Uncle Cranky Pants has been living in my basement: My autoimmune fate?

It's late Wednesday night and I'm typing this from a hospital bed.  This place literally saved my life.

Where to begin?  Monday was a liquid diet day, Day-Before-Colonoscopy style. Monday morning, I called my primary doctor really early after about four hours of sleep.  She got me in for an appointment right away.  My hemoglobin was way low from losing so much blood mid-month.  I was hoping for a referral to the hospital infusion center for a blood transfusion center.  "Blood transfusion" ran through my mind all weekend long.

She got me in.  The Thursday before, my hemoglobin was 8.4, which did not qualify me for a transfusion.  I mentioned an iron infusion and she told one of her CMAs to get the info for a referral for me.

I got to school around noon-twenty, which was late for my noon class...  I felt like I really had to go #2, so I hit up the bathroom.  SOOO much blood.  I stood up, felt shaky-cold again and went back to my car.  I was confused and called my brother.  I told him he might have to take me to the ER and that I was going home.

"Why are you going HOME?" he blurted out and told me to go straight to the ER.

Less than 15 minutes of fast-but-safe city driving, I pulled into the ER parking lot.  I felt so weak.  Even though I had a fantastic parking spot, I could not make it to the door.  I flagged down a nice blonde lady with a white jacket on (a resident, perhaps?) and asked her to help me.  She thought I needed directions, but I really was going to faint.  She helped me to a bench and brought me out a wheelchair.  She promptly put me in it and wheeled me into the ER.  She even told them that I was suffering from a GI bleed and was about to faint.

They took her seriously and expedited me right to the front of the line of the ER!  They threw me up on a trauma table and within moments, I had an IV in each arm and getting the full treatment.

They tested my hemoglobin and I don't even remember what it was, but my heart was racing through the roof and I was very weak and dizzy.  After a couple of hours, I was well-hydrated and up on the bed, feeling okay-ish.  I had my colonoscopy the next morning.  I was *almost* cleared to go home when a resident doctor insisted that I take a long walk before I be discharged.

The long walk only lasted a trip to the bathroom where I proceeded to lose lots more blood in the toilet.  Up on a stretcher I went and back on the Trauma Table in the ER.  I looked around at the cabinets and I literally saw one labeled "Brains and Burns."  It looked about a third of the way stocked.  I knew I was in a place that did not fuck around.

They (thankfully) decided to babysit me for the remainder of the night.  I was put on the same floor as last time - thirteen days ago, thirty doors down.

When I arrived, my brother was there with my sis and her hubby, which made it okay.  They seemed freaked out that I could literally not even stand.  I asked them to leave the room so that I could use the commode.  More blood.

I started my colon prep (first round of the colon cleansing laxative powder plus Propel) at around 9pm.

About three hours later, I went to the commode with two ladies to assist me.  I told them that I felt light headed.... and then I kind of "came to" with about thirty pairs of eyes staring at me, scared for my life.  I just looked around, dazed.  I had puked on myself and they were scared for my life.

They took off my clothes and got me back up in bed.

At this point, they told me that the last hemoglobin check that I got put me at a 5.1, but that I was obviously way lower, based on all of the blood in the commode.

They pumped me full of three transfusions.... THREE blood transfusions.  Thank you to those wonderful blood donors out there who literally save lives.  Seeing that red blood in the hanging bag gave me so much hope.

My heart was racing and I got dizzy even lifting my head off the pillow.  Like, I drank too much and the room is spinny dizzy.  I felt like I was not even in my body.  The lights were on, but nobody was home.  I felt like I was in the attic of my body, with a little candle going when it should have been lit up like a Super Walmart in a small town on a clear night in October.

I called my dad, kind of told him what happened and he came right up.   He was planning on driving up the next morning to drive me in for my colonoscopy anyway.

The hour between 11pm and midnight just went by so slowly, with me drifting in and out of consciousness, my candle flickering.  Once Dad arrived, I felt like I could crawl into the back seat, take a nap and let him drive.

A GI doc came in and they almost wanted to do an emergency type early scope on me, but I just did not have enough blood.

About halfway through the second bag of blood, the head nurse (former military, no bullshit type of blonde with a feminine streak), told me that I scared her.  That she was afraid they were going to lose me. 

I woke up cranky with a massive headache. I was transported over to get my procedure.  As luck would have it (and, in my personal opinion, LOTS of help from my Overtime Working Guardian Angel), my GI surgeon (who worked on me last time with the endoscopy and was going to do my colonoscopy in a different location), came over to the hospital to do it!!!  What  a freaking HERO!

The procedure double the time that he had allotted.  He told me that he repaired a pretty massive leaky ulcer (that I think is the culprit of stealing all of my hemo-reserves). He suspects that I have Crohn's Disease.   He put me on an IV steroid to get the inflammation under control.

My nurse gave me a couple packs of Lorna Doone cookies as my snack for being done with the colonoscopy, which kind of felt like a dog getting a reward for sitting, but I was pretty out of it.  As soon as she heard that I must maintain my Clear Liquid Diet, she swiped them off my tray table and gave them to my dad, which seemed cute.  I was not going to eat them anyway.

 My surgeon seemed apologetic when he told me about my ouchie, ulcer-y digestive tract, which I found endearing and scary.  Surgeons are usually All Business when it comes to telling you what they found.  The guy who told me about my mom's melanoma reported it to me with the same level of regret as a mechanic, telling you that it's not just the battery, but it's the alternator as well...

This was yesterday morning.  Clear liquids all day, just trying to wrap my mind around it.  Today, started some foods.

I wanted to go home today (obviously), but they wanted me to have some non-bloody number twos and see if the oral steriods would be a good match against my Alleged Autoimmune disease (which I might call Uncle Cranky Pants).  They also want to make sure that I am okay at eating.

If all goes well, I may go home tomorrow.

I mean, I think I deserve to because my birthday is the day after that.

The eats, right?

Monday:
Sugar free jello
Lots of fluids

Tuesday:
Sugar free jello
Chicken broth
More fluids

Wednesday:

-Chicken broth, jello, fluids
-Two strips of bacon, a little turkey, some ham, a bite of nasty turkey sausage that was pink in the middle, blue cheese and two hard boiled eggs
-Four strips of bacon, ham, shredded cheese, three hard boiled eggs and blue cheese dressing

I'm on a low fiber diet now.... Not sure how long.  Not sure about anything these past couple weeks. 

Low carb menu

- Four eggs, fried in butter
- Flax pancakes made with: five eggs, about 1/3 c flax meal, cinnamon, sweetener, oil, water and baking powder -- pan fried in canola (which I know is not the best, but it's what I have on hand)

Colonoscopy prep tomorrow.... liquid diet!!

I should make some jello to have for tomorrow... :)

Low carb menu

- Ten eggs, fried in butter
- A small head of lettuce
- 3 oz liver, fried in garlic and minced onions
- Mustard
- Two pieces of Burger Florentine

Weighed in at 150 point something this morning.... Most of it is probably due to lack of blood, so I won't get too excited....

I think I'm going to beg for a blood transfusion at my doctor's office tomorrow.   

Move over, Popeye!

- 11 eggs, fried in butter
- Lots of raw spinach leaves
- Mustard
- Burger Florentine - I made this with an extra 10 oz of spinach and minced onions instead of raw

Trying to get more iron.... Colonoscopy Tuesday.... They should get my newest bloodwork results on Monday.  I'm really praying for more blood transfusions... I'm just sick of the awful anemia symptoms.  It's really nightmarish.  

Low carb menu

- Eight eggs, fried in butter
- Lots of raw spinach leaves
- Mustard
- A few T of mayo

Uppin' the iron

- Ten eggs
- Half a head of lettuce
- A little mayo and more mustard
- Vanilla shake (atkins)
- Spinach leaves (trying to up the iron)

Low carb menu

- Ten eggs, fried in butter
 - 2/3 head of lettuce
- Mustard

Switched out my iceberg lettuce for spinach! :)

Low carb menu

- Fourteen eggs, fried in butter
- Two bratwursts
- 2/3 head of lettuce

I sure did eat a lot yesterday... Kinda feel gross about it, to be honest.....

Low carbin

- 11 eggs, fried in butter
- 2/3 of a head of lettuce

Still trying to re-gain my strength.  I want to get this colonoscopy scheduled asap!!  I feel dizzy when I bend over and stand up and my energy is very low.
 
The hospital said to get it done "in the next few weeks," but for crying out loud, I am scared of a recurrence of the fainting, ambulance trip, all that.

My hemoglobin is 7.3, which is what it was when I was admitted into the hospital in the first place.

To get on with it, I called the doctor who did my endoscopy, who is also supposed to do my colonoscopy.  The receptionist said that she did not see any upcoming tests for me and sent me to the doc's nurse -- which ultimately led me to her voicemail.  She did not call back.

I'm tempted to just go in to his office tomorrow (it's 8 mins from here) and explain to them the situation - to get an appointment.

It's more difficult to shufty somebody away when they are in your office.

To leave on a high note, I got an A on my lab practical today!!!  It was entirely anatomy-based.  My professor gave me clearance to skip the exam (without it effecting my grade), but I was already studied up, so I wanted to take it.  He even told me that I got the highest grade in the class!  All that studying while in the hospital paid off.

Besides, with whatever is going on with me, I may want to save my "Get out of Jail Free" card, if you will.

Drove to my mom's and got my baby back (my pretty dog, Daisy).  Just tryin' to take good care of myself.

Out of hospital

Breakfast in hosp ~
- 3 slices bacon
- Salad with romaine, bleu cheese, ham, hard boiled egg and cheese

Then I was released!! Yay!

- Six eggs, fried in butter
- 1/3 of a head of lettuce
- Strawberry atkins shake

They are not sure what caused the lower GI bleed, so I'm going in for a colonoscopy in the near future. 

So, now I have to figure out why my thyroid numbers were wonky and where on earth all the blood was coming from.

Scary, scary, scary, but I sure am glad to be home!

My family is the best. My brother took care of my dog, brought me my books (to study -- big tests this next week!)... Then, my dad and stepmom came in to visit me... And my brother was really the big hero.  He brought me back home and he was just generally awesome.

He  took care of watering my plants, re-hanging the shower curtain that I clung onto when I fainted, putting the wet towels in the dryer, emptying my coffee pot and stuff like that.

My mom took my dog and she is going to have her for a little while, until I regain my strength. 

I really don't know what I would do w/o my family!

LCing in the hospital

Breakfast/lunch:
- Slice of bacon
- 2/3 of an omelet with cheese, mushrooms, spinach, ham and turkey sausage
- 3/4 of a piece of turkey sausage with mayo and mustard

Dinner:
- Two slices of bacon
- Small chef salad with turkey, ham, cheese, half a hard boiled egg, romaine lettuce and ranch

- Two SF orange jellos



 Feeling better every moment....  The one thing that hurts is my tailbone... It's sooo ouchie.  I hope I will be headed home Saturday -- fingers crossed!

Ambulance ride

- Vanilla Atkins shake
- Four orange jellos and two cherry jellos
- Some chicken broth

After waking up yesterday morning to severe clamminess, cold sweats, racing heart, I dediced to go to the ER.  In the shower, I actually fainted, falling out of the shower and hit my tailbone pretty good.  What a nightmare!  At that point, I decided to call the ambulance and just get to the ER.

I had lost a LOT of blood from my lower GI tract, which caused my hemoglobin to go down to a frightening 7.3. 

I took had an endoscopy today and am waiting on some biopsies.  If all goes well, I will be out of the hospital tomorrow!!!  Fingers crossed. 

I have stuff to do, darn it.  Talk about scary, though....  I was totally fine one moment, then boom.... unable to stand without fainting.  Once I was in the ER, they tried to get me to stand up and monitor my blood pressure whilst standing.... After thirty seconds, I was soooo woozy that I sat down and fainted again....

A blood transfusion helped me feel better, but I lost more blood and my hemoglobin went right back to 7.3.

I am hoping that I don't lose more blood tonight and I can go home tomorrow with plans for an outpatient colonoscopy in the near future.  Fingers crossed!

Low carb menu

-  10.5 eggs, fried in butter
- 1.5 heads of iceberg lettuce
- Mustard
- 2.5 oz bbq pork rinds
- 2.5 oz sunflower kernels 

Low carb eats

-  Ten eggs, fried in butter
- A head of iceberg lettuce
- Mustard
- 2 oz bbq pork rinds

Low carb menu

-  Eleven eggs, fried in butter
- A head of iceberg lettuce
- Mustard

Bacon and eggs

- Ten eggs, fried in butter
- More than 1.5 heads of lettuce
- Mustard
- 2.1 oz bacon (middle of night eating, ugh)

This has to stop.  I would have much preferred those slices of bacon alongside my eggs or something.

Weigh in: 161.5

Low carb menu

- Ten (maybe less) eggs, fried in butter
-  head of lettuce
- Mustard
- 3 turkey hot dogs (90 cals each, 70 from fat, which is a good ratio and one carb each)  (My dog got a few bites in case you're wondering)

Low carbin

- Ten eggs, fried in butter
- 2/3 of a head of lettuce
- Mustard
- 4.75 turkey hot dogs (90 cals each, 70 from fat, which is a good ratio and one carb each)  (My dog got a few bites in case you're wondering)

I ate the hot dogs in the middle of the night, which is not ideal.... I've been doing better with that with more frequent meals while I'm awake.

Low carb days

- Nine eggs, fried in butter
- 2/3 of a head of lettuce
- Mustard

Low carb menu

- Eight eggs
- Almost a whole head of lettuce
- Mustard

Low carb menu

- Ten eggs, fried in butter
- A head of lettuce
- Mustard
- 3 oz sirloin (off the grill ala favorite brother)

LCing all the way

- Nind eggs, fried in butter
- A head of lettuce
- Mustard
- 1/3 lb grilled burger patty
- 2 oz sirloin (off the grill ala favorite brother)

Low carb menu

- Ten eggs, fried in butter
- 4/5 of a head of lettuce
- Mustard
- 1.5 oz bbq pork rinds

Low carb menu

- Nine eggs, fried in butter
- 4/5 of a head of lettuce
- Mustard
- 2.5 oz sunflower kernals
- 2 oz bbq pork rinds

Weigh-in: 156.6

LC menu

- Nine eggs, fried in butter
- A head of lettuce
- Mustard

Low carb menu

Wednesday's Menu:
- Ten eggs, fried in butter
- Lettuce (not sure how much)
- A few bites of pulled pork with mayo
- 3.32 oz cheese 


Thursday's Menu:
- Seven, fried in butter
- A a head of lettuce


Weighed in at 155.0!

Low carb menu

- Ten eggs, fried in butter
- 3/4 of a head of lettuce
- 3.32 oz cheese
- Mustard
- Bratwurst off the grill (1 carb)