Hello, world, I am finally rejoining life! I survived yesterday and I gotta say, it really wasn’t that big a deal. The worst part was NOTHING to eat all day Sunday except clear fruit juices and popsicles. I could have coffee but no dairy products at all. I could have plain beef or chicken broth but that didn’t sound too good. So I ate popsicles until 6 PM when I started the second part of the protocol…drinking 64 ounces of fluid in less than two hours. It was, thankfully, Propel with some “stuff” in it, but other than making it slightly thicker, it didn’t change the taste. Nothing to eat or drink at all after midnight.


Soon after I arrived at the hospital yesterday morning, they put in an IV catheter, took an endless history, and then whisked me off to the endoscopy room. Not long after that, Demerol and Versed were flowing through my veins and I don’t remember another thing until “waking” up, sort of! My husband took me home, made me some soup, and soon I was asleep again. I lay around in bed all day and had a headache last night (I am very prone to headaches anyway) but feel just about a hundred percent today.


The photos the doctor obtained document that I do, indeed, have some gastritis and esophageal changes. (Aren't you just thrilled that I provided them for your viewing pleasure?) I should get more test results in a week, but there are no big surprises expected. The next step will be to have a surgical procedure, also performed endoscopically, that will help alleviate my reflux problems.


Although I still have tons of things to do around here, my house feels much more like a home thanks to my folks’ help. My dining room is put back together, and the hutch is dusted and Windexed and has my great-aunt’s beautiful china on display once again. We plowed through four large boxes of old bed and table linens and put many of them into a pile for charity. Pictures adorn the walls; my dad assembled two heavy-duty shelving units, one in the garage and one in the basement; I have a new bedroom ensemble that is really beautiful, and for once I even purchased towels to match!


I will return to my discussion of the APSAC report very soon, and I have much “stuff” to share about my own family dynamics…hint hint… Amy.


I sure am glad to have the move and my endoscopic adventure behind me! (No pun intended!!)