Weekend Update

Oh, poop...I managed to let another week go by without updating all y'all on the fun stuff in my life. There hasn't been much going on, but still!

Well, first of all, I have learned that I should be funnier. Damn. If this blog had been a hell of a lot funnier, I might have got mentioned in the Newsweek article about young people handling cancer with humor, like Megan did. Her blog, "What's up your butt?" inspired this blog, and was mentioned in the article. Yay for Megan!

Anyway... the medical news update...

I went to see Dr. Davis, my gynecologist, on Monday to see about that gnarly little prolapse problem and my bladder issues.

Basically, my vaginal canal is prolapsing because of lack of support and weakened muscles and tissues. Luckily, at this point, the prolapse is NOT bad enough to need surgery. That may change at ANY time, of course, and if it does, I will need surgery. I made sure that the doctor understands that my BCCTP coverage ends about a year from now, so if there's any chance I'm going to need surgery at some point, I need to have it before that coverage disappears. No more coverage, no surgery. We just can't afford it, period.

Dr. Davis has also figured out that I have interstitial cystitis, which is a bladder problem, and which explains a LOT of my life. I'll let WebMD explain what it is:

Interstitial cystitis is a chronic inflammation of the bladder that causes chronic pain and discomfort. Symptoms often include a sense of urgency and increased frequency of urination. The bladder is a hollow balloon-like organ that collects urine from the kidneys and holds it until it can be expelled. The walls of the bladder consist mainly of muscle that relaxes as the bladder fills and contracts to empty it. The inside walls are covered with a lining of cells that protect the muscle from contact with urine.

Inflammation associated with IC causes the lining to scar and the bladder to stiffen, which affects the way

the bladder expands. In about 90% of IC cases there are pinpoint spots of bleeding visible in the lining. And in 5% to 10% of cases, there are ulcers or sores known as Hunner's patches.

Interstitial cystitis causes mild to severe pain in the bladder and surrounding pelvic area.

Well-that explains an awful lot, now doesn't it? Dr. Davis says that the condition also acts in such a way that it inflames the MAST cells in the lining of the bladder and cause a histamine reaction.

Basically, what all of this means is that I have a possible/probable explanation for some of the constant pain I'm in, the constant need to pee, the frequent feeling like I have a bladder infection when I don't (test sticks say no), and the difficulty and pain emptying my bladder.

The good news is that there are things that can be done about this. Yay! There are medications I can take, and there is a procedure called a cystoscopy that we will probably be doing. That involves threading a camera into the bladder to look at the walls and see how inflamed the lining is, and wash the inside of the bladder with a couple different solutions to soothe and medicate it. The doctor's office is working on the logistics for that.

The only bad news is that one of the meds, which I've been on for a few days now, seems to be hitting me HARD with gastro-intestinal side effects. In short, I am SICK. Nausea, vomiting, cramps, diarrhea, painful gas bubble, stomach pain, intestinal cramps, you name it, I've got it.

So, where does that leave us? Well, for a few days, still sick, hoping that the side effects go away! I'll let everyone know when the cystoscopy gets scheduled. It'll be a Monday, it'll be up at Feather River Hospital and it will be done under heavy conscious sedation to general anesthesia, depending. Hell, put me under, I don't want to be awake if I don't have to be!!

The prolapse will be considered under observation for now, but if it gets any worse, then Dr. Davis will have to go in and surgically yank things back into place.

Otherwise, we've just been goofing off around the house, trying to get some small projects done, and preparing for the impending arrival of the children. They'll be back all too soon, and there are school supplies to prepare, clothes to get, you name it. I'm trying to get at least a little bit of something useful done each day before I collapse into "sick and icky" mode and do nothing.

I think that's about it.........but I'll try not to wait a week next time! The longer I wait, the more I forget.....