For starters on September 17, 2011 I took dad to the ER. He was experiencing some pain in his stomach area. At first we just went to Insta-care, but they sent us to the ER--they thought that he had kidney stones (boy were they wrong!). When we got to the ER, they did some test and found out that he had an infection. They were unsure where the infection was coming from, but the numbers were so high they had to admit him. On top of it all his WBC and Platelets were extremely low again.
He was in the hospital for five or six days (I can't remember). However, during his stay the infection moved to his blood which cause for more concern. While in the hospital they ran several test to monitor his organs and make sure the infection didn't do any damage. Since being released from the hospital he has been on an antibiotic for almost six weeks now (they put a Picc-line in), he has had surgery to remove scar tissue and allow him to urinate--during this surgery the urologist stated that he feels the infection is coming from his bladder, and his WBC and Platelets have remained low.
We are kind of back at the beginning of everything, but on the plus side dad is finally feeling a little better!
So, after dad was released I started to get my mind back into school. I finished the entire application process for the Education Program at Weber State University. The interview they administer was difficult and made me really think on my feet! My school work has been steady and strong (only 6 more Mondays in this semester!) I have been trying to stay focused and dedicated to what I need to accomplish. However, it has been a bit difficult to do. If it isn't one thing, it is something else in our family. Two weeks ago I started to have chest pain. It started on a Saturday, I kept ignoring it and hoping it would go away. On the following Tuesday it was extreme pain--I have a high pain tolerance and this brought tears to my eyes. So, on Wednesday I stopped into Insta-care on my way home from school. The doctor I saw was concerned that I might have a Pulmonary Embolism (blood-clot in my lung). He decided it was best if we did an EKG and a Chest-X-ray. My x-ray came back normal, but my EKG had a few indicators of blood-clot, this meant more tests. I was sent to the hospital where I had a CT scan. Luckily this scan came back negative for blood-clots and I was sent home. Dr. Winn (Insta-care) said that if I was still having pain to keep him informed. The following Tuesday I was still having pain, so I went in for another appointment with Dr. Winn. We discussed a few possibilities for chest pain in someone my age (anxiety, heartburn, etc...). Suddenly, Dr. Winn asked if he had me drink something the time before. I stated, no and he quickly had the nurse bring in this white mixture. The white mixture coated my esophagus and numbed it which took away my pain. Dr. Winn now was beginning to think my chest pain was due to heartburn--so he scheduled a EGD Scope.
On Thursday, October 20th I had a scope down my esophagus and to my stomach. Dr. Porter performed this, but before he did the procedure he asked me a few questions. One was, why are you here? I explained my chest pain and the proceeding tests. He asked if they ever checked my gallbladder, I laughed and told him I had that removed in February. He then asked if I had stones in my gallbladder--the answer, yes. He explained that even though the gallbladder is removed the bile duct can still form stones. He said he would still do the scope and check things out (everything was great), but he wanted to run some more test (of course!). Dr. Porter is having some blood work done on my pancreas and my liver. I am also going in for an MRI of my abdomen on Thursday, October 27th to check for stones. We will hope for the best and see what the outcomes are!!
On a more positive note....I was ACCEPTED into Weber State University's Education Program for Spring 2012!!!! All of the worry and stress is over, I am beyond excited to finish up school and begin my career as a teacher!!!
