Chronic Cholecystitis....

In other words a faulty gallbladder!

I had been waiting for my HIDA scan results for a few days, when I didn't hear back I called my dr. to find out what was going on. Of course they couldn't find my results, but Dr. Riggs had a note saying to contact a Dr. Joe Jensen and make an appointment.

My appointment with Dr. Jensen was today. After rushing from Weber State all the way to Davis Hospital, I got to sit in a room and wait...

Dr. Jensen finally came in, we discussed a few things (my symptoms, the test Dr. Riggs ordered, etc...). Then he started to look over my test results, 14%, that is what the HIDA scan said my gallbladder functions at. He explained that my gallbladder is not squeezing properly, the only solution, surgery.

Not the exact words I wanted to hear. So, I scheduled the day, February 4th. I am extremely nervous, I have never had surgery before. It is also the worst timing, why couldn't this have happened after I was finished with school?


Also, Dr. Jensen shared with me my results of the ultrasound...no gallstones were visible, however they did find some cysts on my left kidney. Wish I would have heard this from my primary care giver and not my surgeon, but oh well!

Life....

Things have been pretty busy for me the last few weeks. I started another semester of school and I am loving it. I have four wonderful classes that have opened me up to looking within myself more. One of my classes is a substance abuse class; we have an assignment to attend an AA or NA meeting. Since I had the first week of school off from work, I decided I would get a jump start on my assignment. I did a little research online and saw that there was an AA meeting being held in Roy, so I decided I would go to it.

I walked into the church building a little apprehensive, but left feeling very humble. As I listened to each person's stories of how they got to their own situation, how they fought against it, and how they started the recovery process I felt selfish for reacting the way I do to some of my so called "stresses". I learned a lot about life, God, trust, love, acceptance, and courage that night. It is something I will keep in my heart forever!

Besides going to school I have been working and studying a lot. I am determined to get straight A's this semester. I also switched doctors. I didn't feel like my old one really listened to me, everything that is wrong with me is due to my weight. Yes, I know I am fat and that I need to do something about it, but not all of my symptoms I am feeling is due to my weight. So, I switched! I went to my first appointment with Dr. Riggs on January 11th, because I have been experiencing a few things. The biggest concern I had was that I have had extreme pain (a sharp stabbing pain) near my sternum. I also have sharp stomach cramps, nausea, and diarrhea after everything I eat; it gets worse if it is greasy, spicy, or dairy products. When I discussed this with my doctor he seemed concerned that it is my gallbladder. He set up an appointment for an ultrasound to see if I have gallstones...it came back negative. Therefore, tomorrow I am having a Hida Scan done. I will lay on a table for an hour or so, they will inject a radioactive dye in my veins, a machine will take pictures as it follows the dye through my veins. This scan will tell them if I have gallstones, if my gallbladder is working properly, if there is any blockage in my bile ducts, etc... If this comes back negative my doctor wants to do a scope to see if I have ulcers.

Here is to hoping that everything is okay!!!