Journaling - The Write Stuff For You?

There is so much to discover about ourselves as we journal our story. And so many ways to journal! What are your favorite methods to use, or do you choose different approaches as your mind takes you on your journey?
Ginger

Hello to all,

I decided along with my wife to go ahead with the Colonoscopy at a non military facility here in VA with my GI doctor this past Tuesday the 10th …. The facility was very good, the O.R. was large cold and full of clinicians anesthesia people and equipment.. quite impressive .. my Doctor came in took a quick updated physical, and before I knew it… a cold feeling in my hand where the IV was … and out I went….Propofol….19 minutes later I was gently asked to wake up, we’re all done..very groggy 🥴 I asked how things went…the young ladies were so nice and professional…explained that it went well, no complications and the doctor came in… he said he went all the way up and had to clean me out…I apparently had residue stool in spite of 5 clear yellow toilets prior.. did did not see anything that jumped out at him, the sigmoid colon CT reading of a thickness did not reveal anything other than moderate diverticulosis .. normal mucosa in the terminal ileum, cecum, ascending colon, transverse colon, and rectum. Biopsies were taken and I am waiting for pathology results with
My follow up in 23 September.. he took biopsies because he’s looking for micro colitis…the cause on these ongoing loose stools…my feeling is he may want to repeat colonoscopy in a few months although he did not say it.. I was pretty groggy 🥴 when I spoke with him…my poor wife who’s having throat problems came in to be with me as the sweet nurse rolled me out of the recovery room and we went home.. since being home I have had 1 normal BM and there was no blood residue as a result of the biopsies….I am going to the mall to do my walk…and I am grateful for the comfort of my friends here at Mayo Connect and my dear wife..if you’re married for a long time, the secret of a long marriage is this: marry someone wonderful!!
May all that come here have a safe and healthy weekend ahead 🙏pvctom

Hello to all

I hope the eeek was safe and healthy for everyone…it’s been 10 days since my colonoscopy down her and still no biopsy results.. I called the GI office yesterday and asked the receptionist if I could here back..from the nurse or the doctor…my areas of the colon on the report stated normal mucosa , moderate diverticulosis on left side of colon and to follow up with PCM and GI… upon calling GI office yesterday afternoon I was told by the receptionist that she would get my message to the nurse and she would call me back by end of day.. I got no callback…I am a wreck over this and I think it’s a shame, when a patient has to chase down the staff nurse (as the doctor) will never call back, to find out test results or biopsy results…maybe they didn’t really have them, the receptionist sounded like she was tap dancing and said yes to everything I asked…I should have known better than to call and borrow worry on a Friday afternoon before the weekend…to all who come her have a pleasant weekend and be safe🙏
pvctom

Hello to all

Well a quick weekend comes to a close and we are having some mild weather here…my wife and I take a ride up to Ft Belvoir hospital tomorrow for her ENT exam and a good look at her throat..then we pick up med refills and renewals…. I will be keeping my phone ringer on just in case I get a callback from my GI office with the biopsy results.. they switched my Followup to the 10th of October, exactly a month since my colonoscopy..these uncomfortable symptoms still persist and my anxiety disorder exacerbates the GI trouble…I did take a Levsin and a half of a .5 klonopin…I was looking up anxiety and it’s relationship to nervous GI symptoms and there is an interaction…upon reading further on the article I found the GI system has it’s own nervous system—the enteric nervous system—-and how it’s associated and reacts to the brain to gut syndrome…so far all of my symptoms seem to line up with everything I’ve read about ‘microscopic colitis’ (MC)…there is a whole lot of medicine out there for this condition…if that is what it is…stay safe and healthy for all who come here🙏
pvctom

@pvctom2021 It's frustrating, isn't it? As patients, we would like to have answers "pronto" to our concerns. Perhaps journaling about that frustration, how it makes you feel, will help as a coping mechanism?

In reading your other post, about the receptionist seeming to tap dance around everything. you might have been absolutely correct. It was Friday, and she might have not had any staff there to turn to.

I hope your drive goes safely, you get all the refills as required, and that those results come back tomorrow!
Ginger

@gingerw

Thanks Ginger for your support and your positive comments…👍

Hello to all

My wife’s throat checked out ok…thank goodness…her right femur has healed 90 % and we go back on the 3 rd of October for her X-ray and another follow up with the orthopedic PA…all we need to do is to get in touch with the pharmacist PA assistant to my cardiologist at Belvoir that specializes in medicine therapy to get her BP under control… she is good and I hope will make my wife’s high BP much lower and control it….as for me, my doctor called back and the colon biopsies showed microscopic colitis… he’s suggesting I go on Imodium slowly for a week and see how I do…he did not see any tumors but couldn’t rule out polyps because he mentioned that my prep was poor…which I can’t understand why…I was clear for 5 trips to the bathroom….anyway, last night’s AA meeting was an ugly affair…in 44 years of going to meetings semi semi regularly… I’ve never heard such an outburst from an outraged person toward another and foul language…and to top it off, one of the chosen favorites silently chimed in by giving this guy a heart ♥️ on her blank video square for this guy’s rant ..
totally turned me off .. will NEVER go back to that meeting (Zoom) again…living in this world today is a precarious place even when there is still good news to be had and good things to hope for
🙏pvctom

@pvctom2021 Tom, glad to read your wife's femur is getting better as time goes on. Can she get out to exercise, even if it is a bit of yard work or walk around the block, to help her blood pressure?

Perhaps there were some "wrinkles" in your intestine that the doctor felt he could guarantee there were no polyps. It has happened to others before.

Doing a 12 step meeting by Zoom is not something I have experienced, only done them in person. But like any other meeting, sometimes attendees become "keyboard warriors" and feel they can say/present anything they want. It is a real different energy on a screen, versus face-to-face. Perhaps if it had been in the same room, the outcome would have been different. And perhaps that person didn't share what was really going on with them, choosing to "act out" instead? That would be a great journaling prompt for you to tackle, acknowledging your feelings, how it made you and others feel, why you felt it might have happened. I wonder if the next meeting for that group will be well-attended, or if something will be said.
Ginger

@gingerw

Thanks Ginger for a wonderful reply… yes, I am so grateful for your support and the other members here…I almost deleted the AA segment for fear it might offend some…thank you for asking and for being so mindful of all aspects of my last post… my wife dislikes to go anywhere anymore.. occasionally she will go to the store with me and she still comes to the doctor’s appointments and procedures with me..she has been probably the main reason why I’ve survived these past 24 years…the heart ♥️ and GI issues that I’ve had and the skin cancers have all been discovered and put at bay thanks to the absolute wonderful medical care I’ve received during my privilege as a Military dependent.. I retired civil service with standard blue cross and then joined my wife’s military health benefit as a dependent…she DOES walk a lot in our shot gun 2000 sq ft villa in this over 55 community… you can chalk up 7000 steps walking back and forth here and not even leave the house…although we missed the Ireland trip we are hoping for a Bermuda 🇧🇲 getaway either week of the 14 Oct or 21 Oct…you are absolutely correct about the dynamics of the in person as opposed to the online meetings…what made this past one so sad , was the fact that this person that the rant was directed to is mentally challenged…May I say ‘perhaps some brain damage’ … thanks for being so helpful Ginger and I hope you and your family are doing well…🙏pvctom

Hello to all

I just wanted to leave a post.. my wife’s humerus and arm strength are all back per orthopedic PA from last Thursday visit… we have booked a 5 day cruise 🚢 to Bermuda 🇧🇲 out of Baltimore leaving 26 Oct returning 31st October .. I am looking forward to it since I will turn 78 on the 16th..😱 and I retired on the 31st … a mere 18 years ago…how things have changed…I remember we visited Asheville NC in the early 2000’s and we loved the place.. the Biltmore Estates and the lovely scenery…what a crying shame that those people were subjected to the horrible force of nature and thank goodness for the people that donate money, time and resources..and risk their own lives to lower goods to those unfortunate people….we are in eastern Virginia and our governor announced our southwest part of the state a state of emergency

This morning I woke up in a terrible state of uneasiness..this is something I can’t explain..I’ve posted on it before…I go back to see the GI doctor this Thursday to further discuss a medication plan for my IBD….meanwhile I was checking my head the other night and noticed on the back a hardish bump…it’s been there for weeks but I thought I’d better have my wife look at it…she said it looked grayish, brownish faded black…there looks to be some hair running through it… we looked this up on the internet 🛜 and came away with TMI…way too much!!!
We surmised it may well be a Seborrheic Keratosis…unfortunately Belvoir Hospital doesn’t have a dermatologist until January when my scheduled skin check follow up is…I hope it’s something that the urgent care side of their ER can check out, with my history of skin cancers that I’ve had taken
Care of there…I feel like I need a half of a Klonopin 0.5….I wish I were a lot more go with it and stop worrying about everything…but…anyway tomorrow I will give it a try.. thanks … my eyeball headaches are more annoying now🙏 to all who come here and may you have a healthy safe week…pvctom