Another Weird Condition

I feel like blogging. I feel like sleeping. I feel like running away and then alternating blogging and sleeping. Okay, I feel better now that I've gotten that off my chest.


You've probably been wondering about what I've been up to. I'd like to say that there's something interesting going on, but now that I think about it....sometimes something interesting is also stressful. So right now....no new and interesting stresses in my life. Just the same old stresses.


This is a sign that I'm getting old, but I must complain a little about my ailments.....

As you may or may not be aware, I am currently living with Meniere's disease. Basically, I have hearing loss and continual ringing in my left ear. I went and checked a little while back to see if I'd be able to get a hearing aid. It seems that MS has this program where they will pay for your hearing aids if it helps you work. Since I can't hear the kids, I figure that I'd be the perfect candidate, right? Wrong! Apparently, it's one of those situations in that I'm not "sick" enough to require help. Great. So the solution is to just ask people to repeat themselves. I've found that smiling and nodding gets you into trouble if you don't know what people are talking about. It seems that people expect you to listen when they talk. But that's not the latest complaint....


Awhile back, my ENT (Ear, Nose, and Throat) doctor diagnosed me with Acid Reflux. I've been taking medication for that since then. For the most part, it worked. And then something happened sometime last fall. I started coughing with the acid coming up and vomiting several times a day. It's gotten a little better now and then, but lately things are getting too much to handle. It's a horrible thing when you have to stop teaching, grab the trash can, and run into the hall to vomit. Mostly, it's either dry heaves or mucus. (Can I just insert here that I'm not a good vomiter? It always feels like I'm choking. And when the vomiting session is over, I look like I've been choked by someone.) I spoke to a friend that had similar symptoms and she said it sounded like her diagnosis....hiatal hernia. Basically this means that part of my stomach has bulged above the sphincter that separates the stomach from the esophagus. I tried to get into the local Gastrointestinal doctor in town, but found that they wouldn't give me an appointment unless I had been referred by my regular physician.(I read this as one of the doctors needs to make a car payment....) And to top that they told me that the Gastrointestinal doctor was on vacation for three weeks. So, to get the ball rolling, I made an appointment, saw my regular doctor, and got little information that I didn't already know. (Apparently if I lost weight, it would help. My question...what won't losing weight help? And if I could lose weight, wouldn't I have already done it?) He recommended that I make an appointment in Columbus with doctors there since the procedure I'll need to have could be done there at their outpatient office. The procedure is basically where they sedate me (not totally asleep but more or less awake and comatose) and them inserting a scope down my throat to look at my stomach and esophagus. There is a surgery to correct the hernia but as it turns out, it is rarely done. I'm not sure what I'll need since they mostly treat this with medication and I'm already taking some. So in the meantime, I'm just vomiting several time a day. The good news is that I can feel when it's coming. Just know that if you see me holding a trash can nearby, you should stay away. Especially if you have a weak stomach.


Anyway, I'm sure this isn't the post you were hoping to read, but you have to take the good with the bad....and I'm sure this is a bad post. That means that the next one will be better. Thanks for sticking in there with me. In the meantime, your prayers are appreciated.