I Am Not a Doctor

I can't diagnose or treat any condition. I can offer opinions based on my limited knowledge, research, and experience, and Reiki to help bring things back into balance, but a doctor I am not. I know this. My friends know it too, and they know to take my opinions for what they are, opinions only.

LDS has been having trouble for months, I think. The last time she had unexplained health complaints, she went to a doctor and found out she was pregnant. This was not a possibility this time. She went to a doctor, and they found a tear in her stomach lining, likely caused by taking too much ibuprofen. She was given a prescription medication to help it heal, but couldn't afford it and insurance won't cover it. I don't know if she asked the doctor for an affordable alternative (knowing her, probably not). Still with amazing side and stomach pains, she went back to the doctor and they found another tear in her esophagus. The pain also manifested in her right shoulder. You know what that sounds like to my not-medically-trained mind? The gallbladder.

Doctors told her she was too young, but they said the same thing to Phoenix when she had her gallbladder removed for stones. They decided to do a hida scan to check for problems in the bile duct. After some run around with insurance, the earliest appointment she could get was this past Friday. On Tuesday, the pain was too great and the fact that she couldn't eat anything other than rice put her in a hospital. They did an ultrasound and found no gall stones. I was sure that had to be the answer. I'm still not a doctor, but all signs were pointing to that. It is not so. At least she knows what it's not.

LDS hasn't been to work for a week. She's still waiting for the results of the hida scan. I think I'm almost as frustrated as she is. Not because I was wrong (of course, I'm not a doctor. Still, I'm happy she convinced them to test for it, I could have been right), but because not knowing is half of the problem. Maybe it is just the tears that are causing so much pain for her. They should heal up, more so with the help of some nice drugs if she could get them. I have some things in mind for her to do about that, but it's more than I can easily communicate through a text message. The first is asking the doctor for some less-pricey, maybe over-the-counter alternatives. The second is convincing the insurance that it is medically necessary so they will cover it. The third is asking if the manufacturer can help her with the cost. After a week of rice, anything is worth a try.

I'm hoping with her that the hida scan will reveal something. It's frightening to have something painfully wrong and not know what it is or what you can do about it. I want her to have answers. Other people need her and depend on her and she needs to be well. Here's hoping for answers and, with them, a solution.