Long story. Some of you may surmise that my living situation has changed of late. Actually, just before my “re-entrance” into T-Nation. In any case, I’ve been living alone for about 7 months.
Last November, my dad and I did our annual deer hunt. Second day, my dad (75 years old) collapsed in the hotel room. I found out about it when the EMTs came through the lobby and the receptionist says “He’s in room 128.” When I came in there, the cops were immediately questioning me as a suspect – some one along the line had mentioned domestic abuse!
Anyway, took him to the ER, and they found nothing.
Fast forward 3 weeks. Elk hunt. First night, dad collapses again in the room. I’m in the bathroom and he falls against the wall, and across the door (so I can’t get it open). Finally get out, get him sitting in a chair (after checking things out), get ready to take him to the ER myself. In doing so, he’s standing with a hand on the counter, and I turn around to get his cane (he’s got Parkinson’s as well). As I turn back, he’s falling straight toward me, backwards, just like a tree. I decide that the pro’s need to take him in. Again, ER finds nothing, but they check him into the hospital. The next day, as they’re getting ready to discharge him, I’m falling asleep in the room, and the nurse comes rushing in “Did you see anything different about him?” Of course not, I was asleep. Turns out his heart was dropping beats, like his pulse was going steady at 60, then dropped to 28. Figured that was causing him to black out. Two days later they’re implanting a pacemaker.
Along with all that, I start having trouble with diahrea, and get some bleeding happening (I’ve had ulcerative colitis for about 8 years, usually under control with sulfasalazine and enough sleep). I figure the UC is what’s causing the diahrea, so I just chalk it up to that and dismiss it. Get on prednisone to get the UC under control. But it doesn’t do anything. Usually it stops me up in a day. 10 days later, nothing.
Well, turns out my dad started having problems with diahrea at the hospital too. Figured it was because of the antibiotics they had him on.
Fast forward two months. Still got the diahrea. Bad. So does he. He’s lost 15 lbs. I’ve lost 5. He went to a gastro-enterologist who does a stool sample and gets a colonoscopy (I’m scheduled for one on March 7th). All came up negative.
Talking with my chiropractor, he said that Yakima’s utility systems tend to produce common outbreaks of giardia. Wonderful. I get on some wormwood, garlic, and goldenseal to try to see if that helps. Nothing.
Well, when I got the prednisone perscription in November, the doc had me do blood tests. Something in there (I have no idea what) came up 5 times the upper normal limit. I had an appointment with him a couple weeks ago, and told him what was going on. He drags out the blood test, and says, “Between what you just told me and these results, I believe you have something like giardia.”
Makes sense. 3 week gestation period. Same as the time between our hunting trips.
So now I’m at the end of a 10-day course of Flagyl. Hasn’t done anything yet. Going to get another 10 days worth. And at this point, food is passing through me in about 3-4 hours. Feeling sick all the time (not like stomach sick, but glands and throat). Trying to get more sleep just means I have to get up to run (and I do mean run) to the toilet another time during the night.
So I don’t know if any one out there has anything constructive to offer. And I’m sure you all can think of a hundred euphamisms for diahrea. Spare me.
Rant off.