I can’t be the only one

I believe there must be other people out there who have experienced severe pain attacks. I have been suffering from them monthly for the past 5 years. It starts off as a burning in my abdomen that quickly spreads to my chest. Then BAM….instant pain coursing throughout my body. It feels like a vice is around my rib cage, squeezing all the air out of my lungs. In addition to that, I feel an elephant or bowling ball is on my chest. Also, it feels like someone is pouring hot oil all over from my hips to my pelvis. Intense pain between the shoulder blades. Stabbing, “fire poker” pain in my left, upper abdomen, behind my ribs. This “fire poker” pain feels like a sharp, searing pain, followed by a feeling of ripping out of my flesh; like someone is repeatedly stabbing me with a fire poker. It feels like a hamster is trying to scratch & crawl its way out from behind only my left rib cage. I break out into a sweat, yet my teeth are chattering and I’m freezing cold (I have been told that this feeling of being cold despite sweating is my body going into shock). I lay in a fetal position crying, wrapped in a blanket, trying to gain control of my breathing. I lie there, in intense, debilitating pain, until the attack ceases; anywhere form 30-60 minutes. Once the pain becomes tolerable I’m weak, spent, exhausted. All I can do is drink water and curl up to sleep. I’m dazed, light headed, unsteady.

Fake It Til You Make It

Yes, this is a picture of my kidney. Isn't that crazy? On the right of the screen is my left kidney showing my Nutcracker Syndrome. You can see all the loops of extra veins that popped up to help drain my kidney. The surgeon said that I'm so tall and lanky, my torso so long they really had to crop down the pictures.

I have been the worst blogger. I have been up north at the famous hospital since July 3. I miss my husband and I miss the sunny southern days. But this visit up north is paying off. It turns out I have another disorder (of course) called May Thurner Syndrome. Apparantly, it's pretty common for people to have both this syndrome along with nutcracker syndrome. I have surgery scheduled for Aug 2. I'm getting a stent put in my left iliac vein (around my pelvis). This is supposed to create a large channel for drainage from my kidney. It's a better option than putting it near the renal vein. I have a 90% chance of the stent lasting 1-2 years (no idea what happens after that; it's one of my pre-op questions) and 60-70% it will relieve my chronic flank pain. Also, it leaves the option open to go back to the kidney at a later date (hopefully after I have babies) and manipulate the renal vein.

After the surgery I will obviously need healing time. I'm so happy my husband was able to take off work that week to be my nurse. :) I'm afraid my upcoming posts may not be food related. I have some really great beauty products I ordered I must share because they turn my pale, sickly face into a glowing, semi-healthy looking one (just don't look at my medicated-glazed eyes).


I'll try to get some posts up soon. Right now I'm just taking time out to concentrate on getting my health back on track and see how I heal up after the surgery. And to all you who have wished me luck and sympathized with me on twitter & instagram thank you. It's nice to hear from others who know what living with chronic pain is like. I'm trying my best to stay strong and positive for the upcoming surgery even though I'm anxious. But I have to look forward to the outcome and not let my nerves get in the way; I'm faking it (no anxiousness) til I make it (not anxious). This is a step forward in regaining my health.

It Does a GI Tract Good

I have been a terrible food blogger lately. I've relied heavily on the help of others for my posts because I haven't been well enough to make anything. I had a renal venogram last week that I'm still recovering from. I never thought putting a small catheter with a camera in my vein would hurt so much. I was unable to be completely sedated because I had to follow commands, such as: "breath in deeply", "hold your breath", and "is that where your pain is"? 'Lucky' me, I was the first patient at the hospital to have this procedure done; I was the first patient they have seen who actually has nutcracker syndrome. Needless to say, the doctors and surgeons were pretty excited to see me and my rare condition.

They snaked the catheter/camera up from my right femoral vein (in my groin) all the way up to my left renal vein. I could feel every where the doctor snaked that catheter. I even asked if it was supposed to be so painful. My nurses were wonderful, they felt bad for me so they were rubbing my head and giving me more pain meds every 5 min. Even though it was painful, I found it fascinating what modern medicine can do. Afterward my insides felt like spaghetti; like someone had taken a knife to my insides, just chopping and slicing away.

After all that, the doctor looked at my images and was unable to make a recommendation on what to do next because he has never seen nutcracker syndrome before. He is going to consult with other doctors before putting me through an invasive surgery involving making a new renal vein to bypass the compressed one.

Anyway, I'm sorry to go into all that, but I just wanted to let you all know I'm not (completely) lazy; I've been dealing with a lot of things. And the next two weeks will be filled with doctor appointments, questions, and decisions about a possible surgery. For this reason my cooking has dwindled down to almost nothing. Poor Mr.Surly has been reduced to eating canned soup and Lucky Charms.

Sorry about my little rant that has nothing to do with this delicious apple brandy, Calvados. I was introduced to it back in August while on vacation. We went out to eat at a wonderful French restaurant and I had forgotten my Creon pills. These are pills that contain 3 pancreatic enzymes to help me digest my food; I have to take them every time I eat anything. Well, I ate the meal anyway, knowing I was going to be in a lot of pain later.

We had after dinner drinks and I chose this apple brandy that sounded good. Little did I know how good it would turn out to be. First of all, it tastes phenomenal; great apple flavor. After my first sip, I felt the warm buring in my throat and all the way down my esophagus; relaxing everything. By the time I finished my brandy (just a few ounces) my entire GI tract was relaxed. I didn't even feel the ill effects I usually feel when eating without taking my enzyme pill. The Calvados had relaxed everything, dulling my pain.

Ever since we returned from vacation we've been looking for this brandy for me. I want to have it around in case I eat a meal that causes my abdominal pain. Mr.Surly finally found it for me. He also bought these brandy snifters/cognac glasses that are supposedly made for french brandy.

Now, I'm not a medical expert, so I don't know if this would help all people with abdominal issues (maybe it would exacerbate it in some). All I'm saying is that it works for me. And for you lucky people with no GI issues, it makes a wonderful after dinner drink.

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