Monday, November 19, 2012

Why Does My Stomach Hate Me?!

For a few months now, every time I eat something, my stomach has been in a lot of pain, and quite often makes me puke.  This is not fun by any means and it has progressively been getting worse.  It doesn't even matter what I eat anymore, because everything does it.  Spicy foods, coffee, and fruits and veggies cause the worst pain.  This morning I woke up with the stomach pain and hadn't even eaten anything.  What's worse is that I had planned to go give my resumes to lots of different shops but now I can't do so because I'll either be grimacing in pain or burping a ridiculous and embarrassing amount.  Luckily for me, G is wonderful and very compassionate.  He holds my hand and even eats in the kitchen when my stomach hurts to the point where I can't eat so I don't have to smell or see the yummy food.  I think that I probably have acid reflux but I don't know for sure because doctors don't see people who can't pay them, and right now I am a person who can't pay both a doctor and my rent, so I choose rent.  To make matters worse my Grandpa was diagnosed with acid reflux before and then they learned that it was actually stomach cancer by the time that it was stage 4 cancer.  This is always at the back of my mind and I try not to think about it.  I know that I probably don't have cancer but I have also always been extremely prone to worry.  G would say that I'm catastrophizing.  I'm also very tired of the people in my building asking if I'm pregnant when I'm sick to my stomach.  No I'm not pregnant; stop asking.  I would just like to be better for Thanksgiving, because I am spending it with G's family again and don't want to have to hide in the bathroom and hope they can't hear me burping, or just suffer in pain.

Update: I have thankfully been put back on full-time at work for now, so I set up a doctor's appointment at the neighborhood clinic for poor people for next Wednesday.

10 comments:

  1. My husband went through something similar until we figured out he's actually lactose intolerant, but before that he would always be extremely uncomfortable, and we couldn't afford a $200 dr visit just to hear "don't let him have dairy". I'm sorry you're going thru such a terrible thing :(

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    1. Lactose intolerance was actually my first thought, Chio, but I avoided dairy in anything for a month and it made no difference. That's when I found out that fruits and veggies are one of the things that makes it worse.

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  2. It could be many things, pregnancy(?)... I know, I know...but that is what I first thought of! Acid re-flux, lactose intolerance, an ulcer, stomach bug, etc... I would give it a few days, a week, and if it doesn't go away, go to the doctor. Good Luck!!

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    1. Well it's been going on for about three months now, but I really can't afford a doctor visit. I just had to pay for wisdom tooth extraction and an unexpected very big hospital bill last month as well as having my full-time job reduced to only 16 hours a week.

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  3. Oh dear. I'm sorry you're going through this. A few years ago, I had something wrong with my stomach that none of the doctors could figure out and I spent a good eight months being unable to eat like a real person. I never really realized how many things in life revolve around food until I went through that and whenever I heard about someone else going through that sort of thing, I just want to give them a hug and maybe some hard-boiled eggs (that was the one thing I could for sure eat without being in extreme pain).

    *hug*

    *offers you a plate of hard-boiled eggs*

    Seriously though, take care of yourself. Try to figure out three or four bland, non-threatening things that you can eat and stick to those (except on Thanksgiving - if you're at G's, you'll probably want to eat some turkey to be polite and all that).

    This is gross, but it could be a parasite. That's what I had. I picked mine up in a foreign country, but I know people who have gotten them here in the states just by swimming in dirty water or eating something that wasn't cooked right.

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    1. I'll definitely try hard-boiled eggs. That would be great if I could eat them since G's family has chickens.

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    2. The other things that worked for me were string cheese and plain white rice. Also, plain white toast, lightly buttered. I think the key is BLAND. Anyway, good luck.

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    3. Thanks for the info. I will try all of those things.

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  4. I'm so sorry :( I was going to suggest bland foods too (also grits, if they're available, can't remember what region you're in). My husband was having really bad heartburn and his mom told him that if she eats a lot of carbs it will bother her...but it doesn't sound like that's your issue. Prayers that you feel better. We are in the same place- can't afford a doctor, and it SUCKS.

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  5. I am sorry Jay, I want to wish u a quick and speedy recovery to normalcy. Pls try to see a doc ok. http://www.frediliadtruthuncensored.blogspot.com

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