Diagnosis!!

Last week was hell. I went to the doctor's on Tuesday, Oct 30 and that's when she said my liver function was high. I complained about now feeling feverish and chilled. The next day I woke with a whopping sinus infection on top of my tummy troubles. Thursday was horrific; I spent the day on the couch (snuggled with Megan who was also oozing green snot), watching TreehouseTV because I couldn't get myself together enough to get the kids to school. I went to bed early on Friday and Saturday morning my tummy felt okay while I manned the table at the "Stiches and Chain" show that the Georgetown group put on at the library gallery. But Saturday night was terrible and Sunday and Monday weren't too much better. Rob got a little ticked last night when I mentioned I had a sinus infection (like, couldn't he tell from my voice? and the piles of green tissues?). So this morning, when the diarrhea started again I gave in and called the doctor again and was able to get an appointment this morning!

She genuinely felt bad for me, which was nice to see. Pity when you're sick won't cure anything, LOL, but when a medical person says "You've had it really rough" you feel somehow like you're getting good care.

It turns out I have Giardia. Yup, beaver fever. But also can be caught in public pools and food sources--the parasites can survive even the chlorination of city water supplies! It blocks the absorption of fat, resulting in the horrifically smelling gas and diarrhea. I'll be on antibiotics for 10 days and will still feel sick and 'unwell' for at least two weeks (so much for going to the Royal Winter Fair again). My stomach will need several months to heal and I need to avoid dairy. Many people become lactose intolerant after Giardia.

So, it's not Crohn's Disease, and it's not viral, and it's not even bacterial I think. Hopefully my Giardia are not anti-biotic resistant which is becoming a big issue with them. And hopefully I can keep this weight loss off!