I was a Junior in high school when I had my first pain in my stomach...the kind that I said, "Mom. Something hurts and it's not right." So, I took some Maalox. That night marked the beginning of a very long road. I know now that it didn't have to be, but it was. I only wish I knew then what I know now. I also remember at about that time being on long-term antibiotics, prescribed by my dermatologist for my complexion, as preventative control of acne, zits, whatever you choose to call it. Sometimes I took them, sometimes I didn't. I never understood the weight of being on long-term antibiotics and I never understood the side effects of missing one or two days and then taking them. In hindsight, it was a mess a-brewin'! At the time, we didn't know otherwise. I also remember that I had a yeast infection for a very long time. I wasn't so willing to discuss my health then, didn't know what it was and, was probably just embarrassed. For whatever reason, I had it for months without knowing what it was or treating it.
A few months later, sometime between my Junior and Senior year of high school, I puffed up. I mean, I got puffy all over. It was almost like pitting edema where you could touch my skin and the indentation would stay for a second or two. I was active in tennis, I exercised daily, I didn't change my eating habits, but I gained weight and got puffy in a short amount of time. A tell-tale sign of my illness that wouldn't be discovered for twenty more years!
Aside from being "puffy" I don't remember having too many issues for the next few years. By the time I was a Junior in college, I started having more stomach pain, burning, ulcer-type pain. This all started the second semester of my Junior year at TCU. I had my first endoscopy, and was told I had an ulcer. The doctors chalked it up to be stress. I was applying for a 3-2 program at Washington University, was studying hard (right, Dad?), had a big role in my sorority and was trying to get 4 years of school accomplished in 3, in order to move on to graduate school the following semester. From the outside, it probably looked stressful. Maybe it was, but aside from these random stomach pains, I was having a great time! If I was stressed, I was handling it just fine from my brain's perspective.
I was accepted to Wash. U. and found myself moving to St. Louis, Missouri the following August. Leaving TCU after 3 years, now that was stressful. I stayed in Ft. Worth for the summer and took on another big role in my sorority for RUSH. So, I literally walked out of the Pi Phi house at 6pm during the middle of a RUSH party SOBBING, as I said "Good-bye" to all my friends, cried HARD all the way to the airport and the whole way to St. Louis, where my parents were cheerfully waiting for this sad sack of potatoes. I had to be at my first class the very next morning at 8am. I waited to the very last minute to leave. In fact, the lady sitting next to me on the plane couldn't avoid knowing I was bawling and asked me so sweetly, "Are you leaving your boyfriend?" I barely uttered, "I don't even HAVE a boyfriend!" Funny in hindsight, but certainly not then. I was so sad and emotionally stressed out, I didn't stop crying until I fell asleep.
Pain, pain and more pain is about how I remember my years at Wash U. Being at an amazing teaching hospital, I was very grateful to have had amazing doctors at my finger tips and all my meds were "free", although my Dad feels like we certainly paid for them in my tuition costs. I found a great doctor there that I really liked, Dr. Clouse. He, of course, had to do all his own procedures and scopes, so through the gamut I went again. All the way, through every prodcedure, stumping each of the doctors with my results.
No comments:
Post a Comment