Thursday, September 10, 2009

Nasopharyngoscopy, anyone?

Some of you may have noticed that I have lost a bit of weight lately and while I wish I could just say "Thank you." and bask in the glory of it for a while I have to be honest with you and tell you that it was not on purpose. Not that I couldn't stand to lose some weight, mind you, but this wasn't my intentional doing. And it caused alarm for me.

I have been struggling with a pretty bad case of acid reflux since May. Longer, actually but the symptoms I was having didn't add up for the doctors over the past two years until things kind of spun out of control starting this spring.

It had gotten so bad that I gave up coffee in July in the hopes it would help. And if you know anything about me - that was huge. H.U.G.E. I have barely been able to eat much at all and forget about before bedtime snacking. I gave that up because of the pain it would cause. All good things for losing weight and all but not that great for the reasons it happened.

I have been on weeks and weeks (I think 11) of Prilosec OTC plus 3 weeks of Zantac 150 twice a day. I have downed more Mylanta than I care to ever see again. I have felt pretty crummy and, of course, all the "What if's" that I am prone to were none to easy to deal with either.

In early August I was referred to an ENT and after a 5 week wait, I had my appointment this morning. He was great! He talked with us (Dakota went with me which was really great and meant the world to me) and basically all my symptoms line up with acid reflux. He did a nasopharyngoscopy and determined there was nothing any more serious going on (and let me tell you - while not a painful procedure it sure the heck isn't comfortable either. Dakota said it looked like a magic trick as he extracted the tube from my nose. Gross!). While there I had him look at a weird spot under my dental appliance (that is worn full time) which was causing me...well...fear. Two dentist and a hygenist had already looked at it and figured it to be a non-issue but an ENT calming my fears was just what I needed! He was totally "Eh. No big deal." about it which was exactly what I needed to hear. I really do need to stay away from Google.

So anyway - I am now on a double dose of Prilosec for a while (6-8 weeks at least) and then, hopefully, I can wean down to a single dose. I'm hoping that my throat and my vocal cords will heal up quickly. Not that I don't enjoy the occasional raspy-sexy sounding voice but enough is enough. And the sore throat I have had almost constantly for a year? Yeah - that can stay away too. I will say that the Prilosec really did take care of that part early on. Thank goodness.

I can just add this to my "learn to deal with" list. A list that already has quite a bit on it but honestly? It sure the heck beats the alternative, you know?

And why is this the first you are hearing about this? Because Casey doesn't share medical stuff well. If it makes you feel any better, Dakota heard precious little about it as well. Sometimes I prefer to keep the crazies locked in my own head. :)

So there you have it. All in all - it was a day full of really good news for me which may seem odd to say but I'll take it. Though between you and me - I would really like to get well enough that I can enjoy my coffee again. :)

12 comments:

Tanya said...

Glad you got "good" news. The only thing that works well for R is Aciphex. Been on it for yrs.

Unknown said...

Ah, Casey. So much news, none of it good :( I'm so sorry. Acid relux is the worst. I hope the new meds and just generally being educated on your condition helps ease the worry! Now I have to wonder why we are meeting for COFFEE Monday morning!?

Casey said...

Nikki - they do serve other things. :)

Mimi said...

Thank god.....and yes stay the hell away from google!!!!!

Jen said...

HOLY CRAP! You are so secretive! I am glad it is nothing more serious, and glad your doc has some ideas that should help. Also glad it's nothing more invasive. Wow. Share the load, lady! Maybe you'd feel better!

Anonymous said...

Ouch! And giving up coffee? You are my hero! I have tried SO MANY TIMES. I just can't. I drink a pot in the morning, iced coffee in the afternoon and a cup at night with the hubs. Good for you for being proactive about all this. Glad to hear things are on the up and up!

Heidi

A Jersey Girl said...

Glad you got Good News!!!

Emily

Kristen said...

I suppose there are worse things than giving up coffee for your health. Like giving up ice cream. But I'm sure its worth it to feel a little better. I think there is low-acid coffee out there, but it might just be wishful thinking. I suppose if you've gone this long without it, though, you probably don't need to start the habit again.

Kristen said...

http://www.hevlacoffeeco.com/

www.puroast.com/

both have low acid coffee. Probably best to wait til you get the damage healed and it under control, but see, there is hope at least for an occasional non-painful cup o joe

Monogram Queen said...

Hoping you feel real better fast, medical problems are NOT fun and no- g**gle is not always your friend!

Heather said...

I was tol in Jan of 07 I had GERD (massive AR) and a hernia after they did the scope. I have to take Previcid max dose and i have a back up tagament 300mg 2 times a day if needed and on top of this i have tums. =) Its not a fun thing to have but it can be delt with =)

Julie said...

Geez! Sorry to hear about this. At least you know it's nothing too major and can hopefully be dealt with the proper medication. Good luck, I hope you're back to your old self again soon!