Daily diary of how I'm feeling

[Peale]

Thought I'd start a diary of how I'm feeling daily.  Should have done this from the start.

I fell asleep last night about nine.  Woke up at eleven.  Wide awake.  Stayed up until nearly two before attempting to go back to sleep.  Wide awake again at 5:30.

I can't catch my breath.  I mean, I breathe normally, but it's like I can't get enough air. 

I have this nagging pain under my left rib, closest to my flank.  I think it might be my spleen, but I can't say for sure.  What does a swollen spleen feel like, exactly?

And then there's the pain under my breastbone.  A gastro doc has looked at me (he's checked me from both ends, to get mildly graphic) and says I have no gastronomical problems he can find.  It certainly doesn't *feel* that way.

Pain in my left shoulder that has no source.  It was far worse.  I started taking vitamin B supplements, and seems to have made it go from screaming to a dull roar.

I've read that a lot of floxies have a vitamin D deficiency, so I started taking supplements for that too.  Whether I need it or not, it's likely a good idea.  D is quite an important vitamin.

[Peale]

October 16th.  My birthday.  Yay, I'm 34 today.

Fell asleep on the couch again around 8:30.  Wide awake at 1am.  Having palpitations.  They're really pleasant, lemme tell you.

Woke to *extreme* anxiety.  Took a Xanax.  Haven't had to take one in a long time.

Side doesn't seem to hurt as much today.  Liver area is only a little tender.  Still have that nagging pain under my breastbone.

[Peale]

Woke about three.  Was able to get back to sleep for once.  Woke at six.

Mild pain in my left shoulder.  Very little anxiety on waking today, as compared to yesterday.

My skin is pretty damn yellow.  I need to get some UV lamps or spend some time in the sun to dissolve the bilirubin in my skin.

Pain below my breastbone is rather nagging today.

[Peale]

Fell asleep last night around 9.  Woke on the couch just past midnight and went to bed.  Woke at three and six.

Side pain is nagging, but tolerable.  Did go on a hike today with the kids.  Feel quite fatigued afterwards, but what do you expect?  That's the most exercise I've gotten in months.

Took an ibuprofen today (200mg) as an experiment.  I haven't taken one since I took the Cipro.  I was told by the pharmacist that I could take them both at the same time, but in reading the literature it states do NOT do that.  Whoops.  I'm still talking and walking, so perhaps I'll dare taking it again.

[Peale]

Didn't fill out something for yesterday because I just didn't feel like doing much of anything at all.

Took *another* Xanax yesterday.  I hate taking them because they make me feel so loopy, but when the anxiety is that bad it's the only way to actually deal with it.  Luckily they only last a few hours.

Side pain was tolerable, but has quite a bit of back pain in my left shoulder.

And of course the nagging pain below my breastbone came and went.

[Peale]

Mostly okay yesterday.  No anxiety to speak of.  Some back pain.  Toward the end of the night had something weird happen.  Started getting heart palpitations and getting really lightheaded.  Seemed to pass quickly, though.

Woke with mild anxiety today.  Passed fairly quickly.  We'll see how the rest of the day goes.

[Peale]

Just haven't felt up to posting a daily diary.  Have felt pretty much like dogshit.

The pain in my abdomen has a new wrinkle.  I can clearly feel some kind of lump.  I asked my doctor about it.  Amazingly she didn't seem impressed.  She called in another doctor that has a practice in the same building as a consult.  He felt it and said (this is my favorite) "Why are you so worried about a lump in your abdomen and some pain, anyway?  You're a young guy.  I'd ignore it."

Hey, if it is indeed nothing, something benign, okay.  But I've got a painful lump in my abdomen...why is that not a concern?

I've got an appointment tomorrow with another doctor for a second opinion.  Time to hopefully start from scratch.

[ChadTower]

They are waiting for it to mature and burst out of your stomach, that's why.  It is more entertaining that way... at least until it gets hungry and eats their heads.

[Peale]

Doctor looked at it.  She's setting up an appt for an MRI.

[ChadTower]

Good idea.  That first doctor sounds like all he cares about is not building up expensive referrals.