So even though I've been around the past week or so, I haven't been doing so great.
I may have mentioned Mrs. Racer and I were headed for the coast for some quality time with family. The house was great, the company was good, but shortly after heading out last week I noticed something was amiss. I took ibuprofen for what felt like middle back pain.
A lot of ibuprofen.
The symptoms got worse, then subsided. I spent several nights without sleep. Then I slept and felt OK. twice I was ready to go find a doctor. Made it to Monday at 1am, and Mrs. Racer told me to get ready to head home. She dropped me at the ER on our way home, I wound up with tubes sticking out of me and endured a barrage of testing and an assault by numerous people of various specialty.
After about 11 hours they cut me loose with instructions for a strict 72 hour clear liquid diet and a follow up with the GP.
The diagnosis? Acute pancreatitis to start, then numerous side effects. (later they tell me the pancreatic inflammation was the result of a fatty liver)
Mrs. Racer drove into town and on the way home we picked up some prescriptions and fluids.
After the first 24 hours f fluids I realized there were considerably more going in than coming out. About a 1,000 to 0.001 ratio.
I was gaining weight, probably water from not peeing.
Back to the ER.
More tubes and blood samples. More scans and tests.
About 13 hours later Mrs. Racer drove back into town and took me home.
They never did tell me why I wasn't peeing, but they did give me a liter if fluid through the IV. Go figure.
I finally started peeing better Thursday morning. Saw my GP, we had a nice talk, and we discussed diet strategies.
It is weird to not burp or fart for 6 days.
Today I actually feel reasonably normal. Missed work all week, but should be ready to rock Monday. There is one Percocet left in the prescription bottle, and I may just get through this without it.
I am now almost, but not quite, a vegetarian. I will choose and prepare just about everything that passes my lips from here on out. This evening Mrs. Racer fixed some pork loin medallion thingies she found at Costco the other day.
No more popcorn with extra butter at the movies.
No more ice cream.
No more pie with ice cream.
No more bacon cheeseburgers.
Say it ain't so!