Good News!!

I'm aliiiiiiive! I finally got my answers yesterday and I am so grateful and happy to say that nothing is mortally wrong with me. I am quite jacked, but not mortally so.

The final tally is:

1 - Vascular liver tumor (benign) - we just keep an eye on it and check it every six months to make sure it isn't growing.

2 - Hiatal hernia (small - 2cm) - It kicks stuff up from my stomach into my esophagus which causes heartburn and nausea. If it doesn't grow then I will not need surgery. Hopefully it will self-heal.

3 - Gasteoparesis - my stomach is literally weak. The muscles are too weak to push the food out of my stomach and empty it. The food then stays in there and ferments (mmmmm) then bacteria starts to grow and I get really sick, like with food poisoning. This is caused by my ridiculously high dosages of antidepressants over a prolonged time. They broke my stomach. :)

The treatment consists of "playing with my medication" which is so much easier said than done. It seems that all antidepressants have pretty bad side effects that will affect me one way or another. So, between withdrawals from changing and new symptoms from new medication...it will NOT be fun. They are also giving me medication that will force my stomach to empty. Sounds fun, eh? Through strong stomach cramps it will push out what is remaining. It's going to be a lively weekend!

Last thing, I have to brag...kind of. When I did my endoscopy yesterday I elected to do it without sedation or pain meds. Crazy! It's not that I am brave, I am just more chicken of how I react to pain meds (horrible puking and illness) than I was of a big camera getting forced down my throat. Sooooo, they laid me on my side and I closed my eyes. They put in a bite guard then shoved the camera down my throat and into my stomach. And then I spent the next two minutes puking violently (just bile gratefully) because, in case you aren't aware, your body does not want things forced down your gullet. It was horrible. Really horrible. Everyone at the facility was in awe that I did it, and I felt really proud. However, the misery through the remainder of the day made me realize that the lesser of evils is most likely the Demerol. Next time, they will knock me OUT.

And so...there ends (for at least six months) the Erin Health Scare '09. Thanks for all of the prayers and thoughts and well-wishes. You guys are awesome!!