before this one….

• I went to the ER and all I got was this lousy non-running week!!
• GERD – a week later
• Twelve miles of GERD

Yeah, an ulcer. WHO get ulcers?? Well, with all I was expecting, I am quite relieved. Let me tell you…

I saw the gastroenterologist on Monday, and she gave me a different medication for the pain. A stronger medication. It scared me a bit because I had read about PPIs, the side effects and how long people stay on those. But, I noticed right away…. I had less pain on these. I even could slide down to a horizontal position at around 4 or 5 am when my stomach calmed down. YES.

Wednesday  afternoon I had the endoscopy at 2 pm. You can’t eat anything 8 hours before, and I am not supposed to eat 3 hours before I go to sleep, and I was still going to work so had to go to sleep early, so: I didn’t eat ANYTHING from 8 pm until 2 pm. A big deal if you consider how weak and hungry I already was. I was foggy all day and by time I was going to the clinic I was so light headed I wasn’t even sure I’d make it.

The intake was long and I realized this endoscopy was no small test but a PROCEDURE.  My vitals were not good, all was low. Apparently a blood sugar of 57 was too low and they put me on an IV with simple syrup. Lots of questions, tests, precautions. I told everyone I talked to to let Juan in as soon as they put me in recovery to wake up from the procedure. I felt safe and ready to do it.

Two seconds later, I wake up and Juan is there helicoptering.  I start talking super fast, I make no sense, and I am really dizzy, I had as many cups of apple juice I could get in. YUM. A bit later, the doctor comes over and explains: There was an ulcer. It’s 10 mm. (Ulcers could be caused by stress -stress?? WTF??? not sure I have any stress other than Juan proposing 5 times a day!- or it could also be cause by the aspirin I’ve taken every day for 9 years). It was NOT GERD, the acids were trying to eat out a part of me because they thought the ulcer was another burger… So the pills I am taking control the acid, which help the ulcer heal. I still need to do the GERD diet (acids hurt, and big meals stretch it all out, which makes the ulcer also hurt) for a bit and hopefully in a few weeks I will be able to eat more things, maybe still smaller meals… In a week I get the results of the biopsy, to see if there was a bacteria to treat with antibiotics (woohooo!!) and what’s the course to take.

An ulcer seems to be no fun, but I am glad it’s not GERD. The gastroesophageal reflux disease was just the symptoms (and treatment) and hopefully it’ll go away. It was a huge relief to know I most probably won’t have to diet forever. I’ve stopped taking my aspirin (obviously!) but I am seeing my cardiologist on Friday just in case. Now I can already foresee my cardiologist worrying stoopid that I am stressed out…

Anyway, back on the diet, after starving yesterday, added Graham Crackers, and happy because knowing what it is gives you some power back, and because I think I can manage to be done with this in a month or two (or I hope so!), instead of thinking I’d have to live like that forever! Thanks everybody for your super nice messages and love in the last two weeks (wow, TWO weeks of my life already!!!).

I am on mile 21… hopefully I’ll see you at the finish soon!