Amanda Uses the Internet to Post Details of Her Medical Examinations

Here is more in depth info. on my endoscopy yesterday: (because I am sure that all day you have been wishing to hear more about it).

If you know me, then you may know that I have some super-weird medical issues. If anything strange can happen to a person medically, it has probably happened to me (that is why my friend Julie calls me a freak). Usually these things don't amount to much or aren't very serious, so it just adds to my personality. For example, I am probably the only one that you know who (when having a bad bout of TMJ) can only get her jaw open by pushing on the left side and eats with one hand holding her fork and one hand holding her jaw in place!:)

Well, I am probably the only 27 year old that had an endoscopy yesterday at Doctors Hospital! I went in at 8:15 and registered (had to pay a $200 co-pay! What good is insurance anyway?!) Then they took me to a little endoscopy "unit" which had rooms divided off by curtains (like an ER). By 9:00 I had my IV, heart monitors and oxygen all hooked up and I was in the most freezing little examination room. They wheeled me there in my bed which I thought was pretty cool and kind of weird because my feet stuck out the end and I kept kicking the nurse.

By 10:15, I was heading out the door after sleeping off the sedation (about 20 minutes). It all seemed to go so fast that, at the time, I thought that I was a speedy recover-er. I was thinking, "Hey, they said that I would have to wait about 30 minutes after the test, and I only had to wait five!" Ha, I was sleeping through most of it!

People also told me that I wouldn't remember a thing, especially about the test, but I do remember feeling the tube moving around about three times and thinking, "Hey, people, I can feel this! I don't like it!" But then, two seconds later, I didn't really care, so I guess the drugs worked!

So that is the more detailed version of my endoscopy adventure. Now on to the ERCP which is like an endoscopy on steroids. The good news is, I don't have any reflux or ulcers and my gall bladder is perfectly healthy, the bad news is I don't have any reflux or ulcers and my gall bladder is perfectly healthy (all of those things are pretty easy to fix.)

What is wrong with me? Stay tuned to find out. (My life is like an intriguing episode of General Hospital!)

Amanda on Drugs

I had my endoscopy today. It went so well; the people there were awesome! In my medicated state, I am told, I was a crazy blanket hog; they just kept on bringing me more and more:) I guess at one point I told my mom that my butt was cold and could she please get me another blanket. (At that point I must have had at least five because I remember asking for the first three.) I can also remember feeling the tube moving around a few times. That wasn't the most pleasant of sensations.

I'm kind of sore now (had a biopsy done while they were in there), and have a sore throat, but other than that, I'm feeling great for having a tube threaded through my insides. Modern medicine is so cool and strange.

On to the next test!

Amanda Wishes She Was Here

With you!

Amanda Takes the Power (and Man it Feels Good!)

Have you heard the song "Defying Gravity?" It is from the musical Wicked. I have always loved the song because evokes such strong emotion with the combination of music and lyrics, and, as a certified music geek, I love that kind of stuff.

But lately, I have been thinking about the lyrics, and about how they relate to my life right now. I am changing and growing, and learning about myself. I'm figuring out how to love myself and respect myself so that others can do the same. I'm learning to not be afraid of conflict and how to be comfortable with sharing my feelings. (And all due to great (expensive) therapy!)

Here are some of the words that seem to speak to me and how things are going in my life:

"Something has changed within me
Something is not the same
I'm through with playing by the rules
Of someone else's game
Too late for second-guessing
Too late to go back to sleep
It's time to trust my instincts
Close my eyes: and leap!

I'm through accepting limits
'cause someone says they're so
Some things I cannot change
But till I try, I'll never know!
Too long I've been afraid of
Losing love I guess I've lost
Well, if that's love
It comes at much too high a cost!
I'd sooner buy
Defying gravity
Kiss me goodbye
I'm defying gravity
And you can't pull me down."

It speaks to me. The strong me!

Amanda Adds a Side Bar Comment on the Philosophy of Blogging

Is it wrong that I like to read my own blog. Is it self-centered that I laugh at myself when I look over my past posts? If the answer is yes, then "I've never done it and I don't know what you're talking about." If the answer is no, then "guilty as charged."

Just checking.

Amanda Comtemplates God's Plan for her Stuffy Nose

Maybe two bad things equal a good. (Although adults always tell you,"Two wrongs don't make a right.") But I was just thinkin'. One bad thing: Harley, my cat who is slightly like my child, has a bladder infection, and he can't help but pee all over the place. Bad thing number two: I have a super-stuffy nose and I cannot smell a thing. Taken separately, these might seem like two bad things, but maybe they are working in combination for good. A stinky-pee house and I have no sense of smell? It can't be a crazy coincidence, it is probably an act of God. (And if not, the irony still makes me laugh.)

Amanda's Equation for Stress

Have you ever had a tea egg? I was just watching some Bizarre Foods on the Travel Channel, and he was eating tea eggs. I'm having a craving. I think I am going to make some soon.

What a crazy day! So stressful. Usually, I don't really get caught up in stress, but I kind of did today. Restless sleep with pain in my side + waking up with a sick cat (and I mean every part of the word "sick") + ultra sound at the crack of dawn (not pregnant, unless I am giving birth to a sick gallbladder) + trying to schedule a vet appointment + not being able to find a substitute for the afternoon + walking into the building two minutes before my afternoon classes started = one stressed out Amanda.

And to top it all off, I have a sore throat and stuffy nose! I've been trying to find something good in every day (thank you, Energy Bus, lol) but I'm not sure I'm gonna try to hard on this one. Maybe going to bed early or eating chocolate ice cream can count as my favorite moment of today:)