Differential Diagnosis

2007 is going into the Hall of Fame as Teeny's worst year ever. Now I'm sick. With what is the question.

It started out innocently enough as an upset stomach and just feeling kind of crappy overall. I toughed it out for a couple of days before taking off work and was starting to feel better with rest. I thought maybe it was just complete exhaustion from a hellish several months or maybe even physical manifestations of my grief.

Then bam, last week my stomach started cramping up in ways I have never before experienced. It wasn't the pain of food poisoning (been there, done that), or PMS cramps (know those well too) - it was in my upper abdomen and it HURT! My doctor prescribed an antacid in case it was a stress-related "nervous stomach" and an anti-spasmodic medicine and said to come back next week if the pain continues. He did order some tests (serum enzyme levels, stool cultures - ew!, etc.), all of which have come back normal.

Unfortunately the pills have done jack for me. And as I started to pay closer attention I began to notice certain patterns. For example, the worst pain kicked in within an hour of a meal, with episodes lasting up to two or three hours. No matter how I shifted positions, there was no relief. I moved around hoping to distract myself from the pain but it didn't really do anything.

Needless to say, this has not really encouraged me to eat anything. As long as there is nothing in my stomach, it is mild discomfort that I can tolerate (for now). Talk about an effective - but dangerous - weight loss plan. And then there is the "bubble factor" - usually when I have an upset stomach, drinking Sprite or ginger ale settles everything down. Not so much this time. In fact, my Sprite last Wednesday almost killed me after I drank it, the pain was so bad.

So...my first phone call tomorrow morning will be to the doctor. I believe the next step is an abdominal ultrasound.

Any wannabe (or real) M.D.'s in the house who want to solve the puzzle? I'm all ears.