I stayed sick for a week straight. It was definitely stress induced since it hit immediately after something stressful happened. I haven't been able to eat, I've been super nauseas and have had watery diarrhea really bad. I went to the doctor because i was definitely dehydrated but they just ran some blood work and i have to take stool studies back up to the lab on Monday.
Also I STILL haven't been scheduled for the pillcam! 3 weeks later and NOTHING. Ugh!!
I still haven't actually swallowed the pill cam. The KUB (xray) was clear...no agile pill stuck inside me lol. They should be calling tomorrow to set up a time for me to swallow the camera. My nurse had called Thursday to tell me the KUB was clear and I called her back. Unfortunately, she just got my message today and had forgotten to put in the order for the pillcam. Luckily, i reminded her! (Shoutout to my nurse, she's been on my team for over 10 years, knows my # by heart, and is absolutely amazing! )
So in the meantime, i have babysat my nephews Thursday and Friday, went to my nephew's elementary school Valentine's Carnival and stayed with my mom Saturday, went to my other nephew's basketball game Sunday, then I went to Columbia to visit a friend from college and her parents where we watched the Super Bowl. Sunday night i stayed with her. My cat, Lady, went too and had a blast!! We are home now and getting some rest!
I went back to the outpatient center to get X-rays to make sure the agile capsule was able to pass completely. The X-ray technician said he didn't see it and to wait for my GI to call me within 48 hours to go back in to swallow the camera. This thing takes forever haha. But i managed to slip in some shopping time for like 20min beforey xray haha.
The pictures are of me waiting on my xray and a couple from being silly while shopping :)
Just thought you all would like to know why I had to swallow the agile patency pill!
ABOUT AGILE PATENCY CAPSULE:
An agile patency capsule is a dissolvable capsule that is ingested to verify the patency of your gastrointestinal tract. This is especially important to do prior to receiving a capsule endoscopy if your doctor suspects strictures / narrowing in the small bowel.
I went in at 7:30am to swallow the pill for the agile patency. It's purpose is to make sure everything is wide enough and nothing gets stuck. Tomorrow at exactly the 28 hour mark, 11:40am, i have to go back for an xray to make sure it passed and isn't stuck anywhere. Then I go home and wait for a phone call with the results and to schedule a time for me to go back again and swallow the pill cam and get hooked up to the device that reads the images for 8 hours.
I knew this process was going to take about 2 days but i didnt expect a 3-4 day event. And it really makes me think, what would I do if I was working? And this isn't the only time the doctor pulls me in for these tests with unpredictable timelines. I mean think about it: i couldnt go to work during these days...or at least tell them a time i couls be there. And honestly, how many jobs out there can you just tell them I may or may not be in all week and if i do come in, i dont know what times or for how long. Ok?...yeah i don't think that would go over so well! This is my week and how it doesn't seem possible to hold on to a job during weeks like this:
Day 1: Prep day aka laxatives!
Day 2: Swallow a pill and don't eat for an additional 4 hours. ..yes i know you're starving and about to pass out but wait 2 hours before you drink anything and 4 before you eat and try not to pass out, especially if you have to go to work!
Day 3: Come back in for an xray and then wait for us to call you and then come back exaxtly when we need you to either today or tomorrow. ..hope you don't have anything to do!
Day 3/4: Once again, drive back up here (40min for me) and swallow the camera capsule and have wires coming out of your shirt and don't expect to be uncomfortable if you have to be in public aka a job and i know you have no choice because we just made you take half your week off already! Oh and good luck keeping your job after you have had to be out so often for doctor appointments, hospital stays, testing, and of course, actually being sick. And FMLA? Yeah, you used up those days in the 1st month plus we don't care.
Ok!! My rant is over! I'm just hungry and cranky and thinking about this fun crohnie life haha. Seriously though, the procedure isn't complicated by any means! It's just time consuming the way it has to be split up over 3-4 days. It is also frustrating when you can't eat and the hunger kept you up all night and you also couldn't have anything to drink after midnight, which you wouldn't notice when you're asleep but of course that wasn't the way my night went (even after taking my ambien).
So there you are! Day 2 of the Pill cam!
Here it is....prep day! I have never met a crohnie that didn't hate prep day. Tomorrow I have to swallow the agile pill so I have to take miralax and be on a clear liquid diet all day. I hate this part. I mean as if the miralax isn't bad enough, i am not a fan of gatorade and they said I HAVE to use gatorade. Great....
I'm going to mix it up now and start drinking! Here goes nothing!
3 hours later:
I was soooo nauseous and barely kept it down but I had some chicken broth and I'm starting to feel a little better now. I cannot wait to be able to eat tomorrow! I'm definitely feeling the need for some starches!!
