#sweatyselfie
Gather around children and let me tell you a tale of how my holiday went...
Made tasty food - good. Ate with family, also good. Hung out played games and enjoyed the attention of two of the worlds most adorable nephews. All was well.... or so I thought. I indulged more than usual, but still i thought, it's a holiday... my food choices weren't great but still better than they had ever been in the past. So home I went, little sister in tow.
Almost as soon as deciding to hit the hay, it began. A raging gurgling monster dug it's claws into my insides, twisted them around his talons and gave them a yank. OUCH! - I've had upset stomachs before... but nothing like this. This wasn't a tummy ache or a case of food poisoning. This was demonic possession. The food was trying to kill me!
Doubled over in pain I tried many things, tried taking a hot shower, walking, stretching, rocking back and forth and nothing helped except the very mild relief that puking would give, then back to the pain. It started in my stomach and them migrated slowly upward under my ribcage. By 4:00 and suffering this pain for almost 3 hours I shook my sister awake. "We have to go to the ER." I said.
Thus began my very first experience in the ER. That's right, took me 28 years, see how far I've come?
Checked in, and gave a variety of fluids to the cause of discovering the source of my pain. It's a strange realization that you're no longer fearful of needles because you've been poked enough times in your life that the fear has gone away. (shakes head sadly) Not that a needle was anything at the time... since demon voodoo was currently being performed inside my stomach.
They did a number of tests. Game me drugs that didn't help, and then I waited.
After hooking me up the heart monitor, they noticed that my heart rate was much lower than they would expect so they did the test with the eartchquake-mini-scratch-paper thing. Learned at least that apparently l've got a slower resting heart rate than normal people. Crazy! stupid machine would freak out any time it would dip and would manically beep until my heart rate rose a few more points to shut it up.
This went on for a while before the doctor arrived, deduced following a particularly fantastic puking session that he thinks I have Kidney Stones. So we head a bit later to get a CT. This is a tube machine where I have to hold my breath as it rotates around and takes pictures of my insides. It's like the tunnel game you play when you're a kid. The first one to loose their breath before the tunnel ends dies an early death - In the hospital you can bet I was dutiful at holding my breath all the way through the tunnel.
Wheeled back to the room to wait the results. No kidney stones. Nope, all tests normal.
At this time since the pain hasn't really gotten better, they give me a small paper cup filled with a variety of stuff I've just watched the attractive nurse guy dose into it. It's this murky milky looking thick concoction. Of corse I have to swallow it. One gulp I'm advised. (gross, it's like taking cough medicine when you're a kid, the anticipation to gulping the nasty is worse than actually doing it.)
Down the hatch it goes. My throat, my tongue and even my dangly ball (uvula) in the back of my throat all go numb. Slowly I start to feel some relief to my pain. the cocktail has numbed my insides, confused the taloned beast with it's hands in my guts... "What is this strange feeling" I imagine it saying in a deep scratchy voice.
After all this, they don't know what's wrong with me. I can't explain it... with that I'm sent home with prescriptions in hopes that they help. But when your tests come back normal... what can you say. I promise I wasn't faking it. Kjarsti will atest to it.
I have a couple theories...
1. I might be lactose intolerant to some degree... I've formed this hypothisis after my previous (albeit not so bad instances of abdominal pain) consuming of in the form of ice-cream. I haven't had ice-cream in a long time, before February last... The only dairy i've actually had is some cheese and yogurt which hasn't ever given me this reaction. But thanksgiving dinner - which was the last thing I ate before this ER fiasco, all had elements of dairy in it, cream cheese or sour cream in most of these starchy delectable dishes... and the cheesecake... groan-moan!
2. Theory number the next one is my no or next to no carb diet backfiring... Having not consumed that precise quantity of carbs/sugar in so long. My body was revolting against happiness. I can vouch - I was not happy.
3. Some combination of 1 & 2.
4. My stomach was on protest, angry that it's been denied all the tasty things, that It put up road blocks and started burning the furniture to keep all the tasty goodness inside me as long as possible.
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My trip to the ER, not fun. My November has looked bleak. Was sick the second week of November with a nasty flu/cold thing... Then the following week i've finally managed to shake it and then the week following that... this lovely thing happens.
I feel defeated, truthfully. I don't feel like I've made much progress this month with my fitness journey. On top of that I've not gone rock climbing all month! How can this be??? (sobs) That's just not fair, I want and need my new climbing hobby!
Even so, I know this to will pass. Rest assured, I'm feeling much better now. Back to my regular foods and working out... back to trying again tomorrow! Picking myself back up, and moving forward on this crazy train.
Crazy note, I'll have been doing this lifestyle change for a year in just under three months! I can hardly believe it!
#cutedresstocelebratefeelingbetterfinaly
New dress was my only black Friday purchase which I actually purchased before black Friday, (Off-White Wednesday) at +50% off. Only $20 WHAT??? I couldn't pass that up! wore it today for the first time since buying it.
It's officially a new month. Yay! I'm ready to say goodbye to November; so Hello December! Welcome Christmas, Pine Trees, Sleigh Rides, Snow, Carols, Cider, and Citrus! :)
