I got a temporary filling and will have to call in 3 or 4 weeks to make another appointment for a crown. This process is to make sure I'm not going to have any further pain with the tooth which would indicate needing a root canal, but he said it didn't appear, from the x-ray, that would be the case. The crown is needed or the tooth will just crack again. He gave me a 10% discount for being self-pay, which I was thankful for! Every little bit helps!
I have decided that I will talk to the dentist about having the bottom broken tooth pulled and a partial plate fixed instead of pulling the bottom 10 teeth I have left, at this point anyway.
Tim and I went to our two local thrifts in between my doctor appointments. We were probably back in half an hour. I didn't look at the books. I didn't want Tim to have to stand or walk around much.
At 1:15 I left for my 1:45 Digestive Health appointment. I gave her the run down of all of my symptoms. She pressed around on my stomach, which was a bit tender. She doesn't think the nausea is related to my bowel symptoms and she is concerned about it, especially since it is causing me to still lose weight. She said it sounds like I have an awful lot of acid somewhere (I don't remember where she said she thought it was). She has ordered more testing. Besides doing another endoscopy to see if my ulcers have gotten bigger, I will be having a 4 hour scan procedure: Gastric Emptying Scan. I arrive at 8:15 a.m. They will feed me some eggs. And then at 11, 12, 1 and 2, they will do scans to see how my system is reacting and progressing from the eggs. I don't know what I'm supposed to be doing in between the eating and the first scan at 11, or what I will be doing between the first scan and each of the consecutive ones. That will be next Friday.
The doctor wanted lab work done today, but they needed to be drawn with me fasting. And I had eaten a banana this morning before going to the dentist, so the lab work could not be done today. The lab work: Gastrin, will be done on the 17th in the morning and then the endoscopy will be done in the afternoon.
I got a new document from today on my patient portal that had a medication (ranitidine) listed, but I couldn't really tell what items were newly added today, so I sent her a note to see if this is another prescription I am to take.
I need to contact Samaritan Ministries now to be sure all of this is going to be covered. It will cost around $2,000 before it is all over, and that is with self-pay discount pricing! Hopefully, these extra tests will give us some resolutions to what is causing the nausea.
Also, for those concerned about the hiatal hernia maybe being heart related instead. She confirmed it was my hiatal hernia. Plus, today I leaned against their receptionist counter, which hit me right at the top of the stomach and sternum area and it sent pain up my sternum! Plus, today I have noticed that I have to sit pretty straight, no rounded shoulders causing my middle to "scrunch up." That causes pain in the same place, too! She didn't even seem concerned about it! But, she will see what is going on with it in the endoscopy.
Thank you all for keeping me in your prayers. Tim has been doing great this week. It seems his care giver is sicker than he is. :(
Love to all!
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