Testing Breakdown

(I don't really have pictures as most of the tests electronics weren't allowed)
My first test was a CT scan February 17, 2015. No food or water after midnight. It made me very sick having to drink two bottles of nasty 'fruit flavored' liquid that would help them see my insides better. I was about done with my second bottle when a nurse came out with two new bottles for me... I quickly explained that I was almost done. I was NOT putting myself through that again. She disappeared and returned to give them to the gentleman next to me.
The nurse took me back to change. The hospital pants were huge! A baby elephant could have fit. The strings were hanging down around my knees after I'd tied them in a bow... I got my first IV, the tube was thick and it hurt. They shot iodine into me after some pictures. It made me really hot and I felt awful. A side effect of it, they explained beforehand was that it would feel like I'd peed my pants even though I hadn't. That was a lovely sensation. I was very sick for the rest of the day.
Results: Other than a small rupture they found which should go away on its own, nothing was found.

March 5-6, 2015
Today I got an ultrasound and they took bloods. The ultrasound kind of hurt as she was trying to get the pictures she needed and would jam the tool under my ribs or deep into my side. They took so much blood is was as if I had donated.

The HIDA scan followed the next day. No food or water after midnight again. That's hard as my stomach gets sharp pains when I'm hungry and my appointment wasn't until 11:00am. I didn't have to drink anything or change my clothes though. I got to keep my phone and had been encouraged to bring an ipod or some form of entertainment. My dad even came back with me. Another IV... they poked a vein on the side of my arm instead of the center. That hurt... The first hour was fine. I just had to lie still. The doctor had even gotten me a blanket. The second part I got really sick. He injected what would be the equivalent of a three course meal to see how my gallbladder reacted. So that was done in three parts and each time I felt so violently ill. My dad is amazing. He put his hand on my head for comfort.
Results: Everything is normal

March 16, 2015
Colonoscopy and Endoscopy. No solid food after midnight... ok, I slept until 2:00pm trying to ignore the hunger. I made some broth for dinner. I felt dizzy and lightheaded but that seemed to help a bit. It's just that drinking liquids on an empty stomach has always made me feel sick, my whole life... Then I had to drink the prep stuff. I tried just chugging it but it was so horrible I only got a third down. I was so sick and so hungry and I just started crying because I couldn't do it and it was so frustrating. My appointment wouldn't be until 11:00am tomorrow and I just couldn't make it that long. I'd have to wake up at 6:00am to drink the second part and two bottles of water on top of that. Dad called to cancel it and made me some macaroni and cheese. I finally started feeling better apart from a headache. However if I'd tried to continue, I might have ended up in the hospital that night.

March 23-24, 2015
Instead of the prep stuff, my doctor had me OD on laxative pills to clean out my system. 10 Dulcolax gel capsules twice. I was throwing up all day. The only plus to that was that I wasn't really hungry. To finish it I drank some Magnesium Citrate which I mixed with lemonade. I drank so much that I felt very bloated after. I couldn't really sleep that night.
The nurses had fun with the IV drip. The tube wouldn't go all the way in my hand. They kept trying to jam it in. Talk about painful... They finally gave up on the hand and tried again a little further up the arm. I was sort of crying by then... However before they could do the scopes they had to have a urine sample to make sure I wasn't pregnant.. Since I'd been throwing up all day yesterday I was kind of empty so I had to wait for the fluids to start kicking in. I'd started feeling lightheaded and hot so I closed my eyes for a minute and kind of passed out. When I woke up I thought it was all a dream for a second until I looked down and saw my IV. I almost started panicking.
I was taped up with heart monitors and they gave me oxygen after they wheeled my bed into surgery. They attached the anesthesia into the IV and had me roll over on my side before I was out.
Next thing I knew I was being helped back into my clothes and walked out to the car. A nurse had to help me walk and dad helped me inside. I asked for a muffin because I was hungry, but was still kind of out of it so I didn't notice the paper cup until I bit down on it..
Dad also told me that I'd given him a full report of all they did to me and how I had to take my IV to the bathroom. All that good stuff. Well now I know how my body would probably react to an overdose and perhaps what I would be like if I were intoxicated.
Results: The biopsies all came back clear. Other than a bit of inflammation in the lining of my stomach, all is normal.

I was referred to Primary Children's as I was still 18, yet they said they could only see me once since my birthday was coming up. So we were sent to the University of Utah.

June 16, 2015
Gastric emptying study. I had to eat two slices of toast and a cup of disgusting egg whites. They said if I didn't eat it all they couldn't do the test. There were small amounts of radioactive chemicals in the food that they then watched over the course of the next four hours with an x-ray.

Results: Food isn't moving through my stomach as fast as it should. This is called Gastroparesis or 'lazy stomach'

The good, the bad, but mostly the ugly

Gastroparesis is the diagnosis after nearly half a year of testing. Each test made me very sick as I usually had to fast, the worst being the scopes. Starting with a CT scan, blood labs, an ultrasound, a HIDA scan, a colonoscopy and endoscopy complete with biopsies of my insides.



With nothing showing up on any of these I was recommended to the University of Utah where I was tested to see how long food took to get through my stomach using x-rays. A Gastric Emptying Study. That was where they found the answer. Food wasn't leaving my stomach as fast as it should, thus by the time it did go through, there was hardly any nutrients left for my body to take in.
By this point I was malnourished and my muscles were beginning to deteriorate. My hair had been falling out for a while.
 
 I bruise easily and my face is almost always covered in pimples and sores. I've been taking multivitamins, biotin, protein shakes, using special shampoos and conditioners. I permed my hair and trimmed and layered it to make it look thicker. I went to a dermatologist to get some help with my face but ended up having an allergic reaction like I usually do with new acne treatments I try. The joy of having sensitive skin.
I've mostly stopped driving, being too tired most of the time for it to be considered safe any longer. I spend most of my time in bed or on my couch. It's amazing how uncomfortable a bed can become when you spend all day in it. I've watched so many movies I've gotten sick of TV. Even at family parties I find myself having to sneak away from my cousins to take a nap.
 
I've been pretty lonely and somewhat isolated, moving back home to a small town where most of my friends have moved on and there is hardly anything to do.
The one thing that I hate is how the media almost glamorizes being sick, all the people that are always supporting you. It's been sort of the opposite for me. People who used to be 'friends' or people who wanted a date with me until they found out I was sick...That's what hurts. Like I have the plague and everyone must stay away.
There are also the side effects to what I have, such as burping often after I eat and having more gas than most people. I am almost always constipated with the occasional diarrhea. It becomes awkward and I feel bad. If I eat with someone other than my dad, if someone pays for my food or fixes a nice dinner I feel terrible for not eating it all or wasting it. I usually make myself sick trying to. Even drinking water can make me sick as my stomach quickly fills up.
I have no energy to do much of anything and tire quickly. Trying to go on dates or hang out with friends has been almost a nightmare when so much as a slow walk can exhaust me and make me sick most of the next day. I've struggled trying to go to church. I often get hungry at random times during the day and have to eat then as the pain is terrible. Also again being tired has made it a struggle. However I always try to make it to sacrament meeting.
I have luckily never been hospitalized though there were a few close calls on nights that I got especially sick. However people in my ward have come over to give blessings and put my name on the temple prayer list. My extended family held a fast for me. I've felt so blessed and loved at times.

The diagnosis was found just a few weeks ago and treatments have begun, starting with IV therapy twice a week to give my body the nutrients it has been lacking for so long. It's going to be a long path to recovery but I have high hopes and am grateful that we now know what it is.