Posted 10/15/2014 9:55 PM (GMT 0)
So after two consecutive years of Nissen adjustments, I took it up with the Mayo Clinic last week for a diagnosis. They did the whole nine yards: barium swallow, pH test, manometry, CT scan, endoscopy. The pH showed minor reflux episodes, but not nearly enough to warrant the depth of my symptoms. Also, I had a mildly-raised eosinophil count, but no rings or esophagitis correlating to it, so they ruled that out as a cause. Naturally, I'm back to my least favorite diagnosis: hypersensitivity. I'm due to start antidepressants for it shortly. I'm a bit nervous because I've been down the TCA route before, and it didn't help at all and, ironically, made me very depressed and zombie-like. Imipramine looks to be the flavor of the month for me prescription-wise.
I have appointments for a acupuncturist, and I've seen a chiropractor without results, but I'd like to keep my eye out for more tangible solutions. Given that this has been a three-plus-year process so far, I'm desperate for solutions. I've had periods where I've been pain-free (sometimes for months at a time, but not so much lately), so I do wonder if there's some other strange avenue to go down that I've been missing. I've been on some pretty crazy and borderline-dangerous diets as prescribed by doctors over this whole ordeal, and none of those seemed to be indicative of anything. I do wonder with my last shred of optimism if there is some way of maintaining the pain-free periods I used to have indefinitely, rather than just running from one substantial stopgap to another.
I'm sure the rules aren't very fond of this kind of talk, but in a frank discussion of pain, I don't think it's unreasonable to air the facts: for a while now I've been dead-set (no pun intended) on killing myself if I can't find relief. The pain is unbearable, and it prevents me from accomplishing any of the goals I have in life, only pushing me further and further into debt. I steel myself in anticipation sometimes, but even the most nihilistic parts of me remember a fond life before this illness came to define me and consume my future. Naturally, I'd rather live, because I do have things I want to do with my life, but I'm a bit of a glass cannon when it comes to my potential here, and every day I feel a bit closer to shattering under the pressure.
Has anyone had any long-term success with this? I'm always dubious of the diagnosis, but maybe ignoring the implications of the diagnosis and focusing on the treatment aspect is the best approach for now. With different medications, what's the approximate reduction, percentage-wise, in symptoms?