After my post yesterday about my digestive woes, lots of commenters asked “WHAT DOES YOUR DOCTOR SAY ABOUT THIS?” Well, it just so happens I had an appointment with her yesterday- SHE thought it was just to go over my bloodwork results, but- surprise!- ended up getting an earful about… poop. *SIDE NOTE- why can’t I have a problem with, say, headaches or back pain or something- instead of a problem that constantly causes me to talk about going to the bathroom??? Sheesh.*
She was very helpful! We agreed that I should stay the current course, with a few tweaks. She recommended some new supplements- probiotics, fiber, and an anti-fungal made by the same company that makes my bone supplements (which have helped me so much!)
I left the office with the probiotics, fiber, and will order the candida supplement. I’m feeling cautiously optimistic! AND, she said if I don’t see improvements in a couple more months, there’s a drug used to treat IBS that we could try. It’s expensive and insurance doesn’t usually pay for it (does insurance pay for anything these days???) but she said she could get me some free samples, and that sometimes people just take a couple doses and it somehow resolves the issue- like it just gives the gut a re-set.
Okay, I have a plan! I’ll follow the diet as best I can on the trip, and when I get back I’ll hit it hard again, armed with my new information and supplements. Hooray!
After I left the doctor, I stopped at the library where I had two holds waiting for me:
And got a THIRD book, the new Kate Atkinson. Meredith talked about this on the Currently Reading podcast and it sounds so good. I read a couple of the other books in this series, long ago, but not the whole series. I know- I should read them in order and not jump ahead… but oh well.
It’s good I have a lot of books because when I get back from my trip, I jump right into… JURY DUTY. You might remember I got called last fall and requested a postponement, and they called me again for July. I requested another postponement, since I won’t be here for part of the two week period- they excused me for the first part of the week, but I’m on call starting next Friday through the 25th. Arg! Let’s all pray for lots of reading time and that I don’t actually end up on a jury.
Okay, I have to go pack!
Have you read any of these books?
Ever done federal jury duty?- Tell me something reassuring.
Photo by Matilda Alloway on Unsplash
26 Responses
I’m glad that your doc got an earful and that she gave you some ideas in return! This is very premature since we don’t even know if you’re going on the meds, but don’t believe your doc when she says that insurance won’t cover it. Do your own research! My eye doc told me the same thing about prescription eye drops last year, and it turned out that my insurance covered most of it, and when I changed jobs the new insurance covered it as well. On top of that the pharma company had this thing called a copay card that covered the trivial portion that insurance didn’t pay. I almost didn’t try the eye drops because of what he said! And now I’ve paid $0 to fix one of the more annoying symptoms of dry eye.
I am very excited for your trip! And for the reading to come! I’ve only read one Kate Atkinson, Transcription, which was kinda meh, but I’ve heard that her mysteries are really good. Should I check them out?
I’m sending good vibes your way that jury duty will magically result in a Week of Reading.
It’s been so long since I read a Kate Atkinson mystery, but I remember liking them. I”ll let you know how this one is!
That’s great advice about the insurance- if it comes to that, I’ll definitely look into it.
Haven’t read those books.. On another Freda McFadden book.
Glad the doctor offered some hope.. Good luck with everything.
Never served on a jury. If you do, hope you get a lot of reading done.
Thanks Darlene! My biggest hope is not to have to go in at all (I call every night to find out if I go in the next day) or if I do have to go in, that there’s a lot of downtime where I can read. SIGH.
How To Read a Book is a goodie! You are going to like it, or at least I hope you will, because I did! I hate gut issues and I hate trying to figure out what the issue is…so I really feel for you! As you know I have also had issues and really it still is not resolved, but it has been better in the last year since I left my house and job and so I wonder if it was something that I ate that I am not eating as much anymore, or maybe the stuff is different in Europe or….well…this is the issue, it is hard to pin down! Good luck and have fun on your trip!
That’s really the problem with gut issues- it could be so many different things and it’s so hard to figure out. I’m glad that you’re feeling better these days! Maybe I need to move to Europe : )
Well, when I served on a jury, it was state, not federal, and it was also 1987! So I’m not going to have useful advice, but I hope you don’t have to serve. And I very much hope the stuff helps your digestion!
Thank you! I did state jury duty once, and the format is a little different than federal. I guess I’ll find out!
Hope the new supplements help! My kid had some chronic constipation issues and we ended up at a pelvic floor pt who specializes in helping people with all types of poop problems. She was amazing. offered more holistic advice than our experience with doctors and ended up solving things in a few visits.
That’s interesting! Of course I have the opposite problem (sigh.) It just goes to show there are so many things that could be wrong and so many different ways to treat them. It’s confusing.
JURY DUTY!!!
I just finished How To Read A Book and it was fine, I didn’t love it but I liked it enough. It didn’t blow me away or anything but it’s cute and light and will probably be a nice thing to read while you have some downtime.
I’m so glad you talked to your doctor! Does she think it could be IBS? I hope all these supplements work – fingers crossed!
I think she thinks I need to get my gut microbiome healthier- and then if that doesn’t resolve things we’ll look at it as IBS.
I’m a little hesitant now on How to Read a Book, because you described it as ‘cute and light” and Engie said it was “saccharin!” (although she did like it.) Right now it’s at the bottom of my stack.
Good luck with the new supplements. I have an appt with my Naturopth next week to discuss the same issues. Booo…I’m really not looking forward to her solutions, but it needs to be addressed
I loved How to Read a Book. It’s so good!
Okay Pat, maybe we’ll have to compare notes. I would imagine the Naturopath might have a different perspective. Yeah, it’s no fun dealing with digestive woes, sigh. I hope your issues can be resolved painlessly.
I’m glad your doctor gave you some options to try! I’m not sure if you’ve heard of the podcast Your Diet Sucks, but it’s hosted by two ultrarunners, one who’s a registered dietitian, and they talk about nutrition and body issues in the running world. It’s funny and very insightful, and they had an episode last September talking about, uh, bathroom issues, so it might be worth a listen as you’re trying to figure things out!
Ugh, jury duty! I’ve been called 3 times — the first time in college and I had to actually show up and stay for the whole day even though I wasn’t picked. The second time, I didn’t end up having to go in at all. And most recently, back in 2022, I was called for federal jury but I was moving to my current city so I was excused!
I have heard an episode or two of that podcast- I’ll look for the specific one you mentioned.
You’re lucky! I’m hoping if I do jury duty this time, I can be excused next time I’m called (which will hopefully be… never.)
I love love love Kate Atkinson and own all the Jackson Brodie books. I did a reread a few years ago (whenever Big Sky came out) and I was blown away by how intricate the plots are and how many external threads she weaves into the stories. That said, I read Sign of the Rook within the past year or so and can’t remember much of it. Clearly it’s time for another series re-read!
I’m really glad your doctor gave you some additional measure to take to address your GI issues. It sounds really frustrating. Also, why is this IBS drug not covered by insurance?!?!? So frustrating!
I just finished How To Read A Book and liked it. There was quite a bit of swearing and some infidelity (WHY SO MUCH INFIDELITY, PEOPLE???!!!), but I still enjoyed it. I’ll be interested to see what you think and I hope you read it.
I’m glad your doctor has been able to weigh in with suggestions and is there to support you. I’m hoping things get sorted out quickly. It sounds miserable – both the symptoms and having to be on such a restrictive diet.
I’ve never done jury duty. (I smell the start of new Never Have I Ever post 😉
I loved How to Read a Book! It is a sweet book and very heart warming but I read it at the right time and loved the characters.
I hope the doctor’s suggestions help!! Dealing with your symptoms would be awful!!
I loved How to Read a Book, too. I’ll be interested to know what you think about it.
I served on a jury once in Minneapolis. It was a case about an overflowing toilet causing damage to the downstairs condo. It was boring and a waste of time. I don’t think there should be juries in civil cases. I was called to jury duty a couple of summers ago here in Wisconsin, but ended up not having to serve on a jury.
I’ve never had jury duty. Weird, but Coach gets called from time to time. Who’d he piss off? I’m glad you met with your doctor and that she had some input/ideas. That sounds promising. Safe travels. I’ve not read any of those books. Oh, as a person who’s lost count of how many colonoscopies I’ve had (5?) and who has seen 5 GI docs about the same issue that is not resolved, I feel you on the ‘Wanna hear about my poop?’ situation.
I’m glad your doctor is taking things seriously and is on your team as well!
I have to go look up the new Kate Atkinson…
I’ve never done jury duty, but kind of look forward to doing it someday… I saw _12 Angry Men_ when I was a kid and loved it!
I FEEL YOU on talking about the gut issues with your doctor. I’m like, “Why does THIS have to be my major issue?” Ugh. At least at the GI doc, it felt like the most normal thing. They even had a poop emoji pillow at their front desk, ha! I’m glad you have a plan, though.
UGH, jury duty. I have only been called once when I was in my early twenties and was able to get dismissed before lunch. I didn’t have to do the thing where you call every day, though. That would make me very anxious!
I struggled with IBS for years–it’s better post-menopause, but I still have issues. When I need a reset, I take a medicine called Rifaxamin–is that the one your doctor is recommending? It helps A LOT. Yes, it’s expensive, but most insurances do pay for it–I have a copay, but it’s worth it. When I went to the pelvic health PT, she made some suggestions as well, including taking psyllium fiber once a day. I also take a probiotic. Funny how those little suggestions help.
I hope your doctor is wrong about the medication if you need it, Birchie has some good ideas. Sometimes the drug companies themselves have a copay also. And my MIL is on some medication that is horribly expensive, and her doctor just keeps giving her samples. And yeah, our pharmacy has a card (good RX? I’m not sure) you can use to pay a much smaller price.
I’ve never served on a Federal Jury, but I have served on a couple of local ones, and they were interesting. But my company pays me to serve jury duty. If you don’t, they may take that into consideration for a longer trial. Good luck.
I was working on my business part-time and working part-time, and in November 2011 I handed in my notice at my day job, to finish at the end of the year. Got home to a jury service letter – starting at the very start of the new year! I did it and I didn’t get called (from what I remember, the case I was assigned to, the person pled guilty at the last minute). In the UK you are allowed to say if you are “of a nervous disposition” so I did. I sat around and got sent home a lot. Noteworthy was that I put an out of office on my email saying “please bear with me while I do my civic duty” – I was working a lot with speakers of English as a second or additional language who weren’t from the UK, and I got a fair few Saudi and Chinese clients thinking I was on military service, which was quite shocking!