week. On Tuesday, I felt the beginnings of a really bad cold, by Wednesday night I was in agony, spent much of Thursday in bed or on the couch with only occasional breaks to take the puppy outside. This morning before dawn I couldn't go back to sleep because my face hurt. Literally. Must have been a combination of skin breakdown from constant nose draining, ears, sinus pressure, eye pressure (?!), and headache. Later today I was finally feeling my immune system kick in because I actually made dinner for myself and John. I guess sometimes we all need a slap in the face to slow down, and be forced to take a few days off. Enough ranting about that. I am just annoyed I caught a cold after so many years of immunity.

Wednesday I also just happened to have my first appointment with a GI specialist at UVA. I already love her. We went through my many years of symptoms which have been escalating as of late. I basically told her my quality of life due to my GI/hypoglycemic symptoms sucks, I feel totally malnourished and haven't been able to gain weight if I tried, and that I am convinced something other than IBS is wrong and I want to be cured. And she listened and took me very seriously. I then proceeded to the lab where I got some bloodwork drawn, and got scheduled for an upper endoscopy with biopsy. It dawned on me after reading up on her suspicions that I could very well have Celiac Disease...but we will wait and see.
Have you ever felt like you hope they find something wrong b/c at least you are validated for feeling so crappy for so long?

And finally, today, I had my first mammogram. This was to get a baseline after the High Risk Breast Clinic's recommendations. (I also love my doctor there! ) I was thankful to have Janelle with me before and after for moral support. It was a strange experience for me...not so much from the inside out, but from the outside in. The mammogram tech at first didn't want to take me in until she double checked that I really needed it. Someone finally talked some sense into her and basically told her I was a high risk patient and that whatever my doc says goes. I had to explain to her a few times that this was for my baseline. After I had to review my family history with her she finally got it. It blew me away that even in the Breast Center, some people still do not understand the need for high risk prevention. Anyway, the scan was everything everyone says it is--but it wasn't too bad really. (Much more tolerable than other female exams) I am feeling good about getting many steps ahead on prevention, and may even get into a sweet massage therapy study for being a patient there!