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What Should I Do About This?


Moonlit Dreamer
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For the past few months I have been getting sick each time I eat. I am greatly concerned about this, and honestly quite tired of feeling ill. I have been to the emergency room and I was told I have nothing wrong with either my liver or my pancreas, which was a major concern because I have experienced issues with them in the past. I have a history of pancreatitis and hepatitis. Anyways, all they told me was I needed a colonoscopy, and sent me home even though I had a fever and everything.

 

I am very frustrated, because I never feel well. I have been taking an acid reducer but it doesn't seem to help. I have been experiencing this sensation of something being 'stuck' in my throat for some time now; I looked earlier this morning to see if anything was visible, and I noticed my left tonsil was nearly twice as large as my right. Asymmetrical tonsils are a common indication of tonsil cancer. I know it might just be tonsillitis, but why am I getting sick all of the time? I am terrified that I have something seriously wrong. I can not afford to see a regular doctor or specialist, because unfortunately I am not working right now. Even while I was working I couldn't afford to see a doctor, or afford insurance.

 

If you were in my situation, what would you do? I'm so sorry to bother everyone with this but I have no idea what I should do, aside from stop eating all together.

 

Thanks,

LG

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I'm so sorry to hear this. This is a really difficult situation you're in...I would say that the problems you're having with getting sick after you eat, that needs to be tended to by a gastroenterologist. I'm not a medical professional, but that would be my guess. Can you call a hospital and get a referral to a doctor like that?

 

I haven't had to see a specialist for anything for quite awhile, and I don't know what they do about a lack of insurance.

 

Another thing would be to study up on what kinds of foods you'd be best off in eating, when it comes to digestive problems.

 

I wish I could be more help.

 

:hug2:

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What sort of sick? Vomiting?

 

My wife was like that for years and it turned out to be her gall bladder was full of stones and needed to come out

 

Yeah, vomiting unfortunately. I had my gallbladder taken out two years ago. :(

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You should be able to apply for financial aid at the hospital. There's no reason not to get treated for something when you're sick.
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What sort of sick? Vomiting?

 

My wife was like that for years and it turned out to be her gall bladder was full of stones and needed to come out

 

Yeah, vomiting unfortunately. I had my gallbladder taken out two years ago. :(

 

You should go to the ER and explain the vomiting and have someone look at your throat. Worry about the money later, seriously. I've been paying off medical bills from falling off a roof for almost a decade. It's like a car payment without a car :) They can't put you in jail, can't take your shit and can't remove your innards for non payment, so just go to the ER. You can tell them you can't wait for a doctor appointment. The longer you put it off, the worse it may get, my dear. No one wants that :(

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I'm sorry to hear this! I hope you feel better soon. The emergency room sent you home with fever and nausea without being able to keep food down?? They are stinkers sometimes. I'm glad they checked you anyway, especially with a history of pancreatic problems.

 

**Warning** ha ha I'm not a doctor and have never been one, only mom to three kids and helper to a sister without insurance. OK. some advice- Do you have a lot of problems with acid reflux? If not, then don't worry about taking an acid reducer; that is kind of what they are for and they are not really an anti nausea medicine. It IS very concerning that you cannot eat much without getting sick. As Blue Jay said, gastroenterologists usually deal with digestive problems; you could try calling one for an initial appointment and telling them you want to be self pay. You could explain things to the Dr., then, they might be able to put you on some kind of payment plan.

 

The other place my sister has found useful are urgent care clinics (she lives in Florida and didn't have insurance/ was low on funds for a long time.) She would go at a slower time (like mid day weekdays) and ask the Dr. a ton of questions and get a lot of stuff eyeballed by them all in one visit. She thinks the Dr's are nicer than in emergency rooms, I dunno. I looked at websites of ones near us to see their fees but they just say "reasonable fees for those without insurance, contact us". Perhaps it is worth charging a visit on a charge card if one is available?

 

A Dr. should check your trouble swallowing but please try NOT to worry about tonsil cancer. It is incredibly rare. If they are large or inflamed you might need an antibiotic or something.

 

And a last try- once my daughter had an awful stomach virus and couldn't keep ANYTHING down for a week! She was in another state and I was about to drive there when she kept one popsicle down and lived on them for 10 days. Maybe a change of diet or popsicles, haha for a few days will calm your stomach?

I don't know if any of this is useful, but I hope you feel better soon! Please don't quit eating! Stay in touch, get some type of medical help and good luck! ((Hugs)) to you and feel better!

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What sort of sick? Vomiting?

 

My wife was like that for years and it turned out to be her gall bladder was full of stones and needed to come out

 

Yeah, vomiting unfortunately. I had my gallbladder taken out two years ago. :(

 

You should go to the ER and explain the vomiting and have someone look at your throat. Worry about the money later, seriously. I've been paying off medical bills from falling off a roof for almost a decade. It's like a car payment without a car :) They can't put you in jail, can't take your shit and can't remove your innards for non payment, so just go to the ER. You can tell them you can't wait for a doctor appointment. The longer you put it off, the worse it may get, my dear. No one wants that :(

 

Ditto. We found that out with my daughter's OCD. If you know something is truly wrong and the first medical professional won't listen, go again and tell them again.

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What sort of sick? Vomiting?

 

My wife was like that for years and it turned out to be her gall bladder was full of stones and needed to come out

 

Yeah, vomiting unfortunately. I had my gallbladder taken out two years ago. :(

 

You should go to the ER and explain the vomiting and have someone look at your throat. Worry about the money later, seriously. I've been paying off medical bills from falling off a roof for almost a decade. It's like a car payment without a car :) They can't put you in jail, can't take your shit and can't remove your innards for non payment, so just go to the ER. You can tell them you can't wait for a doctor appointment. The longer you put it off, the worse it may get, my dear. No one wants that :(

 

Ditto. We found that out with my daughter's OCD. If you know something is truly wrong and the first medical professional won't listen, go again and tell them again.

Some doctors can be incredibly lazy and go off their diagnosis "charts" where 1=1 always equals two and will always dismiss everything as you're two young, you're a man, you're not this or that, it's rare for you to have X.
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Lady Guinevere, have you ever thought of eliminating wheat / gluten from your diet ?? ... some people are terribly sensitive to it - even if you haven't been sensitive in the past, over time things like a gluten sensitivity can evolve and become debilitating .....

 

My parents knew the owners of a lighting/chandelier shop, and over time, the wife at the shop was growing progressively more ill - to the point where she was diagnosed with MS, and confined to a wheelchair ... She finally found a good doctor who was willing to roll their sleeves up and find the problem ..... It turned out that she had celiac disease - the intolerance for wheat ... The thing is, this woman went her entire life OK, and it did not begin to effect her until she was in her 50s ...

 

She is healthy and well now ... No wheelchair, and, of course, no MS .....

 

.

 

.

Edited by Lucas
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Thank you all so much for your wonderful and kind posts. :heart:

 

Blue J: I've never considered asking for a referral for a specialist. There is a free local clinic, however, they don't do much for you. The last time I went they analyzed basic things (Looked inside of my ears, etc.) and did nothing more for me. Perhaps I should try them again; maybe they will look at my throat and see I have a problem in there. I could share an image of what they look like with you guys, but I'm a little too shy for that. Besides, I don't think anyone would want to see it, haha. Certain foods do make me feel worse than others. Ramen noodles for example... I can't eat those. The first bite is all it takes.

 

Eaglemoon: I'm not sure how to apply for financial aid; I guess I could always call and ask them. They'll take me in and look at me, but send me home even if I'm not okay. Usually they tell me I need to see a specialist, and there is nothing more they can do. Maybe if I just keep going back and bothering them they'll help me.

 

satchmothesnowdog: That's true... it has become worse than when I began having this problem. I didn't mention anything about my throat before as I just discovered it, so maybe this will change how they treat my situation. I'm still terrified about them saying I need a colonoscopy. I'm only twenty-three... why do I need one? Is there something they aren't telling me?

 

blueschica: Thank you so much for taking the time to write all of that. :) I've never considered an urgent care center; I actually have one relatively close to my home. I guess I am so worried about tonsil and throat cancer because I have been smoking off and on since I was eighteen. I'm trying to quit completely, but I already broke my goal this evening. :( I've wondered about a stomach virus as well, but I've had this for a few months. I guess it's possible for something like that to exist for a while if it requires antibiotics. It would explain my fever as well. If you're wondering how I can afford cigarettes without a job, I can't... I bought a bunch of them while I still had money so I wouldn't run out. :blush: + :( I need to just throw them out or give them away, but I can't bring myself to do it.

Edited by Lady Guinevere
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Lady Guinevere, have you ever thought of eliminating wheat / gluten from your diet ?? ... some people are terribly sensitive to it - even if you haven't been sensitive in the past, over time things like a gluten sensitivity can evolve and become debilitating .....

 

My parents knew the owners of a lighting/chandelier shop, and over time, the wife at the shop was growing progressively more ill - to the point where she was diagnosed with MS, and confined to a wheelchair ... She finally found a good doctor who was willing to roll their sleeves up and find the problem ..... It turned out that she had celiac disease - the intolerance for wheat ... The thing is, this woman went her entire life OK, and it did not begin to effect her until she was in her 50s ...

 

She is healthy and well now ... No wheelchair, and, of course, no MS .....

I'm glad to hear she is better. :) That's very interesting; I am incredibly sensitive to many things, so perhaps that could be contributing to everything that is making me sick.

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Lady Guinevere, have you ever thought of eliminating wheat / gluten from your diet ?? ... some people are terribly sensitive to it - even if you haven't been sensitive in the past, over time things like a gluten sensitivity can evolve and become debilitating .....

 

My parents knew the owners of a lighting/chandelier shop, and over time, the wife at the shop was growing progressively more ill - to the point where she was diagnosed with MS, and confined to a wheelchair ... She finally found a good doctor who was willing to roll their sleeves up and find the problem ..... It turned out that she had celiac disease - the intolerance for wheat ... The thing is, this woman went her entire life OK, and it did not begin to effect her until she was in her 50s ...

 

She is healthy and well now ... No wheelchair, and, of course, no MS .....

I'm glad to hear she is better. :) That's very interesting; I am incredibly sensitive to many things, so perhaps that could be contributing to everything that is making me sick.

 

I have to second the wheat thing, it's worth a shot. My friends wife had been ill on and off for years and it was getting worse and she was finally diagnosed as celiac. Now she's great, no more illness after eating, unless a restaurant is careless with her food. I'd still go to the ER, but research this online and what you have to eliminate from your diet and see if your well being improves with a diet change.

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Lady Guinevere, have you ever thought of eliminating wheat / gluten from your diet ?? ... some people are terribly sensitive to it - even if you haven't been sensitive in the past, over time things like a gluten sensitivity can evolve and become debilitating .....

 

My parents knew the owners of a lighting/chandelier shop, and over time, the wife at the shop was growing progressively more ill - to the point where she was diagnosed with MS, and confined to a wheelchair ... She finally found a good doctor who was willing to roll their sleeves up and find the problem ..... It turned out that she had celiac disease - the intolerance for wheat ... The thing is, this woman went her entire life OK, and it did not begin to effect her until she was in her 50s ...

 

She is healthy and well now ... No wheelchair, and, of course, no MS .....

I'm glad to hear she is better. :) That's very interesting; I am incredibly sensitive to many things, so perhaps that could be contributing to everything that is making me sick.

 

I have to second the wheat thing, it's worth a shot. My friends wife had been ill on and off for years and it was getting worse and she was finally diagnosed as celiac. Now she's great, no more illness after eating, unless a restaurant is careless with her food. I'd still go to the ER, but research this online and what you have to eliminate from your diet and see if your well being improves with a diet change.

 

Great post !!

 

Lady Guinevere , please keep us updated !!!

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Thank you all so much for your wonderful and kind posts. :heart:

 

Blue J: I've never considered asking for a referral for a specialist. There is a free local clinic, however, they don't do much for you. The last time I went they analyzed basic things (Looked inside of my ears, etc.) and did nothing more for me. Perhaps I should try them again; maybe they will look at my throat and see I have a problem in there. I could share an image of what they look like with you guys, but I'm a little too shy for that. Besides, I don't think anyone would want to see it, haha. Certain foods do make me feel worse than others. Ramen noodles for example... I can't eat those. The first bite is all it takes.

 

Eaglemoon: I'm not sure how to apply for financial aid; I guess I could always call and ask them. They'll take me in and look at me, but send me home even if I'm not okay. Usually they tell me I need to see a specialist, and there is nothing more they can do. Maybe if I just keep going back and bothering them they'll help me.

 

satchmothesnowdog: That's true... it has become worse than when I began having this problem. I didn't mention anything about my throat before as I just discovered it, so maybe this will change how they treat my situation. I'm still terrified about them saying I need a colonoscopy. I'm only twenty-three... why do I need one? Is there something they aren't telling me?

 

blueschica: Thank you so much for taking the time to write all of that. :) I've never considered an urgent care center; I actually have one relatively close to my home. I guess I am so worried about tonsil and throat cancer because I have been smoking off and on since I was eighteen. I'm trying to quit completely, but I already broke my goal this evening. :( I've wondered about a stomach virus as well, but I've had this for a few months. I guess it's possible for something like that to exist for a while if it requires antibiotics. It would explain my fever as well. If you're wondering how I can afford cigarettes without a job, I can't... I bought a bunch of them while I still had money so I wouldn't run out. :blush: + :( I need to just throw them out or give them away, but I can't bring myself to do it.

 

I wouldn't worry about a colonoscopy at all and they won't hide anything from you. Doctors are very frank about why they are ordering tests.

Colonoscopies are an absolute breeze as long as your doctor doing the consult says you're going to be out, which most do. If he/she doesn't, leave and find another :)

 

I had one and couldn't remember shit. No pain, no recollection, nothing. It sounds like they are testing for Diverticulitis , which seems like a weird first stab, but that's only a guess on my part.

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Thank you all so much for your wonderful and kind posts. :heart:

 

Blue J: I've never considered asking for a referral for a specialist. There is a free local clinic, however, they don't do much for you. The last time I went they analyzed basic things (Looked inside of my ears, etc.) and did nothing more for me. Perhaps I should try them again; maybe they will look at my throat and see I have a problem in there. I could share an image of what they look like with you guys, but I'm a little too shy for that. Besides, I don't think anyone would want to see it, haha. Certain foods do make me feel worse than others. Ramen noodles for example... I can't eat those. The first bite is all it takes.

 

Eaglemoon: I'm not sure how to apply for financial aid; I guess I could always call and ask them. They'll take me in and look at me, but send me home even if I'm not okay. Usually they tell me I need to see a specialist, and there is nothing more they can do. Maybe if I just keep going back and bothering them they'll help me.

 

satchmothesnowdog: That's true... it has become worse than when I began having this problem. I didn't mention anything about my throat before as I just discovered it, so maybe this will change how they treat my situation. I'm still terrified about them saying I need a colonoscopy. I'm only twenty-three... why do I need one? Is there something they aren't telling me?

 

blueschica: Thank you so much for taking the time to write all of that. :) I've never considered an urgent care center; I actually have one relatively close to my home. I guess I am so worried about tonsil and throat cancer because I have been smoking off and on since I was eighteen. I'm trying to quit completely, but I already broke my goal this evening. :( I've wondered about a stomach virus as well, but I've had this for a few months. I guess it's possible for something like that to exist for a while if it requires antibiotics. It would explain my fever as well. If you're wondering how I can afford cigarettes without a job, I can't... I bought a bunch of them while I still had money so I wouldn't run out. :blush: + :( I need to just throw them out or give them away, but I can't bring myself to do it.

 

I wouldn't worry about a colonoscopy at all and they won't hide anything from you. Doctors are very frank about why they are ordering tests.

Colonoscopies are an absolute breeze as long as your doctor doing the consult says you're going to be out, which most do. If he/she doesn't, leave and find another :)

 

I had one and couldn't remember shit. No pain, no recollection, nothing. It sounds like they are testing for Diverticulitis , which seems like a weird first stab, but that's only a guess on my part.

 

You could be right! Hopefully that's all they were concerned about.

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Lady Guinevere, I see that you have a miniature pinscher !!!

 

Me too !!!

 

Here he is : The Professor !!!!

 

http://s26.postimg.org/6i0lxibjt/The_Professor_Sweater57.jpg

 

Aww! He is adorable! :wub:

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So sorry to hear about this, Guinevere :(

 

Thinking the best for you. I hope you get better.

You got some good advice from the people here, and one thing you shouldn't worry about is asking for help and advice. I know from experience that this place is full of very caring people. Like you said, it's like a family :hug2:

 

Keep us posted.

Edited by Your_Lion
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Geez Lady G not sure what to say? I have no medical advice for you but hoping you get to feeling better. I certainly know what its like to feel bad and frustrated at the same time. Why can't I just feel good like everybody else!! I say and I am sure you have at least thought the same. BTW I love your new avatar a very lovely pic of a lovely woman it appears to me. The eye lashes are awesome. Love black and white photo anyway. Who is it? Anyway hope you feel better and at least normal real soon... :cheers: :hug2: :rose: Edited by Narps
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Lady G, you could try sending a PM to vital signz. He's a MD. He may be able to give you some good advise.

 

You could also PM workingcinderellaman. He's a dentist, but he knows a fair amount about medicine and could probably give you some decent advise too. WCM is really smart, and a super nice guy, so try and reach out to him.

 

good luck. :cheers:

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