Anyways, we just talked about my symptoms and ordered some tests to be done. The doctor has a hunch that it could be Interstitial Cystitis (which is when the lining of the bladder is inflamed, therefor causing a whole lot of pain and discomfort). Unfortunately, this would have nothing to do with the rest of my illness, and it's also not curable, but people find relief from different types of treatment. Another unfortunate thing is that there is no definitive test for it, so we get to use the good 'ol process of elimination. I did have blood in my urine (which isn't a typical symptom of IC), which makes things a little more confusing. I have a bladder/kidney ultra sound next Monday to rule out some other things, and then I go back to the urologist in 2 weeks to talk some more, and hopefully figure out what's going on... at least with that part of my body. Meanwhile, I have the pleasure (NOT) of deciding whether or not I should have a probe done to look inside my bladder, and if I would like to try some more meds. I don't like it when doctors leave decisions like that up to me. He prescribed me some medicine that will make my pee orange and syrupy (and hopefully make my bladder feel a little better). Sounds fun...
I was pretty upset after the appointment, because my ideal solution to this problem would be that everything is related and we just need to figure it out and take care of it. It's hard for me to be okay with the fact that it might be a lot more complicated then that, and I also tend to have a bad habit of thinking that my "plans" are the best way that God will work through this. God's good at reminding me that I'm not in charge... and that's a good thing. A really good thing. God is bigger than urology appointments.
I have had a really rough past few weeks. It has seemed like I've been getting worse, and I've been having a lot of really bad bone/muscle pain and fatigue, but... these past 2 or 3 days have been better, so I'm enjoying a little bit of relief. :) We're trying to figure out where to go from here, which is why we were kind of hoping the urology appointment would give us a little more direction.
On the bright side, I am really, really, reaaallly enjoying PT! It has been a huge blessing for me, and being able to do something that I enjoy makes the not so enjoyable parts of this a whole lot easier. I have a lot to say about it, so hopefully I'll get around to writing a post about it!
At the risk of offering TMI, I've been to a urologist and had my bladder examined via probe. I was so nervous I was starting to shake and almost cried, BUT it really wasn't that bad. It was a little uncomfortable but much better than I anticipated. Other than the whole weirdness of someone looking through the scope... and it's over pretty quick.
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