The Email I Wrote My 2 Wonderful Band Mates Tonight

So, my little band/musical project that gigs 3x a year/jam buddies and I TRY to meet on Thursdays. All 3 of us have had very eventful lives over the past 6 months, to say the very least. We all try to be understanding when someone has to bail. But my bailouts (funny word now, eh?) are far too frequent this summer....and we even have an actual gig in 10 days. So I felt the need to fill them in with some candor and a hint of humor. Glad I can do that with them! Here:

Hey guys!

I was working today (at a youth camp at my school) and an 'attack' came on...I tried, I tried, I tried to not cry. But I broke down....not just over the pain (tho that was a huge chunk of it).

I cried because I am tired of not knowing when/how it is going to start, tired of having to seem flakey to people because I can't make 100% plans anymore, tired of not having anything to say in a conversation that's not about my digestive system. Tired of WAITING for the stupid test #2.

So you know what I did? I called that freakin' hospital & said, "I am in PAIN. Bad. I can't wait until next TUESDAY for my hydroscan."

A few details worked out later & I am now testing this Friday...in 2 days...yay! It doesn't mean I'll know anything then. It does mean that I will get the ball rolling on finding out.

The downside to that with band practice is that for all of Thursday, no MEDS to prep me for the test. Especially pain pills. And Hydrocodone has been my best friend for the past 48 hours. So if I am having a flare-up, I will be moaning & groaning in bed. OH, I will also be starving & thirsty (no food or drink come evening). I know, you wonder why I don't channel the energy into some music, eh?

I will let you guys know if I am not feeling so hot tomorrow. Every day it's different. Think of my digestive system like the Oklahoma weather system.

Your "flakey" friend & bandmate, Lisa

PS: to the bloggers, not the band....next blog is not about the gall bladder. Deal? Deal!

The Wild Times of June '10

As if the hail storm did not already add craziness to this newlywed couple's first few months together.... the school year ended & the crazy escalated.

As all you Oklahomans know...our lovely hailstorm was followed by a flood. As in, people were starting to wonder if Noah was about to float by. Thankfully, we had no giant holes in the roof that caused leakage in the house. But my little car did get ankle-deep water in the floorboards (ah, the prices you pay for a fun convertible).

So, we had a nightmare of a time with our insurance check that we finally got for all of our hail damage to the house. Note to self (and you, dear reader): Insurance checks MUST have a third-party signature. As in, my bank (which is also my home loan provider) should have signed the check. The check bounces that followed that check return were ugly. I couldn't get all the fees fixed, but thanks to my former show choir buddy who is now VP of my bank...I got some expenses recouped. (and rightfully so, don't you agree?)

Ah, and that takes us to the Stomach Mystery of 2010.

Ok, so I've been having weird stomach issues since oh, mid-March. But nothing that i couldn't suck up & handle. Besides, I was too BUSY to put much thought into it. Yet come late May....when the wedding hub-bub was over, when my job was over....it's like my body finally said, "Finally, now I can show you the state I'm REALLY in!" (isn't that the way it goes?)

I was having enormous, horrible pains after I ate. Yes, almost every meal. It didn't get truly bad until our honeymoon. That's right, folks: I had some very UN-romantic problems on my HONEYMOON. Seriously?

The pain got worse when we returned so I finally went to a general practitioner. (I had been in Urgent Care a few weeks prior...they said I had a "bug that was going around," gave me antibiotics, and sent me on my way)...so I wasn't totally neglecting this. But see, I haven't had a family doctor since I was a kid. Did you just gasp? Cuz apparently I'm not alone: I was trying to get referrals from responsible, educated adults...and many told me that they did not have one either. I've had the same OB/GYN since I was 16. And I love him! (Yes, a 'him.') And my dentist has taken care of these pearly whites since I was about 12. I love him, too! So, the need never arose for a good ol' fashioned MD. I recall a few visits to a general doctor in high school...and that was only because it was my boyfriend's dad and I had found a little lump. (that was potentially awkward, huh?)

I love my allergy doctor, too. I make him laugh.

And I had a great surgeon during the Appendix Eruption of 2005.

But honestly establishing a doctor had never seemed a high priority. Not to mention in my early 20s I couldn't even pick a state to stay in. ;)

So, with this new gastrointestinal issue....I felt the need to form a doctor/patient relationship. And I am semi-satisfied with who I'm using during this issue. I, quite frankly, have some biases on doctors to begin with. These prejudices are mostly due to a) bad experiences of waiting in 3 different rooms to see a doc and then having him/her breeze by for like 5 minutes and b) oh yeah, the cocky doc I dated a few years back.

I must tell that story. It's a good one.

See, I was at a point in my life when I dated Dr. Ego that I was not interested in commitment. I had come out of a "relationship" with a jealous, quite mad person...and I just wanted to see what else was out there. So lots of casual dinner dates & the like. Some I kept around for 4 or 5 dates. He was one of them.

He also wanted to get all serious on me & Lisa was not having it. So...when I tried to be a grown-up and end it very amicably (it's never quite possible, eh?), I told him that I wanted to continue to see other people.

He leaned back & smiled, "Ok. I'm not worried."

"Huh?" I mean, I was glad he was taking it well...but the smug grin? What?

"You'll be back. I'm a doctor."

Wow. Simmer on that one a moment. What do you think little Lisa did? Of course! NEVER called him back.

Now, just to be fair, he claims he was joking....but we all know the true psychology of jokes.

Ok, so dating aside, I am seeing someone.....a family doctor. Actually, I tend to see his wife more....she is a Nurse Practitioner & she truly is the people-person between them. She rocks!

And so the doctor is "suspicious of my gall bladder." I've come clean on Test #1-- the gallstone test. Up next: The Function Test. Apparently, I'll be drinking this radiation liquid & they will watch my gall bladder while I lay still on a table for 3 hours. Oh goody. So, while my gall bladder may be thoroughly examined...I may very well get cancer from the radioactive fluid runnin' through my digestive tract. ;)

Ah, the joys of being a science experiment.

All joking aside....I am thankful that I'm seeing 2 professionals right now that are listening to me & actually trying to help me get answers. And I am thankful to God EVERY SINGLE DAY that I get through without pain. (a low-fat diet seems to help the pain subside).

If you pray, add me to the list while I figure out what my insides are trying to tell me. ;)

Hope you had as much fun reading this one as I did writing it. See you later, gator~ Lisa