Up your nose with a rubber hose

Don’t they say that dentists are the most hated medical professionals? Well, I’m not a lover of seeing Dentists, but for me, Gastroenternologists are probably one of the most disliked medical professionals.

I wonder where they come up with some of their ideas for medical tests? I really think that if a G.I. doctor got bored with his or her profession they could easily get work as a torturer. In the last month I’ve had three major tests that could all qualify as forms of torture or new interrogation techniques. Tubes that are almost as thick as garden hoses shoved down my throat and where the sun don’t shine. That was back at the end of June, and then this past Friday I had yet another lovely test.

On Friday I had a CT Enteroclysis. That’s where the rubber hose up my nose comes in … Well, it wasn’t rubber, I guess it was plastic or Non-latex. Either way, it went up my nose and then down into my stomach and small bowel. Fun stuff I tell ya. But I’m not greedy with my fun, if anyone wants a turn getting tortured er having this much fun, I’d be happy to let you try it out.

The test wasn’t really that bad. They sprayed the inside of my nose and the back of my throat with xyolocaine first. Oh that burned! Being slightly numb helped but it kept wearing off quickly. Luckily they were nice and kept spraying the fire liquid that made my eyes water whenever I told then my nose or throat hurt. I couldn’t really feel the tube when it was in my stomach or small bowel, but I did occasionally get a strange pain in my chest and near my right collar bone which was probably referred pain.

The tube wouldn’t stay in place … they kept getting it into a certain part of my small bowel and it kept moving back up into my stomach when I’d turn on my back – at their request. It took half an hour of fiddling to get the tube to stay almost where it was supposed to be, but I had to lay on my right side while they filled my stomach and small bowel full of contrast to keep the tube in place.

Anyway, I won’t bore you will all the details, just know that I’m recovering from yet another strange test that my Dr.s decided to put me through. Hopefully this one will pinpoint exactly where the problem in my small bowel is.

Tomorrow morning I’m going to see the Occupational Health doctor at my workplace. He put me off work for 6 months back in February and now it’s time to see him again and decide if I’m well enough to work again or not. Given the way I feel and now my new knee problem I’d say that NO I’m not ready to go back but I have to wait and see what he says.

I certainly want to go back to work. I love my job working in the ER department. I think of all the jobs that I’ve had I like it best. Plus, my medical unemployment pay ran out near the beginning of July. I just found that out last Wednesday. So I’m broke, very very broke. I’ve applied for short term disability with my medical plan through work but it will probably take a number of weeks before I find out if I’m accepted.

Needless to say I haven’t been a very happy camper this past week. Between being tortured with yet another medical test, trying to recover my from my fall that caused fluid to build up on my right knee, and finding out I have no money coming in I’ve been very stressed. Plus, as I said earlier, I do want to get back to work. Not just for the income, but because I love my job, and well, if I were back at work that would have to mean that I’m feeling better wouldn’t it? And I so want to feel better. I do!

Oh, I saw my family doctor again last Thursday too. I saw her because my knee really needed to be looked at as it’s still very swollen and painful thanks to my fall two weeks ago, and I also needed her to fill out the papers for my medical insurance short term disability claim. She sent me for another x-ray, and I also got an Ultrasound done on my knee.

The fluid in my knee is apparently full of debris, which means that it might be blood or infection. Luckily it doesn’t seem like the fluid is actually in the joint. So, tomorrow, after I see the Occupational Health doctor I might limp up to Emerg. and have the fluid sucked out of my knee. I’ll let you know if that was as much fun as having a hose shoved up my nose.