A+ Great Work

My mom stayed home to take care of babies, and Tori drove me to Safford for my colonoscopy/EDG. I wasn’t able to eat or drink anything after midnight the night before, so I was super dehydrated and headachy and miserable. 

I checked in at the hospital around 2pm. Finally they gave me some IV Tylenol and fluids, which helped tremendously. I hadn’t had a great experience at that hospital thus far, so I was super apprehensive, but the nurses were excellent which helped a ton. Then they took me back, put a bit in my mouth, made me breathe scary drug air, and then I was out. 

I remember being kind of pissed when I woke up because I was sleeping so well! Someone needs to let you stay sedated just a bit longer. Turns out Sleeping Beauty had the right idea - butt probe or not. 

Tori said I was really funny coming out of the anesthesia. I kept asking the same questions over and over again, not remembering that I’d just discussed it. My nurse apparently deserves an award for being super patient and just answering patiently each of the billion times as though I had only just asked. I guess I kept asking how thorough my prep was. Like HOW good, though. Like B- or A+? Lol She assured me (repeatedly) that I’d earned an A+. I guess that reassured me. #youcantakethenerdoutoftheschool

That’s actually the first thing I remember: feeling like the nurse was telling me something important but wondering why we were discussing this NOW, when I couldn’t even clearly make out her face. It was so confusing. And the meds stayed with me for hours afterward. I hadn’t expected that.

The doctor came by once I was fairly awake and told me the results. My entire large intestine as well as my stomach were severely inflamed and chuck full of ulcers. He said it was likely Ulcerative Colitis, and that the biopsies (they cut out a dozen throughout- ouch) would hopefully tell us more. He told me to eat a soft food diet and not to lift heavy things, drive, etc. for a few days. He also prescribed me a whole slew of medicines: Keflex and Flagyl (continue taking, for the UTI and to fight off potential infection), Pantoprazole (to reduce stomach acid while things heal), Sucralfate (to coat the ulcers like a band-aid and protect them as they heal), and Prednisone (a steroid to reduce and control all that inflammation). 

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