Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Getting Really Tired of This ...




So if my internist diagnosed me correctly and I have diverticulitis ... let me just say it sucks.

I've done four days of antibiotics, and while I realized I probably wouldn't be all better, I really expected to be feeling much better by now. And I'm really not.

The Internet can be a dangerous thing for those of us with medical problems, I've decided. This has now been going on for almost two weeks, but most of the websites I've looked diverticulitis up on say the acute phase usually only lasts two to four days.

The only reason I haven't had a complete meltdown over having yet another mystery symptom is that I convinced myself that this was a temporary, acute illness and not something that was going to drag on and on like the rest of my mysterious illness.

So of course on Monday, when I'm looking up diverticulitis yet again (and why, or why, can I not spell that word without having to go back and fix it?), I read on WebMD that it's possible to have chronic diverticulitis with intermittent attacks.

So, let me just say that I am drawing a line in the sand here and refusing to let this turn into yet another chronic health problem I have to face. I'm just not going to put up with that.

Think the Powers That Be will hear me and cooperate? I'm a little leery of offering an ultimatum when I don't really have the control/power to force an alternative.

Meanwhile, I see the GI doc today. Let's hope he can make a quick diagnosis (or confirm the internist's) and figure out a way to make it all better asap.

Photo used under licence via Creative Commons:

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

:(
let's hope!

Lisa Emrich said...

How did the visit go? Hopefully you got some good news.

Unknown said...

I know what you mean about the internet being dangerous for those of us with medical issues.

I hope you got some answers today.

Aviva said...

Thanks, ladies! The GI doc agreed with the internist that it's diverticulitis, so I'm starting on different antibiotics (cipro and Alinia). He tells me that most people start feeling much better in two to four days, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

Lisa: I guess I'm in the 5 percent of diverticulitis patients under 50, just like your brother! I have to admit it's not a club I wanted to join, but I'm relieved that it's usually fairly simple to make go away.

Yaya: Thank you SO much!

Beth Anne: It's nice to know I'm not alone in doing way too much research on my various medical issues. Even though I sometimes scare myself that way, I do think I prefer feeling like I'm educated on the possibilities rather than burying my head in the sand. Although there are times I wish I could be an ostrich ... (do they really do that when they're scared? I should google that.)