My Weblog

Scary Sleep Adventure

One morning I woke up only to go into the kitchen to find the computer on, and one of my pills laying on the table.  My first thought was of course I was sleep  walking again, but the frightening part is wondering if I took medicine I wasn't suspose to take.

The Yuck Test!

I call it the yuck test because in the days of old they were yucky.  I am referring to the colonoscope, you know the one where you spend the previous day on the toilet emptying your whole insides out so they can take a look up the rectum to see whats going on. 

Actually I didn't have it done, my mom did, and also a friend of mine.

So really I want to post about her experience, and encourage anyone to have it done if your doctors advises one.  My mom constantly had stomach troubles for years on end.  She was diagnose with IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) so she took as that, and didn't bother to take it a step further.  But the problem still existed this very sensitive stomach, that would only tolerate certain foods.  If she eat the wrong foods look out because all hell is broke loss.

To really get to the heart of the matter my aunt constantly encouraged her to have a colonoscopy.  Of course she dreaded it, but scheduled for one anyway.  As it turned out it wasn't as bad as they use to be in the days of old.  She was asleep during the whole procedure, not only that but they found 2 pockets in her intestine, along with a bacteria that was causing her stomach problems.

The polyp's have been corrected, and medication was given to her to clear up the bacteria, and now stomach problems be gone!

Fondly,

from a patient's perspective,

Adrienne

Echo Stress Test

About five weeks ago I had my stress test and echocardigram, it wasn't to bad.  It was just a matter of being hooked up to a few monitor to watch my blood pressure, and heart rate.  The whole idea was to get pictures of my heart to make sure it is functioning properly.

Today I received my results, I didn't actually see the doctor I saw the "advanced practicioner".  I didn't there was such a thing as advanced practitioners.  I am well familiar with the PA - Physician Assistants. You know the ones who actually think they are the doctor, but they are not.  But I must say they are very professional at treating the patient's with great bedside manners.

But back to the results.  It was interesting she give me a mixed explanation she said well everything looks normal, but we did see you have a grade 1 enlargement of the top left and right values.  You know your heart is divided into four sections.  She also when on to say your heart muscle isn't relaxing as well as it should when its pumping.  I thought well, that doesn't sound 100% normal to me.  But she assured me alot of people have a small enlargement its nothing to worry about.

The one thing she was concerned about was the chlestoral level which were elevated 40 points higher than normal.   I didn't know practitioners could write prescriptions either.  She wrote out a script for Zetia 10m.g. and ordered new blood work to be taken in 6 weeks. Which is pretty much routine after begining a new regiment of medicine.

There you have it todays test results.

fondly,

from a patient's perspective,

Adrienne

Sleep Adventures 101

Since my last post I began talking about my sleep troubles.  I also mentioned that I now take ambien. One interesting point to note is that I also take clonazepam.  For those who are not familiar with anxiety, or some would call them nerve meds.  Clonazepam is a medication that can be prescribed for individuals who suffer from anxiety.  In my case it is prescribed to be used with the ambien.  My night rituals is to take the clonazepam around 9:45 - 10:00 p.m. this med also makes individuals sleepy.  So I start my ritual by preparing for sleep an hour before I actually take my ambien.  The ambien is taken 15 min. before I actually get ready for bed.  For me it is necessary to have a one two punch so to speak.  We will talk more about Clonazepam in the next post.

fondly,

from a patient's perspective,

Adrienne

Sleep Disorder

Sleep problems is one of the worst disorders a person could possibly have.  For me it started about 5 years ago.  It began slow with 2 week intervals of insomnia.  No problem at first.  I self medicated the first year or so with herbal teas, aromatherphy, different bubble baths designed to help you sleep.  They all worked very well for a good while, but then the sleep problems kept coming back like a horrible cold that wouldn't go away, and getting worse.  I sought out health food stores asking questions, seeking advice which was very helpful.  Believe me when it comes to sleep issues I feel I could help anyone get through, because I have been through it. 

I tried everything I could to avoid going to the doctor I took over-the-counter medicines, tylenol you name it I tried it.  I even tried Unisom for some reason this one didn't work at all.  It give me a terrible headache.

Well I tried Valerian Root capsuales which is a splendid herbal remedy that works wonders and boy do you sleep great.  But after using it for awhile I developed a side effect my heart started racing, I knew it was from the Valerian because it would wake me up in the middle of the night.  There are other herbs hysop is great it comes in a tea, or liquid this did wonders for awhile also.

It seems with each solution I found it would work great for some time, and the next thing you know nothing.  I actually thought I was going nuts.  I trucking to the doctor he gave me a prescription for Ativan it worked great to, for about a year. You guessed it I grew immune to it as well.

Nowadays I take good old Ambien.  The medicine works but I am still on a quest to find out why I am experiencing the problem.  But there is so much to tell about my sleep troubles, come back for more in another post I will continue my adventures on my sleep journey a little later.

fondly,

from a patient's perspective,

Adrienne

Me And HPV

• The one very important thing that I finally understand is once you have it you can't get rid of it. Well, let just say the type that I have it's not leaving. One very important detail to know is abnormal pap smears. I always had this abnormal pap--I was like what the heck is going on here. Well I know all about it now, and know that it can cause cervical cancer. The important thing about HPV is to treat those abnormal cells before it gets out of hand.

  I will talk about the procedure I had in another article.

  At least now there is Gardisil, I would advise any young lady to get vaccinated especially if you are sexually active, better yet always use protection--a condom.

  Here are the guidelines according to the American Cancer Society for early detection of cervical cancer

  1. All women should begin cervical cancer screening about 3 years after they begin having vaginal intercourse, but no later than when they are 21 years old. Screening should be done every year with the regular Pap test or every 2 years using the newer liquid-based Pap test.

  2. Beginning at age 30, women who have had 3 normal Pap test results in a row may get screened every 2 to 3 years. Another reasonable option for women over 30 is to get screened every 3 years (but not more frequently) with either the conventional or liquid-based Pap test, plus the HPV DNA test. Women who have certain risk factors such as diethylstilbestrol (DES) exposure before birth, HIV infection, or a weakened immune system due to organ transplant, chemotherapy, or chronic steroid use should continue to be screened annually.

  3. Women 70 years of age or older who have had 3 or more normal Pap tests in a row and no abnormal Pap test results in the last 10 years may choose to stop having cervical cancer screening. Women with a history of cervical cancer, DES exposure before birth, HIV infection or a weakened immune system should continue to have screening as long as they are in good health.

  4. Women who have had a total hysterectomy (removal of the uterus and cervix) may also choose to stop having cervical cancer screening, unless the surgery was done as a treatment for cervical cancer or pre-cancer. Women who have had a hysterectomy without removal of the cervix should continue to follow the guidelines above.

  There are many types of HPV that may be transmitted through sexual contact. That is why in my last post I strongly advise always using protection with a condom. The important differences are the low risk types of HPV that cause external genital wars, for example, are not the same as high-risk type found with cervical cancers.

  Many sexually active people are exposed to more than one type in their lifetime, however, regular check ups should be done if this is the case. Like any other sexually active woman, a woman with warts should have Pap test on a regular basis.

  Now let me tell you how mis-informed I was about these warts. The gynecologist kept telling me I had these warts. I was like what warts I was even looking for them. I looked down my pants searching for these warts I keep hearing about but I could not see them. So I thought somebody is mistaken. Can you believe I didn't have the good sense to realize they were up on the inside of me? I am serious--I think I was in denial. It made my skin crawl to think about having something foreign on the inside of my body.

  As I mentioned earlier I will continue the procedures involved with removing the warts in another post.

• fondly,

• from a patient's perspective,

• Adrienne

Infertility And The Miracle Baby

I want to write this article because even after 2 months of the new addition to our family I am still experiencing after shock that miracles actually do happen.

There is so much that this women experienced I hardly know where to begin in telling her story. So, as they say I will begin at the beginning. The reason why I know the story so well, is because it happened in my family to a very close family member.

My precious cousin was told her chances were slim of ever having a child; and of course she believed what the doctors told her. The situation: Her medical history. She is only 4 feet 10 inches tall and weighted 435 lbs. and this is a true story. She experienced a lifestyle of obesity it plagued her for years; moreover this was not the only medical problem she faced. There was and still is hypertension, and diabetes.

This young woman decided to first correct her weight problem by undergoing a weight loss surgery procedure known as the lap-band. It has been two and a half years later, and 180 lbs lighter. It still was a long road ahead of her to face every health situation in order to increase her chances of conception.

The most serious of her ailments were the tumors which were the reason for the infertility. The tumors prevented any chances of conception. After her body healed and rested from the changes of going through the surgery she underwent a second surgery to remove the tumors. The doctors advised her to have a complete hysterectomy, but she refused and instructed the surgeons to only remove the tumors.

The surgery was successful we thought at first, but the tumors returned 8 months later; moreover they returned worst than what they were in the beginning. She cried sorely and was depressed, and even went through denial by telling herself "oh I don't want children anyway."

One year later the third surgery was performed to remove the tumors, and once again history repeated itself the tumors came back a second time. There were other health complications, but this brave women faced them all, but through it all in the year of 2007 she had conceded.

SueAnn had conceded, and at six months pregenant she didn't know what she was carrying was a baby. She had thought the tumors were growing inside her for a third time, but this time it was a baby. One week before Thanksgiving she delivered the baby by ceserean section prematurely.

The baby had to be taken from the womb early to increase her chances of surviving. And it's two months later the baby is finally home -- and we have a miracle in our family. A breathing real live miracle. You can guess what the mother named her, yes Miracle. Not only are we all still in shock, but the doctor has said it is a miracle, it really is a miracle.

as always fondly,

from a patient's perspective

adrienne

Krazy Like Menopause

I want to take a sidebar from HPV and paint you a picture of what menopause felt like for me before the doctors told me that it really was menopause--

I wept ceremoniously for days; I believed cathartic tears would wash misery from my soul.    On the other side of my cathartics awaited an unforgettable warfare to fight – unmasked drudgery sins from a crimson past – a dueling courtship of decency versus disgust; a final showdown to determine the stability of a sane mind or a mind in perpetual anguish.   

Low pitch screams were the sounds piercing through my oval slender lips.  The corridors echoed with the spurring of the sorrowful lamenting cries exploding from my mouth.   One would have thought the growling sounds were of a brown bear whose cubs were in danger of their lives – I expressed no words.   But the squeals were well interpreted that this distressed woman had notable emotional scarring, this type of scarring could only be erased with years of therapeutic treatment – which had yet to begin. 

Major Depression was my friend; unresponsive, and uncooperative in responding to direct questions.     

Meal times were acrobatic for the nurses, who used trickery to entice Me to swallow miniature portions of food.  My rib cage imprints showed underneath the thin hospital wear that was given to my upon admittance.  My arctic heart lay beneath iron clad ribs for protection from a world I thought was the cause of my tormented soul.  Glazed staring eyes told a tale of a soul stranded in a desert with no hope of rescue.  The blackness of my soul was drenched in a horrid lone abyss; invisible creatures of the darkness were my only confidants.   

  Now of course I fictionalized menopause so people who aren't going through it will know what they have to look forward to.  And yes it is different for everyone, but my experience I was depressed as hell and didn't know why.  I actually thought I was going crazy.  I couldn't sleep, I was jumpy, and angry any little thing someone said to me I was ready to bit their head off.

Now we will go back to HPV in my next post.

fondly,

from a patient's perspective

Adrienne

HPV-Human Papillomavirus

It took me forever to understand what in the world is HPV!  As a matter-of-fact it took me a long time to realize the doctors were telling me something that I needed to understand.  One important fact; I was diagnois with HPV in the old days when there were no advertisements about what it was, and the dangers that suround having it.

What is HPV?

There are more than 100 dirent types of HPV.  Certain types of HPV cause warts on the hands or feet, and other types can cause warts or abnornmal cell changes on the genitals.  Many people with HPV do not know they have it since they do not have any types of symptoms.   This was the case with me I had no signs, and you don't feel sick it's not that type of virus.

The one very important thing that I am finally understanding is once you have you can't get rid of it.   At the type that I have it aint leaving. 

One very important detail to know is abnormal pap smears.  I always had this abnormal pap--I was like what the heck is going on here.  Well I know all about it now, and know that it can cause cervical cancer.  The important thing about HPV is to treat those abnormal cells before it gets out of hand. 

I will explain the procedures I had in some later post.

At least now there is Gardisil, I would advise any young lady to get vacinated especially if you are sexually active, better yet always use protection--a condom.

fondly,

from a patient's perspective

Adrienne

Milwaukee Braces

I remember when I was all of but 12 and my mom could not figure out why I was growing up with a one-sided hip.  It really was curvature of the spine (scoliosis).  It was horrible the doctor told my mom and its either surgery or braces.  I chose the brace -- the thought of wearing a body cast for 9 months was unbearable.  Just as well the stares I received from people in the public was just awful.  The day I came home with it on most of my family was at the house waiting.  It was the first time I cried for practically an hour without stopping.  The embarrassment I felt was just cruelty.  The brace was all metal all around the neck while holding your chin up and head straight.  It was the beginning of my unforeseen journey of visits to doctors which I still continue to do today.

Many days I wish I would of had the surgery -- the one-sided hip still exist.

Funny thing about it when I walk people think its cute because my hips do this double twist which appears to others that I am switching, but I'm not -- its my little secret.

Fondly,

Adrienne

From a Patient's Perspective