Frequent Flyer in the Gastroenterology Office

After a fun, too-short trip to Florida, we are back home. Early this morning--actually it didn't feel so early because I am still on East Coast time zone--I met with the nurse practitioner to schedule another colonoscopy. Yes, it was just a year ago I went through this. The result of my thyroid function blood test was normal, so Dr. Kohn advises me to get my colon scoped again. The elevated tumor marker is the main reason, but constipation symptoms contribute.  The nurse practitioner mentioned that switching back to a refrigerated probiotic (something I switched from a few months ago) and trying an over-the-counter fiber supplement could alleviate the constipation. If that is the case, I will probably follow up with Dr. Kohn to make sure she still thinks all this is really necessary!

The procedure for prepping the colon has changed a bit, using over-the-counter medicines instead of the evil-tasting Moviprep.  It still will make for a long night, but hopefully the taste will be a bit more tolerable. I have the procedure scheduled for the end of August, the first we could match Walt and my schedule with the doctor's.  Last time I think I had an 8 or 9 a.m. appointment, and the best I could do now was 1 p.m. This means a longer stretch of time when I'm awake and unable to eat (eating is so overrated!), but the good thing is I don't have to wake up so early in the morning to take the last round of drink. So much fun! And what did you do on your summer vacation?

4-Month Doctor's Appointment

My how four months flies by. Today I was once again sitting in my doctor's office, awaiting my check-up. Things have changed in the hospital--a new cafeteria opened, new signs... Other things are the same--lots of sick patients, many in head scarves, some being wheeled in by a caregiver... An older couple was cheerfully chatting with a gray-haired lady and discovered they all went to the same high school in Bellevue. They found other things in common than the cancer that brought them to the office. A cheerful man was escorted back to get an IV for a scan. Yes, I said cheerful. He had the most amazing smile and lightness in his demeanor. I was on a walk with a friend yesterday who worked in a cancer center for a while. She said it was hard because those who were healthy didn't come as much, and those who she saw often would get sicker and sicker. I looked at a couple of older, frailer people today, maybe recognizing one or two of them from a previous visit, and thought, they probably are the ones who frequent this office. 

 

When I went in for my appointment, I mentioned to Dr. Kohn the white marks on my arms and how I googled it and maybe it was connected with thyroid function. My endocrinologist told me that tamoxifen could affect my thyroid.  In looking at the symptoms of hypothyroidism, I noticed constipation. Clicking through, I discovered that a slow-moving bowl is also considered constipation. Recently I've had that problem. (I  know--too much info!) When I mentioned it to Dr. Kohn, she said that might explain the CEA marker. It is mostly used for GI stuff, and can cover a wide assortment of things related to cancer to other things that are not as harmful. She said she would check my thyroid levels, and if they were low, then we would try to treat my thyroid and see if the other things clear up. If the thyroid is normal, then she recommended another colonoscopy. Even though I just had one last summer, she would like to follow up again, because of the tumor maker and minor symptoms.

When I got home, I googled colon cancer symptoms, and while the change of bowel habits is there, I don't have anything else. In fact, unexplained weight loss is a symptom, and I have been struggling with gaining weight lately. I've tried curbing my eating, getting in more exercise, but I still have been gaining. This would be more along the lines with hypothyroidism. Not only do I lean that way in my "expert" analysis of my symptoms, I would prefer it to having to go through another colonoscopy. I should find out the results of the test by next Tuesday.   

Finally, Dr. Kohn found a lumpy area in my right breast...the other, healthy one. She thinks it's a cyst or fibrous tissue, but isn't too worried about it. When I have my mammogram this fall, I'll also have an ultrasound to make sure it really is harmless. So, I finally left the office with appointments for a blood draw in two months, mammogram, ultrasound and bone density scan in three months, and another blood draw and follow up appointment in four months. I know I should be grateful that it wasn't every week or every three weeks like it was a couple summers ago, but it still feels overwhelming. Based on the results of the thyroid tests, I'll have other appointments slotted in there, too. I have an appointment already scheduled for September with my endocrinologist, Dr. Moore, but maybe that'll have to be rescheduled to an earlier time. 

So, for now, I wait. I try not to worry. I continue to trust in God's good and perfect plan.  We leave for Florida a week from tomorrow, so hopefully I'll have some answers before that trip. Today, I will remember that it's not me frequenting the office, that my weeks and months between appointments is a blessing. Living for today...