Tuesday, May 14, 2013

I think it’s stress

photo (42) Yesterday’s Pipida scan showed my gallbladder is working fine.

So now I get to endure an endoscopy and a colonoscopy on June 4. At 6:15 a.m. Oh, well. I’ve been putting off the colonoscopy for a couple of years, so I might as well get it over with.

My M.D. daughter-in-law opined that I may have diabetic gastropariesis. I just looked up the symptoms:

Typical symptoms include:

  • Nausea - sometimes
  • Vomiting - no
  • Abdominal bloating - no
  • Abdominal pain - sometimes
  • Feelings of fullness after only a few bites of food - no
  • Heartburn or gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) - sometimes
  • Changes in blood sugar levels - maybe
  • Lack of appetite - no
  • Excessive weight loss – hell no

I’m more inclined to think I’m dealing with stress-induced or aggravated Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). I had something like it when I was in my teens and early 20s, but it stopped cold when I learned Transcendental Meditation. I haven’t been a regular meditator since late in 1992, but the times I’m included TM in my morning routine lately, my symptoms have abated. Since it costs me nothing to try, I’m going back to the prescribed regimen of 20-minute meditations twice daily and see what happens.

God knows I’ve been under enough stress over the past couple of years.

Does posting about my medical adventures qualify me as an old person?

Does riding 1,000 to a weekend motorcycle rally redeem me as an active late middle-ager? One can hope.

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