Mystery Pain and Fun with Medication

So, I've been writing about nothing but my vacation for over a month now. Here's all the stuff that's been happening that I haven't had time to write about.

Mystery Pain

I've had a dull pain in my side for over two years. Being the hypocondriac that I am, I had come to the conclusion that one of my organs had obtained cancer, and it was pressing against my rib as it grew from all of the cells mutating and whatnot. Either this or as my friend Matt suggested, an alien had laid eggs inside of my ribcage, and there were about to burst out of my chest at any moment. Anyway, I figured that the doctors wouldn't be able to tell me what my pain was, so I didn't even attempt to find out what the pain was...

...Until Saturday, July 22nd. I had seen my psychologist in the morning and told her about the pain that I've had in my side all of these years. I felt compelled to tell her because she's an MD, and after telling my coworkers about my symptoms the night before, they convinced me that I had an ulcer. Marilyn, my psychologist suggested that I see a friend of hers- Dr. Philips at the Bellin Health Clinic.

I went home and called the number that I thought would get me talking to Dr. Philips' receptionist. The lady who answered the phone yelled at me and told me that the number I had dialed was the doctors' hotline. She redirected my call, and I spoke with a nurse about my symptoms. She said that I should come in right away to the emergency room since Bellin does not have a walk-in clinic. I thought, "Alright, I get to get this taken care of today!" After telling four different nurses my symptoms, the doctor put me through a series of tests- blood and urine tests, chest X-ray, and CT Scan. Two hours later, the doctor told me that the tests revealed absolutely NOTHING! He recommended that I see my family doctor and take some Prilosec twice a day. Thanks, butthole.

I again attempted to make an appointment to see Dr. Philips- well she wasn't open until mid-August. So, I made an appointment with a male doctor- Dr. Wurth. I went to see him, and we discussed my symptoms for about 15 minutes. After reviewing my medical records from my emergency visit (which I had to go get from the hospital to give to him), Dr. Wurth noticed that they found a kidney stone on the upper right part of my kidney- something that the emergency room doctor failed to mention to me. Dr. Wurth was convinced that the kidney stone was roaming around my kidney at will and causing irritation. But, I was still convinced that it was an ulcer (hypocondriac). He said that we should rule out the ulcer before he has to perform a bunch of invasive tests, so he prescribed me ulcer medication that my prescription discount program didn't cover at all ($173.00). So far, I haven't noticed a significant difference in my side pain, but I guess only time will tell.

Fun with Medication

As most of you have read on my Blog, I am seeing a psychologist. She's been great, and we really enjoy trying to figure out my screwed-up life together. I've come a long way so far, and I'm really quite proud of myself for seeking help, finally.

But, Marilyn cannot prescribe anti-depressants for me, so she referred me to a psychiatrist to obtain some medication. This particular doctor is up in Oconto Falls (about 45 min away). I took the short ride up north to see him on Wednesday morning. I had to tell him about all of my problems, just as I did Marilyn about a month before with a lot less tears this time. Eventually, he prescribed me an anti-depressant (Lexapro) and an anti-anxiety medicine (Clonazepam). I am so excited that I don't have to feel like I want to die everyday anymore. I am really looking forward to the day that I can look around myself and just enjoy where I am and who I am. But for now, I feel like I'm both stoned and drunk from my anti-anxiety medication, but the side effects should wear off soon as my body adjusts to the meds.

In a few short days, I'll post about our trip to the DeYoung Family Zoo and our camping extravaganza/fiasco on Washington Island.