I went to the doctor last night, told him about the completely undigested food that I passed, and he didn't even examine me. He said I should take Metamucil 2-3 times a day, take some laxatives when my constipation is really bad, and drink between two and three litres of water a day.
Then I told him that the Tramacet was completely ineffective, and asked if I could get some codeine, and he wanted to give me Tylenol with codeine, and I managed to convince him that was a bad idea. The thing about Tylenol with codeine, is that I get way too much Tylenol by the time I get enough codeine, and it makes me sick, because I'm practically overdosing on Tylenol.
So for now, I'm going to stick to my meal replacement beverages, and see how that goes. I've found some good-tasting flavors, so now I just have to look out for sales on the things, because they're pretty expensive.
It looks like I've found the right doctor for getting pain meds without being called a drug-seeker, and he even said "Tramacet works for everybody" but that was after I told him it didn't work on me. I educated him about most EDSers not reacting to things properly, and about how in certain countries part of the diagnostic criteria is that we have no reaction to local anaesthetics, and he seemed quite shocked at that. But it looks like I might have to go back to the walk-in clinic and see the random doctor of the day for my tummy troubles.
Remembering Michael Lennick
1 week ago
6 comments:
Ha ha! Apparently... heard that before.
Well, at least you were persistent and informed. Did he end up giving you codeine wo tylenol?
Weird that he didn't deal with the stomach problems. EDS causes all sorts of digestive issues but that one is disturbing (not corn, eh?). I'd be a bit freaked out as well as concerned about malnourishment (if you think maybe you're not absorbing stuff).
Do you have Costco or Sam's Club up there? I can usually get things cheaper there because they come in bulk. Other people swear by Walmart.
I hope we can meet sometime! :)
hugs,
e
I have heard all of that before too. When you know more about EDS than the freakin' doc, ugh. I had to diagnose myself with all of my bowel problems. After years of any oscopy you can imagine, I found out on my own that I am allergic to soy. Even with my EDS and the elevated eosinophills, they had no idea why. You get to the point where pain is the norm and you do whatever you can to avoid going to another doc that has no idea.
Hi Elise!
He did end up giving me a prescription for codeine (50mg) and they are so much easier on my system! I can still think clearly, and while I'm a bit loopy from the drugs, I'm still able to function.
Trying to convince doctors that really loose connective tissues equates to problems in your ENTIRE body is like trying to tell a hummingbird what it's like at the bottom of the ocean. There is no way they can possibly comprehend it.
With the malnourishment thing, I know I've had problems with iron absorption, and other vitamins being pretty low.
We do have Costcos up here, but I'm not a member, and I don't want to buy a membership card, so I'm patiently waiting until my mommy goes to Costco and sees if they have them there. I aven't looked at walmart yet though. Probably a good idea.
I also hope we can meet sometime, but I still need to get my passport in order before I can come visit.
Heidi,
I found out a long time ago that I never wanted to see a doctor again, because of their uselessness, but unfortunately with health problems, they almost never go away if you just ignore them.
I've gotten used to the pain aspect of EDS, as wel as the unpredictability of all of the EDS-related random undiagnosable things that come along with it. But every once in a while, a doctor's visit is warranted.
Hugs to both of you!
BubbleGirl
Hey there, just thought I'd toss my two cents in to your bowl here..
I found that my digestive issues were due to gluten issues. Gluten is in Wheat Barley and Rye.
I've had great success going gluten free.
Just as it seems that Elise has by going soy free.
You might check these out. BTW, I did the Celiac test and it came back that I did not have Celiac's I am just Gluten Intolerant, and the only way to discover if you are or not for sure is to stop eating it for several weeks.
So glad you are being proactive about your health and standing up for yourself! That is so important!
Hope you figure it out! Because it probably will be YOU figuring it out instead of a Dr.
Gentle Hugs,
Tonja
Tonja,
I am always glad for your two cents!
I have actually stopped eating gluen. It was the first thing on my list of don'ts when my digestive problems started, even though I, too have had a negative Celiac test done. The meal replacement beverages are gluten free.
I have a ridiculously long list of food allergies including all grain producs, all milk products, except fresh milk, anything canned, smoked, cured, dried or processed, as well as certain fruits (strawberries) and chocolate. At one point I was on a very strict diet of foods I was not allergic to, and I slowly introduced them back into my diet to figure out which ones were actually causing problems. Most of the things I'm "allergic" to are just precautions against mold, which I am allergic to (such as peanuts, pistachios, yogurt, and cheese - which I never seemed to have any problems with).
The reason I switched to a liquid diet was becase I was already pretty certain the doctors were just going to brush me of again, and I figured it couldn't hurt me any worse than eating "wrong" foods. It's also been great because I don't have to worry about choking nearly as much.
Hugs,
BubbleGirl
Not sure how you are with asprin but where I am (Ontario) you can get asprin and codeine over the counter, you just have to ask the pharmasist. This is the only thing that helps my headaches even though I am on a long term as well as breakthrough medications (both strong narcotics)
~Stacey
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