A long and frustrating story

[mxw08]

So I have a couple questions in the midst of this long post. (Sorry about the length.)

Seven months ago I went on an airplane, something I have never ever had a problem with, and got super sick on the climb up into the air and didn't feel really well the whole time we were in the air. I didn't throw up (thankfully,) but it was a horrific scare because I sincerely thought I was going to. I felt completely fine once we were on the ground again, although the same thing happened on the return flight.

That incident was the beginning of a long and intensely frustrating period of my life. I didn't notice right after that incident, but the more I think about it the more I realize it had been building up for a few months. I felt sick everyday. Nothing specific, just a general feeling of unwell. A month after the plane incident, I went to the doctor for a completely unrelated complaint: irregular periods. A blood test revealed that I have polycystic ovarian syndrome, (PCOS,) a hormone imbalance disorder, treated with birth control.

I thought the feeling sick thing was over once I started the medicine. It would regulate my hormones and I would stop feeling like crap. Unfortunately, this was not the case. This all really got bad last April... and it's been going on ever since. Every single day brings that horrible feeling of general unwellness, and it seems that everything I once knew about myself has changed. I was not squeamish at all before this, and now anything even REMOTELY gross makes me feel very very sick. I also figured out what happened on the plane; altitude sickness. I've lived my whole life in the valley in a VERY mountainous region. Going up into the mountains to ski or see the leaves in the fall or just for fun has been a constant activity my entire life. Now I can't go up the canyon into the higher altitude without feeling just like I did on the plane. Also before all this happened, I NEVER had a problem with motion sickness. Now I cannot be a passenger in a car for more than two minutes (and not at all on the freeway,) without feeling very sick.

I moved away to come to college despite the illness three months ago. I'm on treatment and since birth control takes about three months to really settle in, my parents and I decided that I couldn't not live just because I feel sick everyday. But this horrible cycle is just going on and on, and I'm heading home next semester because the doctor's can't figure out what's wrong without testing and they can't do testing if I'm three hours away.

This entire ordeal has been frustrating beyond belief, and I spend everyday being terrified at least once. Because feeling sick like I do includes at least queasiness everyday, I know you guys are probably the only ones who can understand how awful this is. I have to face my worst fear every single day. So to get to my first question, my best friend has an anxiety disorder and talking to her about how I feel, she thinks that I just have really bad anxiety. She says she's felt much of what I have. I KNOW that at least part of this is anxiety, but I attribute that anxiety to feeling queasy everyday and therefore being terrified. I know a lot of people on here have anxiety about this very same thing, so I'm wondering how you all feel. Do you guys just feel really sick everyday?

My second question is that since I'm not getting better, when I get home I'm pretty much going to be put through the wringer as far as medical tests go. My dad has Crohn's disease (an inflammation disease of the intestines,) and my mom wants me to have a colonoscopy to make sure I don't have that. That would involve anesthetic, which I've had once before and did just fine on. But that was before all this past stuff happened. Anesthetic has a fantastic potential to cause vomiting, and were it not for that I'd gladly submit to the scope. I don't know what else to do but to explore all frightening possibilities. But the idea of having something that could make me really sick... that definite

[tessa17]

well, a couple days ago I wouldn't have had any experiences to relate but now...

I also have PCOS and am on birth control to help, and have had all sorts of problems with that. I used to be the calmest person I knew (a great help working with animals) and now I find it had to stay calm at all. and that is the least of my problems. I'd love to talk to someone who is going through a similar experience!

I haven't ever been under anesthesia, but last week I had to get a HIDA test, which is a gallbladder function test. It involved an IV (which i had never had, and I am terrified of anything being stuck in me) and a digestive hormone injected into my bloodstream, which I was told could cause n*. maybe not as bad as anesthesia, but it was hard. but I didn't have a choice, and somehow I got through it. What I'm trying to say here is that we can get through this stuff. I think I read you've had anesthesia before. So you know it doesn't cause problems. I know how hard it is, but I would say go for it, and when you come out fine you will have taken a step towards being cured!

I have also had some stomach problems with the birth control, and I know how frightening it is to make yourself take something knowing it could make you sick... but we are all here for you, and God is in control and will take care of you (even if something happens, He gives us the strength we need to get through) and anything you do to face your fear is one step towards overcoming it!

I hope I provided at least a little help, and we are all here for you!