Yes, still alive...

Went to the CPMC campus on Van Ness for my ECRP procedure. 

How did Uber get so expensive? I was going to book Uber, and apparently at 6AM it will cost me $43 to go 1.3 miles (!!!).  I changed to Lyft and it only cost me $20. And yes, I tipped $5. The guy came in a BMW!  Rene, you're a good egg. Could drive a little smoother, but your car's immaculate. 

Anyway, the procedure went without a hitch. Pretty much got dressed in the gown, got EKG, had a little problem getting the IV in, that the nurses decided to let the anesthesiologist do it. But I have always had difficult veins, and lack of water intake before the procedure (if I regurg during the procedure I could drown, no joke, or get water in my lung, which is not good either) means I am a little dehydrated, which added to the difficulty. I think I got like 4 holes poked in me before the nurses gave up. :D

Anyway, got to the procedure room, got the IV put in, then it's time for the procedure. Got transferred from the gurney to the table, was warned that the drugs are going in, got a couple breaths of pure O2, then it's lights out for me. And I woke up in recovery. Then... I got the "bad" news? They apparently did find a 3cm mass, and they were able to biopsy that for the lab. Then they put a stent in, so I should start feeling better. But they need a better look at that mass, so I have a CT scan to be scheduled "soon". 

Got back home with a ride from family friend, pretty much went to bed, and dozed off. 

Spent Wednesday pretty much moping at home. Dad decided to move his shitter to my room in case I needed it. :D  Let's just say my bowels before the procedure was loose enough I may have gone a couple times in my trash can, that I got so tired of it I loaded myself with Loperamide (generic Immodium AD) that I constipated for a full day, didn't go until late Wednesday night / early Thursday morning. And yes, I had gone all the way to my local pharmacy to buy some. 

Finally decided to venture outside on Thursday, but I didn't go to sleep until like 5AM, that I didn't get out until noon. Nothing quite taste right, but forced myself to eat some cheungfun, then got a haircut (I think my last one was in... January?)  

Have a doctor's appt tomorrow, my sleep doctor, not much to report there, then there's an interview next week... Not getting paid MUCH, but my resume is apparently impressive to them, probably because no one else applied. Still, it'd put some money in my bank account, which is getting down to negligible status, and my credit card's over limit. ARGH!

Separate update about other stuff in the next blog post. 

Turns out, it's NOT self-inflicted AFTER ALL...

Seems my PCP had gone pretty senile... Considering he's well over 80, it's understandable. 

Basically, he missed my jaundiced condition until I pointed it out to him. THEN he sent me to a gastroenterologist. Jaundice basically means I had turned a shade of yellow. And that, is an indication of loss of liver function. My previous self diagnosis of air fryer contamination, lactose intolerance, and my attempt to self-medicate with pre- and probiotics were just... irrelevant. 

What I do have is bile duct obstruction... basically, liver and gall secrets stuff through a tube into the intestines. If that duct is obstructed, I get bad digestion, and possibly worse. 

What's worse, I've done both a CT and MRI, and they can't figure out what's obstructing the duct, so the next step is an ECRP: a stomach scope, basically. Looks like I'll be unconscious for this one. And it's scheduled for less than 7 days. 

This problem had basically caused me to stop producing, and basically put me into a bit of depression. But hopefully, this news will get me moving again. 

So, stay tuned. 

P.S. Here's a bit of funny incident. My gastro doesn't do ECRP, so he had to refer me to someone else, and the first guy I was referred to (yes, he's on the list, literally FIRST doctor listed when you look for gastro)... is in the wrong medical group and does NOT take my insurance! Took another 48 hours for my gastro to sort it out. Nice of him. :) 

RANT: Nobody will be happy about universal healthcare

Image via Wikipedia

What we got in March 2010 was not even universal healthcare, but just some health insurance reform.

In universal healthcare, nobody will be happy, and I am talking about the three parties: the people (who will use the coverage) the providers (doctors, hospitals, and etc.), and the insurers. Here's why

The people want to be covered for everything, and pay nothing. Right? The reality is they can only get covered for something, and pay a bit more than something.

Providers want to provide everything, and get paid for everything at price of their choosing. The reality is providers can only provide something, and get paid for what the insurer chooses to pay up.

Insurer want to pay providers nothing, take in lots of premiums from the people. The reality is They have to pay providers something.

The needs are mutually exclusive, and it's a THREE-WAY relationship. So in short, nobody will get everything they want. Thus, nobody will be happy when the solution is available.