Dr. Friedman...

I'm heading to L.A. on Wednesday morning to see Dr. Friedman- the periodic Cushing's specialist. Everyday I change my mind about my own diagnosis. Depending on the moment, I'm sure that I have Cushing's, or that my endometriosis is the cause of all of this, or that I in fact have Celiac Disease causing the drama, or that I'm actually fine and just need to get used to my new "body". Each moment changes the outlook. I just got back from the gym- a 90 minute intense workout with Ben where we both kicked eachother's asses, and it's hard to believe that I've been so sick. But then I stop and realize how sad it is that I can't lift my own body weight, or how that stabbing pain after my workout under my rib cage radiating up to my right shoulder probably isn't all that normal. And then I think about how I felt three weeks ago, and how this always happens. This period right now, the this-is-not-so-bad-I-can-deal-with-this period, is what makes me stop seeing doctors again and go back to just dealing with what I've got going on. And then, sure enough, a few months later I'm back in the doc's office worse than ever....trying to figure out what's wrong with me. This is the first time that I've actually realized that it might all be related- that it might be one big long problem that just cycles in and out. I'm in a good phase, and I want to forget about the bad phases...but maybe I shouldn't just yet.

I went to see a GI doctor today for the first time, ever. With all of my endometriosis problems, all of the GI symptoms, all of the pain- I've never seen anyone about that piece in particular. Dr. Harris at the Mayo Clinic was really great. She sat with me for an hour going over my whole history, detail by detail. She was very thorough, and it really helped me put everything together. Basically, she thinks that a lot of what I've got going on is caused by the endometriosis. She thinks I have endometriosis implants in my bowel, but she wants to do a colonscopy to make sure there's nothing else that could be a problem. She also is really concerned about celiac disease, which I was surprised about. Because I've been fairly gluten-free for months now, she can't test for it. And she feels that my previous test, after having been gluten-free for over a month, was probably incorrect. I already know that I feel better (not 100%, but better) when I avoid gluten, so I just want to stick with that. But she said if I do actually have celiac disease, it can be really bad to not diagnose it and just keep eating a little gluten here and there because of the damage it can eventually cause. She is having me start eating gluten again- the equivalent of 4 slices of bread EVERY day for 6 weeks, and then I'll have some blood work done to determine if I have the first markings of celiac disease. If the blood work comes back positive, they'll move on to the upper GI scope/biopsy, and they'll do that while they go in for the colonoscopy. Sounds like a good day, eh?

But right now I'm focusing on my trip to L.A. to see Dr. Friedman. I know it says to take pictures to show body changes, etc. But I don't have a whole lot of change other than the 25ish pounds I've gained in the last 4 months out of nowhere. I guess I could take pics from 6 months ago to compare to now, but my symptoms and everything started long before 6 months ago. The weight however wasn't much of a problem back then. That's a recent change. I got all of my medical records from the Mayo Clinic today, so I'll be taking those. And then I'm taking my MRI scan, but they'll have to do repeats in L.A. because my previous MRI was done on a 1.5 Tesla machine, which isn't as strong as they'd like. But if my tumor showed up clear as day on a 1.5, what will it look like on a 3T? And why would they need something stronger if they already can see it? Oh well, I guess a better image can't hurt.

Anyone out there who's seen Dr. F have any tips or anything for my trip? I'm a little nervous about what he's gonna say or how I'm going to explain everything to him. I have no idea what's connected, what could be Cushing's, what to tell him, etc. I have my folder of all of my medical records, and I'm writing down all of my symptoms- but I don't have any grasp on my "cycles" because I haven't done much testing at all yet. I just know of some symptoms that correspond to each other, but not whether they correspond to high cortisol or low cortisol.

Help me out if you can! I appreciate it! :)