Finally get to start Tysabri!

I got my results back from the colonoscopy and it didn't really show anything. They told me to stop taking the Aleve I was taking for the Avonex symptoms because they could not find anything else that could be causing the problem. I went to my neurologist today and he finally said I could start Tysabri next week. Finally no more Avonex. I am so happy. He believes the right side pain is not MS related. My neurologist even called my GI doctor personally to make sure there were no other issues. My GI doctor and my neurologist went to medical school together, so they are old friends. He told me to talk to the general surgeon again and see if he can do anymore tests. Who knows maybe with being on Tysabri the pain will go away. It would be great if it did. Nothing else really going on. I am hoping this pain will go away eventually, I am so tired of having pain.

Still Having Right Side Pain

I made it through the colonoscopy. The worse part of the whole thing was not being able to eat for 36 hours straight. Sunday I got up and only had the clear liquids oh and green jello. I was barely able to stay awake. I slept most of the day because I had no energy from not being able to eat. 7 pm is when the "fun" started. I drank the oral saline and without being too graphic was in the bathroom until 12:30 pm that night. I had to get up at 6 am to drink more of the oral saline liquid, and then wasn't able to have anything not even water after 7 am. The procedure was at 11am I had to have an IV for the sedative. The first nurse who tried to put it in must have been having a bad day, or just doesn't know how to do a IV without causing immense pain, because she tried to put it in my hand, but all she managed to do was leave a huge bruise on my hand and I almost passed out. They had to put me on oxygen because of it. I hadn't eaten and I was pretty weak, causing low blood pressure. I have relatively low blood pressure anyway so without food it was even lower. Then one of the other nurses said we will get Lucinda to do it she has more experience with putting IV's in. I wish they would always use the person with the most experience when they want to put an IV in me, or take blood or anything that involves a needle. I swear I always end up with the person that has problems with the ability to use needles.

A great example of this would be when I went in for a blood test for another job here in Utah. It was obviously this women's first day drawing blood, because she told me she couldn't find a vein in my right arm. Now anyone who knows me and has seen my arms whether a medical person or not would never believe she couldn't find a vein. You can see veins just by looking at my arm. She proceeded to move to my left arm. Well she found a vein but she obviously needed glasses or something, because she puts the needle in and proceeds to move it back and forth. Anyone who has had blood taken knows if the needle moves while in your arm more pain follows. I almost told her to stop and go get someone else, but I figured she couldn't cause me much more pain then she already did so I let her finish. Within 5 minutes of leaving the facility I had a bruise the size of a golf ball on my arm, by the time I got back to work it was the size of a baseball. I ended up calling the facility later and logging a complaint. Sometimes I wonder where people get their experience. But I digress.

Anyway back to the procedure, after getting the IV put in by the experienced nurse I was rolled into the procedure room. I really don't remember the procedure at all; they rolled me into the procedure room and the doctor came over to talk to me and to ask if I had any questions, I said no and then they told me to roll over on my left side, next thing I remember was waking up in recovery room. I stayed there for about another half hour and then was released. Heath and I went to IHOP after that, I finished every morsel of food I was so hungry. We went home and I laid on the couch and slept the rest of the day. Right now I am trying to get the results a week later. The pain got really bad yesterday; I barely slept on Saturday night. I couldn't even fall asleep until around 5am, and I woke up about 9:30am. I slept ok last night but I am still in a lot of pain. Basically I am waiting until they call me back. I hope it is today. I am going to go now, I want to lay down I am not feeling very well.

Right Side Pain and Preparation For a Colonoscopy

Monday I will be a having a colonoscopy because I have had right side pain since the beginning of March. I have had 2 CT scans one with contrast and one without both showed nothing wrong. I also had an ultrasound on my reproductive organs which also showed no problems. Hopefully with this procedure they will find out what is wrong. Tomorrow all I get to have is clear liquids. I have to have this right side pain problem solved before they will let me start the Tysabri. Hopefully I will be able to start the Tysabri at the beginning of June; the Avonex is still causing me lots of side effects such as fever, chills and tiredness. Nothing else really of interest. I will write again later after the procedure on Monday.