Good evening friends. Sorry it has taken me so long to get back here today to post an update! First of all, last night I didn't sleep well at all! I felt so yucky, couldn't stop getting up to go to the bathroom, couldn't shut my brain off, etc. Then once I finally fell asleep, I woke up several times drenched in sweat (this has been going on for months off and on), and then ultimately woke up at 5:30 with a migraine. I got up to get something to drink and take an Imitrex, but then I never got back to sleep! As the early morning went on I also realized that my throat was sore, my stomach was nasty and my whole body hurt. Last night my temp was 99.7 but never got higher than that. I honestly didn't know if I could muster up the strength to make it to my appointment! But I have been waiting for over a month for this, so I had to do it! It's always ironic to me whenever someone feels the sickest is of course when they DON'T want to go to the doctor because they feel too horrible to move! I wish doctors still made house calls! Doesn't that just make sense?
Anyway, we got to the doctor's office at about 10:20. The doctor was very nice. He walked us through the different possibilities of what we could be dealing with. He asked several questions and did an exam. After that he said that as of today he is certain that I have fibromyalgia, but that fibromyalgia can go hand in hand with a lot of other things as well, and that is certainly not the only thing going on here. We then talked a lot about Lupus and the diagnostic criteria and where I stand with that. I already fill several of the criteria and the rest are shown through lab testing. He ordered several tests and set me up to come back next Wednesday morning to discuss the results and decide if I indeed have Lupus or not. He said that it is extremely important that we get this diagnosis correct, because if I DO have Lupus, one of the treatments is immune-suppresion therapy, which has big risks when I already am dealing with low white blood cell counts. So he wants to be VERY sure before he gives me that diagnosis and starts a treatment plan. SO, in terms of testing today, I got to have 15 MORE TUBES of blood drawn (!!!), a urine test, and x-rays on my chest, knees and hips.
We walked out of the office at 1:30, 3 HOURS later! Yikes! By that time, I was starving, my head was pounding (again), and I was exhausted. As soon as I got home, I threw myself into bed and slept for 4 hours! This seems to be a trend as I did the same thing after my hematology appointment. I guess these appointments just exhaust me! After I woke up I was still feeling crummy though, so we'll see what's going on. My throat is sore, so I don't know if I'm just getting a bad cold (with bad body aches) or what. I'll be praying for that and nothing worse!
I also wanted to mention that I have an appointment to see a GI specialist on April 11th. Since I am so anemic, my doctor thinks that I could possibly be having an absorption issue. She also thinks I am showing symptoms of an ulcer, too. I've had stomach issues since childhood and am supposed to be careful about taking anti-inflammatory drugs, and when I was in the hospital I HAD to have them, so I could have developed an ulcer from that (plus the stress!!!). It's been a few years since I've checked in with a GI doctor, so all in all, with everything else going on, it will be good to have all of that checked out too.
So, that's it for now. Before I go, I want to give a shout out and a big thank you to our friend Bekah for taking such wonderful care of Ethan today! He LOVES his time with you and Will! :) I will let you all know what we find out next Wednesday (the 3rd). If you wouldn't mind, please pray that whatever this yuckiness is that I am currently feeling gets better soon! Thanks so much!
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