My physical

I My endo wanted me to get a complete physical because of my fainting
spells. I had to be at the hospital at 4:30 AM this morning. That was
the only free time they had on the MRI machine.

They took my blood last week and my WBC was very high again, over
23000. The doctor thinks it is my spleen that is causing it and he
ordered the MRI of my spleen. The MRI was frightening, I almost got a
panic attack because of being enclosed in the coffin like tube. When
they finished, I could hardly wait while the thing rolled me out.

After the MRI I had to wait around until 8 AM to get the rest of my
physical. This time they checked me all over for signs of skin cancer
because I had some mole like things on my thigh. Then they did the
usual prodding around. They didn't do a mammogram because I am breast
feeding but they did do the squeezing to check for lumps. I was so
embarrassed when I squirted milk that shot half way across the room
when he squeezed my breast. The nurse said Wow you don't see that
every day, I just sat there and turned red. Before he finished the
check there was more leakage that I need a towel to wipe off.

Pending the reading of some tests and the MRI, I am in good shape
except for the high WBC. I have had that for many years and no one
knows why. At first they thought it was an early sign of Leukemia and
did 2 very painful bone marrow biopsies on me. My high WBC is still a
mystery.

By the time I got home I was ready to feed the baby. When I wait too
long I get full of milk and it gets a little painful an I need to
nurse and/or pump it out. I guess that's why the cows on a dairy farm
line up at milking time to get milked. LOL I told DH about the milk
squirt, he laughed and said show me. Maybe I will, later tonight.

Andrea2
mother, Type 2, MDI insulin
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Although gold dust is precious,
when it gets in your eyes, it obstructs your vision.
-- Hsi-Tang

In alt.support.diabetes on Wed, 17 Jan 2007 12:22:31 -0800 in Msg.#
<lr0tq2tdta5sscq1holbddorvbm2pdrlja@4ax.com>, Andrea2
<andrea6192001@yahoo.com> wrote:

> ... I had to be at the hospital at 4:30 AM this morning. ...

Well, that's enough to make ya sick right there!!

> They took my blood last week and my WBC was very high again, over
> 23000. The doctor thinks it is my spleen that is causing it and he
> ordered the MRI of my spleen. The MRI was frightening, I almost got a
> panic attack because of being enclosed in the coffin like tube. When
> they finished, I could hardly wait while the thing rolled me out.

I have to have what they call 'open' MRIs because of my claustrophobia.
However, their idea of open & my idea of open are not even related to each
other!!!

> Pending the reading of some tests and the MRI, I am in good shape
> except for the high WBC. I have had that for many years and no one
> knows why. At first they thought it was an early sign of Leukemia and
> did 2 very painful bone marrow biopsies on me. My high WBC is still a
> mystery.

I ran a high WBC for many years & they went nuts running tests to try to
find the source of it. They never did. Eventually I stopped running it.

--
DonnaB : ^> shallotpeel <*> Yahoo Messenger: shallotpeel

"Thousands of candles can be lit from a single candle & the life of the
candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared." -
The Sutta Nipata

Andrea, please keep us updated on your condition. I think it was a
little too much information about your husband and you tonigh. I have
visions of squirting the milk into his mouth. hahahahaha

Loretta

--
In tribute to the United States of America and the State
of Israel, two bastions of strength in a world filled with strife and
terrorism.

"DonnaB shallotpeel" <shallotpeel@comcast.net> wrote in message
news:sd9tq2ta73lui68f6ekg5j8pjk3vb58dkn@4ax.com...
> In alt.support.diabetes on Wed, 17 Jan 2007 12:22:31 -0800 in Msg.#
> <lr0tq2tdta5sscq1holbddorvbm2pdrlja@4ax.com>, Andrea2
> <andrea6192001@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
>> ... I had to be at the hospital at 4:30 AM this morning. ...
>
> Well, that's enough to make ya sick right there!!
>
>> They took my blood last week and my WBC was very high again, over
>> 23000. The doctor thinks it is my spleen that is causing it and he
>> ordered the MRI of my spleen. The MRI was frightening, I almost got a
>> panic attack because of being enclosed in the coffin like tube. When
>> they finished, I could hardly wait while the thing rolled me out.
>
> I have to have what they call 'open' MRIs because of my claustrophobia.
> However, their idea of open & my idea of open are not even related to each
> other!!!
>
>> Pending the reading of some tests and the MRI, I am in good shape
>> except for the high WBC. I have had that for many years and no one
>> knows why. At first they thought it was an early sign of Leukemia and
>> did 2 very painful bone marrow biopsies on me. My high WBC is still a
>> mystery.
>
> I ran a high WBC for many years & they went nuts running tests to try to
> find the source of it. They never did. Eventually I stopped running it.
>
> --
> DonnaB : ^> shallotpeel <*> Yahoo Messenger: shallotpeel
>
> "Thousands of candles can be lit from a single candle & the life of the
> candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being
> shared." -
> The Sutta Nipata

Donna,
My daughter has never had claustrophobia and when they started to do one on
her she stopped breathing...she wasn't even aware she did...the guy got her
out and told her she would have to have an open MRI. I always refuse to have
an MRI unless they are willing to knock me out. That was before the open
MRI's. What are the open ones like? Are they similar to the CatScan?
Andrea,
I hope they find out soon what the problem is so they can fix it and you can
start feeling better
Jacquie

On Wed, 17 Jan 2007 17:43:26 -0500, DonnaB shallotpeel
<shallotpeel@comcast.net> wrote:

>In alt.support.diabetes on Wed, 17 Jan 2007 12:22:31 -0800 in Msg.#
><lr0tq2tdta5sscq1holbddorvbm2pdrlja@4ax.com>, Andrea2
><andrea6192001@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
>> ... I had to be at the hospital at 4:30 AM this morning. ...
>
>Well, that's enough to make ya sick right there!!
>
>> They took my blood last week and my WBC was very high again, over
>> 23000. The doctor thinks it is my spleen that is causing it and he
>> ordered the MRI of my spleen. The MRI was frightening, I almost got a
>> panic attack because of being enclosed in the coffin like tube. When
>> they finished, I could hardly wait while the thing rolled me out.
>
>I have to have what they call 'open' MRIs because of my claustrophobia.
>However, their idea of open & my idea of open are not even related to each
>other!!!
>
>> Pending the reading of some tests and the MRI, I am in good shape
>> except for the high WBC. I have had that for many years and no one
>> knows why. At first they thought it was an early sign of Leukemia and
>> did 2 very painful bone marrow biopsies on me. My high WBC is still a
>> mystery.
>
>I ran a high WBC for many years & they went nuts running tests to try to
>find the source of it. They never did. Eventually I stopped running it.


Your the first person I've heard of that also has an unexplained high
WBC. When they first discovered mine and it was over 30000, they were
sure I had leukemia. They even counseled me and showed me a movie so I
would know what to expect when it started getting bad. It never got
any worse that, but has gone over 25000 many times. When they did the
first bone marrow biopsy, they were sure it would show cancer, it did
not. Later they talked me into getting a second one, said that the
cancer might not be in all the bone marrow and they might have missed
it, so they did the other side of my pelvis. It was negative too, now
I don't worry much about it any more, when it goes high it always
comes back down itself. It never quite gets below the maximum normal
of 10000 though.

I've also had 3 pet scans, that's when they started thinking it was my
spleen. One doctor wanted to remove it, I asked another doctor and he
said he didn't think it would help. They wanted to do another pet scan
on my spleen yesterday but couldn't because I nursing.

What kind of tests did they do on you?

Andrea2
mother, Type 2, MDI insulin

On Wed, 17 Jan 2007 17:57:34 -0500, Ronetta@webtv.net (Loretta
Eisenberg) wrote:

>Andrea, please keep us updated on your condition. I think it was a
>little too much information about your husband and you tonigh. I have
>visions of squirting the milk into his mouth. hahahahaha
>
>Loretta

That idea has crossed my mind; but it would be too kinky; even for
me. :-)

Andrea2

In alt.support.diabetes on Wed, 17 Jan 2007 23:45:28 GMT in Msg.#
<syyrh.12447$yx6.11596@newsread2.news.pas.earthlin k.net>, "jacquie"
<happikat@nospam.net> wrote:

> Donna,
> My daughter has never had claustrophobia and when they started to do one on
> her she stopped breathing...she wasn't even aware she did...the guy got her
> out and told her she would have to have an open MRI. I always refuse to have
> an MRI unless they are willing to knock me out. That was before the open
> MRI's. What are the open ones like? Are they similar to the CatScan?

The open MRI is sorta like being in the middle of a parentheses, so there's
opening on your left & your right. However, once you're positioned where
they want you, they bring the top down so the amount of open space
diminishes. It's still there, but, it is VERY close. Given how close it is
in an open MRI I know they'd have to knock me out for me to withstand a
closed MRI!!

--
DonnaB : ^> shallotpeel <*> Yahoo Messenger: shallotpeel

"I am one of the people who love the why of things." - Catherine the Great,
Russian czarina (1729-1796)

In alt.support.diabetes on Wed, 17 Jan 2007 16:30:54 -0800 in Msg.#
<l2ftq2ped39b73b0t3bokr0uh3eihl7gv5@4ax.com>, Andrea2
<andrea6192001@yahoo.com> wrote:

> On Wed, 17 Jan 2007 17:43:26 -0500, DonnaB shallotpeel
> <shallotpeel@comcast.net> wrote:
> >I ran a high WBC for many years & they went nuts running tests to try to
> >find the source of it. They never did. Eventually I stopped running it.
>
> Your the first person I've heard of that also has an unexplained high
> WBC.

Yeah, I've never known of anyone else doing that either.

> What kind of tests did they do on you?

Well, 3 years before, I'd had skin cancer, malignant melanoma on my forearm.
And, after that surgery I'd had multiple moles removed & tested, 30-40 at a
time, then a dozen at a time, etc. and some removed just because of where
they were. And, I'd had multiple reconstructive surgeries to put a full skin
graft on, then, to try to reduce the size of it overall, etc. (And, I was &
have been clean of skin cancer ever since, and any other kind of cancer,
knock on wood.)

I began having this horrible pain around the area of my abdomen, stomach,
midline, where ever, and went into the ER in the middle of the night & was
running a high WBC along with the pain. They checked for any overt sign of
appendectomy and any kind of pelvic related infection & sent me home with
instructions to go to my own doctor the next day. I did & then began the
rounds of being sent from one doctor to another trying to find out what was
going on and not finding out anything but continuing to have the pain & the
elevated WBC. At some point I saw my surgeon (literally ran into him in the
hall outside my PCP's) & he took over & put me in the hospital to get all of
this testing done in as short a period of time as possible instead of in
dribs & drabs.

They did an amazing amount of sheer lab work on blood, etc. They
concentrated on my internal organs. If it was something they could shoot dye
into & look at, they did. (Well, not heart & lungs, but otherwise.) IVP,
upper & lower GI, endoscopy, colonoscopy, CATscan of my whole torso and my
head, on & on. They weren't finding anything so they did more blood & stool
work looking for specific parasites.

They transferred me to a larger city where they repeated almost all of those
tests & an Internist took the most detailed history I can imagine ever
existing, or at least could then, now it would be much longer, LOL. Finally,
they decided they couldn't figure out what was wrong with me. (Ya know
doctors hate it when they can't figure out what is wrong with you. Somehow
it's as if it's your fault!! Grrr.) So, they began treating me for IBS.

At about this time a blood specialist said that those WBC numbers were just
ranges & some people might normally run a different range & anyone could
potentially run a high WBC if they brushed their teeth too hard that day.

I got no better. They kept treating me for IBS, added in depression (which I
definitely was by then), sent me to a shrink. I voluntarily saw a dietician
for awhile & lost the weight I'd gained while being sick but felt no better
& still had the pain & the elevated WBC. The shrink decided I didn't want to
get well. I lost it at that point & told him off & asked him what happened
to the pain management & relaxation therapy & stuff he'd said we would work
on & he instantly transferred me to the psychologist in his office where we
did some actual coping work.

Finally I went to a new, different Internist & he looked at everything with
a completely fresh eye & told me he thought I had been misdiagnosed,
probably never had had a problem with IBS but that all of the tests etc. had
irritated my whole digestive system temporarily and that I was being
overmedicated & not even effectively with some meds fighting each other &
some doing the same thing, ... Long story still long ... he took me off
almost all meds, put me on a few effective ones & told me he really
suspected it was endometriosis. I told him my gynecologist had ruled that
out almost instantly & he gently suggested that I go to another one. He sent
me to a very well respected one & he instantly concurred that I had Stage 4
endometriosis, or Stage 3, I can't remember now how it is staged.

I went back to my original OB/GYN & brought this to his attention & he said
that if I had had endometriosis taking the pill would have cured me, which
it had not. I told him I was scheduled for surgery & he told me I was too
young for a hysterectomy. (Actually, I guess I'd have said it was an
oompharectomy.)

I had the surgery & once they got inside it was even worse than they had
anticipated. Endometrial tissue & lesions were everywhere. They cut
everything they could & cauterized as much else as they safely could. The
pain was gone, finally, and we all just ignored the WBC until it went away.
(Although it did freak the lab out when they did my pre-surgical labs, that
I had an elevated WBC, etc., etc. & they wanted to make sure I didn't have a
cold or anything.) However, the pain came back as soon as I tried to go on
replacement hormones so I didn't go on any for a while, which is probably
why I have endometriosis now. Blah.

Sorry that that's such a long story.

--
DonnaB : ^> shallotpeel <*> Yahoo Messenger: shallotpeel

"I am the only one in the picture still alive, because I work out all the
time. They didn't work out except raising the elbow or rolling joints." -
Lawrence Ferlinghetti to the NYT, looking at a 1955 photograph of Bob
Donlin, Neal Cassady, Allen Ginsberg, Robert LaVigne, and himself, taken
outside his City Lights Bookstore in San Francisco [QPB Calendar of Days
2004]

Well Heck they would have to knock me out for the open one too...LOL. I get
squirmy when I go through a Cat Scan It gets worse as I age. I'm one of
those people that stop breathing when they hold my arms down..when I have
surgery I always ask them that if they have to strap my arms down or put an
oxygen mask on me to please do it after they knock me out. I get panicky
when they put the mouth dam on me when I'm at the dentist. I have to have a
night light..just for a little light..A pitch black room makes me feel like
I can't breathe...Sad isn't it?
Jacquie

"DonnaB shallotpeel" <shallotpeel@comcast.net> wrote in message
news:ae7vq296k9ah65p0oq5o6k95nm7iknq9s4@4ax.com...
> In alt.support.diabetes on Wed, 17 Jan 2007 23:45:28 GMT in Msg.#
> <syyrh.12447$yx6.11596@newsread2.news.pas.earthlin k.net>, "jacquie"
> <happikat@nospam.net> wrote:
>
>> Donna,
>> My daughter has never had claustrophobia and when they started to do one
>> on
>> her she stopped breathing...she wasn't even aware she did...the guy got
>> her
>> out and told her she would have to have an open MRI. I always refuse to
>> have
>> an MRI unless they are willing to knock me out. That was before the open
>> MRI's. What are the open ones like? Are they similar to the CatScan?
>
> The open MRI is sorta like being in the middle of a parentheses, so
> there's
> opening on your left & your right. However, once you're positioned where
> they want you, they bring the top down so the amount of open space
> diminishes. It's still there, but, it is VERY close. Given how close it is
> in an open MRI I know they'd have to knock me out for me to withstand a
> closed MRI!!
>
> --
> DonnaB : ^> shallotpeel <*> Yahoo Messenger: shallotpeel
>
> "I am one of the people who love the why of things." - Catherine the
> Great,
> Russian czarina (1729-1796)

On Thu, 18 Jan 2007 11:56:11 -0500, DonnaB shallotpeel
<shallotpeel@comcast.net> wrote:
>
>> What kind of tests did they do on you?
>
>Well, 3 years before, I'd had skin cancer, malignant melanoma on my forearm.
>And, after that surgery I'd had multiple moles removed & tested, 30-40 at a
>time, then a dozen at a time, etc. and some removed just because of where
>they were. And, I'd had multiple reconstructive surgeries to put a full skin
>graft on, then, to try to reduce the size of it overall, etc. (And, I was &
>have been clean of skin cancer ever since, and any other kind of cancer,
>knock on wood.)
>
>I began having this horrible pain around the area of my abdomen, stomach,
>midline, where ever, and went into the ER in the middle of the night & was
>running a high WBC along with the pain. They checked for any overt sign of
>appendectomy and any kind of pelvic related infection & sent me home with
>instructions to go to my own doctor the next day. I did & then began the
>rounds of being sent from one doctor to another trying to find out what was
>going on and not finding out anything but continuing to have the pain & the
>elevated WBC. At some point I saw my surgeon (literally ran into him in the
>hall outside my PCP's) & he took over & put me in the hospital to get all of
>this testing done in as short a period of time as possible instead of in
>dribs & drabs.
>
>They did an amazing amount of sheer lab work on blood, etc. They
>concentrated on my internal organs. If it was something they could shoot dye
>into & look at, they did. (Well, not heart & lungs, but otherwise.) IVP,
>upper & lower GI, endoscopy, colonoscopy, CATscan of my whole torso and my
>head, on & on. They weren't finding anything so they did more blood & stool
>work looking for specific parasites.
>
>They transferred me to a larger city where they repeated almost all of those
>tests & an Internist took the most detailed history I can imagine ever
>existing, or at least could then, now it would be much longer, LOL. Finally,
>they decided they couldn't figure out what was wrong with me. (Ya know
>doctors hate it when they can't figure out what is wrong with you. Somehow
>it's as if it's your fault!! Grrr.) So, they began treating me for IBS.
>
>At about this time a blood specialist said that those WBC numbers were just
>ranges & some people might normally run a different range & anyone could
>potentially run a high WBC if they brushed their teeth too hard that day.
>
>I got no better. They kept treating me for IBS, added in depression (which I
>definitely was by then), sent me to a shrink. I voluntarily saw a dietician
>for awhile & lost the weight I'd gained while being sick but felt no better
>& still had the pain & the elevated WBC. The shrink decided I didn't want to
>get well. I lost it at that point & told him off & asked him what happened
>to the pain management & relaxation therapy & stuff he'd said we would work
>on & he instantly transferred me to the psychologist in his office where we
>did some actual coping work.
>
>Finally I went to a new, different Internist & he looked at everything with
>a completely fresh eye & told me he thought I had been misdiagnosed,
>probably never had had a problem with IBS but that all of the tests etc. had
>irritated my whole digestive system temporarily and that I was being
>overmedicated & not even effectively with some meds fighting each other &
>some doing the same thing, ... Long story still long ... he took me off
>almost all meds, put me on a few effective ones & told me he really
>suspected it was endometriosis. I told him my gynecologist had ruled that
>out almost instantly & he gently suggested that I go to another one. He sent
>me to a very well respected one & he instantly concurred that I had Stage 4
>endometriosis, or Stage 3, I can't remember now how it is staged.
>
>I went back to my original OB/GYN & brought this to his attention & he said
>that if I had had endometriosis taking the pill would have cured me, which
>it had not. I told him I was scheduled for surgery & he told me I was too
>young for a hysterectomy. (Actually, I guess I'd have said it was an
>oompharectomy.)
>
>I had the surgery & once they got inside it was even worse than they had
>anticipated. Endometrial tissue & lesions were everywhere. They cut
>everything they could & cauterized as much else as they safely could. The
>pain was gone, finally, and we all just ignored the WBC until it went away.
>(Although it did freak the lab out when they did my pre-surgical labs, that
>I had an elevated WBC, etc., etc. & they wanted to make sure I didn't have a
>cold or anything.) However, the pain came back as soon as I tried to go on
>replacement hormones so I didn't go on any for a while, which is probably
>why I have endometriosis now. Blah.
>
>Sorry that that's such a long story.


That is an amazing story for me, I only wish it had been posted 5
years ago. It could have saved me several stays in the hospital for
painful biopsies and numerous other tests.

None of my doctors ever suggested a connection between my high WBC and
endometriosis. I guess it's because I was treated by specialists who
are narrow minded and consider only their own specialty.

Two years ago I was diagnosed with endometriosis. I had been having
increasingly more severe cramps, I blamed it on the woman's curse. One
day it got so sever I was crawling down the sidewalk screaming an
crying. A neighbor lady found me and brought home, DH took me to the
ER. I was given morphine to ease the pain and after further
examination they said I probably had either ovarian cysts or
endometriosis. They said I should see a gynecologist ASAP.

The gynecologist confirmed I had endometriosis after transvaginal
ultrasounds, MRI's and finally a laparoscopic examination. The choices
was; to either endure the pain with the help of drugs; have an
operation which would most likely leave me sterile; take birth control
pills which *might* reduce the pains to bearable levels; or try a drug
which suppresses the menstrual cycle. He said this final choice has
been known to give months or even years of relief even after the drug
was stopped. I opted for the suppression drugs, it worked for the nine
months I was given the drug injections (I don't remember the drug
name). Three months after stopping the drug I got pregnant.

Since the birth, I have only had one period with almost no cramps. The
doctor says I probably wouldn't be bothered by endometriosis while I
was breast feeding but it could come back after that.

So, maybe my high WBC, that I've had all these years, was caused by
developing endometriosis and not none of those other things like
leukemia, cancer, enlarged spleen or latent infections, etc. Those
specialists just never got it together. The fear of leukemia has
caused me much stress and mental anguish.

This probably misdiagnosis wouldn't have happened if I had been going
to a GP doctor with my problems. My endo, who I see often, was the
only doctor I went to with all my health problems, she refers me to
specialists. She had suggested I see a GP doctor but the one I had
gone to I didn't like so I didn't go back. A GP doctor would have been
better qualified to diagnose and coordinate my overall health problems
and treatment.

Andrea2
mother, Type 2, MDI insulin
--------------------------------------------------------------------
One who has attained the Tao is master of herself,
and the universe is dissolved for her.
Throw her in the company of the noisy and the dirty,
and she will be like a lotus flower growing from muddy water,
touched by it, yet unstained.
-- T'u Lung

On Thu, 18 Jan 2007 11:21:02 -0500, DonnaB shallotpeel
<shallotpeel@comcast.net> wrote:

>In alt.support.diabetes on Wed, 17 Jan 2007 23:45:28 GMT in Msg.#
><syyrh.12447$yx6.11596@newsread2.news.pas.earthli nk.net>, "jacquie"
><happikat@nospam.net> wrote:
>
>> Donna,
>> My daughter has never had claustrophobia and when they started to do one on
>> her she stopped breathing...she wasn't even aware she did...the guy got her
>> out and told her she would have to have an open MRI. I always refuse to have
>> an MRI unless they are willing to knock me out. That was before the open
>> MRI's. What are the open ones like? Are they similar to the CatScan?
>
>The open MRI is sorta like being in the middle of a parentheses, so there's
>opening on your left & your right. However, once you're positioned where
>they want you, they bring the top down so the amount of open space
>diminishes. It's still there, but, it is VERY close. Given how close it is
>in an open MRI I know they'd have to knock me out for me to withstand a
>closed MRI!!


The MRI I was in was probably an old machine, it had a long horizontal
tube about 2 feet (or less) in diameter. It had a trolley that I was
laid down on. They covered me with a blanket because it was cold and
the tube was ventilated with moving air.The trolley moved and took me
in the tube. I am small about 100 pounds so I had more room than a
larger person like my husband would have. His shoulders would have
been right against the sides of the tube. When I was inside, the top
of the tube was inches above my nose. They told me not to move or
parts of the scan would have to be done over. It took about 20 minutes
and I was close to a panic attack for the whole time.

I have had MRI's before but not in a machine like this one. The other
ones must have been the open type and were a lot less confining.

Andrea2

I could never do that. I do have claustrophobia. They would have to put
me to sleep. I'm not sure I could even do the more open ones. I went
round and round once with a doc that wanted to tie my hands during skin
grafting. It wasn't happening. I'm glad you made it through, but it
sounds ghastly to me.

Cheri



Andrea2 wrote in message

<91ivq25omlsfuritp8tbrtotqf119celgl@4ax.com>...
>been right against the sides of the tube. When I was inside, the top
>of the tube was inches above my nose. They told me not to move or
>parts of the scan would have to be done over. It took about 20 minutes
>and I was close to a panic attack for the whole time.
>
>I have had MRI's before but not in a machine like this one. The other
>ones must have been the open type and were a lot less confining.
>
>Andrea2

On Thu, 18 Jan 2007 11:40:19 -0800, "Cheri" <gserviceatinreachdotcom>
wrote:

>I could never do that. I do have claustrophobia. They would have to put
>me to sleep. I'm not sure I could even do the more open ones. I went
>round and round once with a doc that wanted to tie my hands during skin
>grafting. It wasn't happening. I'm glad you made it through, but it
>sounds ghastly to me.
>
>Cheri
>
>

That MRI was not near as bad as the bronchoscope. They wanted to look
inside my lungs to look for signs of infection, cancer etc. They put
the bronchoscope through my mouth and pushed it down in my lung. I had
spasms and panicked because I couldn't breath. I was thrashing around
so much that it took two guys to hold me down while they removed it. I
was sure I was dying that time. I couldn't talk for almost 2 weeks
because it damaged my vocal cords.

I'd die before I let them do that again.

Andrea2

In alt.support.diabetes on Thu, 18 Jan 2007 11:12:33 -0800 in Msg.#
<3kevq25c43r7100qlk2mhahoicmgrfv10p@4ax.com>, Andrea2
<andrea6192001@yahoo.com> wrote:

> That is an amazing story for me, I only wish it had been posted 5
> years ago. It could have saved me several stays in the hospital for
> painful biopsies and numerous other tests.

Andrea, I wish that we could have crossed paths before so that could have
happened. The idea of the two bone marrow biopsies you described hurts me.
Plus, I mean, the stress of not knowing what's wrong with you, ... is big.
But, maybe, at least this is some kind of reassurance to you.

> The gynecologist confirmed I had endometriosis after transvaginal
> ultrasounds, MRI's and finally a laparoscopic examination. The choices
> was; to either endure the pain with the help of drugs; have an
> operation which would most likely leave me sterile; take birth control
> pills which *might* reduce the pains to bearable levels; or try a drug
> which suppresses the menstrual cycle. He said this final choice has
> been known to give months or even years of relief even after the drug
> was stopped. I opted for the suppression drugs, it worked for the nine
> months I was given the drug injections (I don't remember the drug
> name). Three months after stopping the drug I got pregnant.

Before my surgery I took a drug that was a different kind of hormone that
apparently has some success for some people. There wasn't much hope that it
would but my OB/GYN surgeon wanted me to take it, anyway, as we went forward
scheduling the surgery, because the drug would soften the endometrial
tissue, and, they hoped, make it easier to get it out. So, for me the
endometriosis was like vines inside my uterus & outside my uterus all
throughout my abdomen & latched onto my other organs. And, it could be soft
or brittle, etc. Endometriosus is bad even inside the organs where it
belongs, but something else is wrong in the body when it's outside. Not in
me, but they've found endometrial tissue in women's thighs on occasion &
once even as far away as in a woman's lungs.

> Since the birth, I have only had one period with almost no cramps. The
> doctor says I probably wouldn't be bothered by endometriosis while I
> was breast feeding but it could come back after that.

I don't understand that. I was told that for many people if they could get
pregnant and carry to term they would probably be free of endometriosis
after. I had a cousin who was in that situation, with endometriosis, trouble
getting pregnant, finally did, lost the baby, got pregnant again, ... and
he's a strapping young man now!

Part of my story has to do with people having blinders on, too, because part
of that whole nightmarish time some of those people were looking trying to
see if my skin cancer had come back in some internal organ.

--
DonnaB : ^> shallotpeel <*> Yahoo Messenger: shallotpeel

"If you look hard enough, you can find race issues & racism in everything. I
know people who say, 'See, I don't play pool 'cuz that's where the white
ball chases the black ball off the table. So I prefer bowling, where the big
black ball knocks down the white pins with the red necks.'" - Chi McBride

Acch, that sounds horrible as well!

Cheri

Andrea2 wrote in message ...

>That MRI was not near as bad as the bronchoscope. They wanted to look
>inside my lungs to look for signs of infection, cancer etc. They put
>the bronchoscope through my mouth and pushed it down in my lung. I had
>spasms and panicked because I couldn't breath. I was thrashing around
>so much that it took two guys to hold me down while they removed it. I
>was sure I was dying that time. I couldn't talk for almost 2 weeks
>because it damaged my vocal cords.
>
>I'd die before I let them do that again.
>
>Andrea2

In alt.support.diabetes on Thu, 18 Jan 2007 18:34:30 GMT in Msg.#
<W4Prh.15945$X72.1140@newsread3.news.pas.earthlink .net>, "jacquie"
<happikat@nospam.net> wrote:

> Well Heck they would have to knock me out for the open one too...LOL. I get
> squirmy when I go through a Cat Scan It gets worse as I age. I'm one of
> those people that stop breathing when they hold my arms down..when I have
> surgery I always ask them that if they have to strap my arms down or put an
> oxygen mask on me to please do it after they knock me out. I get panicky
> when they put the mouth dam on me when I'm at the dentist. I have to have a
> night light..just for a little light..A pitch black room makes me feel like
> I can't breathe...Sad isn't it?

I guess it does get worse over time. I know that I wasn't at all
claustrophobic as a child, teen, young adult, ... I just don't know exactly
when I began to be claustrophobic. It is difficult for me to control my
breathing during a CAT Scan to keep from panicking. Dark, oxygen mask, etc.
I don't have problems with them. Sorry you do.

--
DonnaB : ^> shallotpeel <*> Yahoo Messenger: shallotpeel

"You suggest? You suggest! Like I'm not going to do what God suggests!" -
Joan, JOAN OF ARCADIA, Season 1, 'Night Without Stars'