Medically Speaking

by annemariedemyen, posted in life

I do my best to avoid being a burden to our medical system.  Actually, I just do my best to avoid our medical system altogether.    I should touch base with my doctor more often,  but one trip to his office and all too often I have slipped down some wierd rabbit hole into the land of medical miracles and miscues.

My last trip down the hole started last January with a trip to emerg for pneumonia and bronchial spasms.  This led to trips to my doctor for follow up tests and x-rays which resulted in a diagnosis of COPD on top of my asthma.  This led to trips to a respiratory specialist, a CT scan, more tests, and a diagnosis of bronchiectasis. (I was also supposed to see a heart specialist and ENT but what with the Covid pandemic that never happened.) 🙄

In the meantime, after consulting with my doctor and respiratory specialist, I started working out to hopefully improve my lung (and possibly my heart) function. While that didn’t happen, it did lead to more trips to my doctor for not one, not two, but three hernias.

This led me to an ultrasound clinic – for the hernias and for a checkup on my abdominal organs. From the amount of pressure that the technician had to use, I am pretty sure she was working with the microphone from Barbie’s karaoke bus. (State of the art Saskatchewan medical equipment!) 😩

In a follow up with my doctor, I discovered that the ultrasound technician had totally missed the hernias in my lower abdomen, found a two inch epigastric hernia in my upper abdomen (No doubt a result of violent coughing fits last January and my workout efforts last fall). And, as a bonus, she noted that I have a bit of fatty liver.

Fourteen months in and I am on a surgical wait list for a hernia and my doctor has strong suspicions that I have a serious drinking problem due to the fatty liver thing.

I doubt that a couple of small glasses of wine a week at most, and the occasional Caesar is that big of a deal as drinking problems go. Personally, I think my love of KFC, Cheezies, and Smarties has more to do with the fat I have in my liver or anywhere else. 🤨

The bizarre thing is this is not the first time that my health issues have cycled around to a serious drinking problem! I must have been a heavy drinker in a previous life because it sure hasn’t been in this one. 🤦

Maybe it’s the pickled asparagus?

Stay safe and have a great one!

9 thoughts on “Medically Speaking”

  1. Oh dear.. what a mouthful! It seems like doctors are like a mechanics. You just need an oil change and suddenly there’s ten other things that “can’t wait”. No wonder people get scared. I hope everything turns out ok

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  3. Hahahahaha Annie with a drinking problem meanwhile my alcoholic friend who has every alcoholic disease that comes around keeps getting other diagnosis because her doctor hasn’t figured out she’s an alcoholic.

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  4. Yep! Go figure. 🤦. And then my doctor told me to avoid lifting anything heavy. Like my chronic cough from asthma, COPD, and bronchiectasis isn’t an issue. By the time I get to surgery, I will be open like a ziplock bag and spilling my fatty liver all over the table. 🤦

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  5. Oh Anne Marie that damn domino effect once you start doctoring. It’s like the small snowball that keeps getting bigger the father down the hill it rolls. I try and steer clear of doctors as long as I can. I feel for you, it’s no fun. I’m in physical therapy right now for my leg. My knee is shot but I’m trying to postpone surgery because most of the pain is in the back of my leg, not the knee. Can’t go through that type of surgery and rehab until this other pain/tingling/numbness is addressed. And many people with a fatty liver and the cause is not from a drinking problem. (I can hot pickled asparagus too which Hubs uses for a Bloody Mary. It’s the only thing I can that I don’t eat). Hang in there…

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  6. My fatty liver is definitely not from too much alcohol but our doctors get an idea in their head and it is hard to get it out. I am sorry about your leg. I hope you get it resolved. I would like to go to a respiratory therapist to deal with my breathing but our doctors also have a propensity for handing out drugs. (Which never agree with me and do little good 😥). I bet your pickled asparagus is amazing!

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  7. It does make you wonder what in the world they are thinking. I can understand why you don’t go. Once after an automobile accident I was hauled to the ER and had an MRI. they found a spot on my lung and some thyroid issues both of which came to nothing. I decided then that the least visits possible for tests.

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