Friday, November 30th

Woke up at 6:45. Laying on my back I can feel the discomfort already in my diaphragm and right side. Soon topped my a crampy feeling like menstrual cramps in my pelvis that radiates down to my thighs. Thinking it’s probably just gas but I might need to have a bowel movement. I can smell that my husband has made toast or something downstairs and it makes me nauseous. I got out of bed at 7:20 and went downstairs. Had warm water and got ready for work. Still a bit nauseous an crampy pelvis but left to walk to work at 7:45. 

While walking I had sort of a tight feeling in my right hip at the front. Similar location to ovaries but more at the front than internal, maybe a muscle or ligament? 

Still nauseous when I got in to work. Also realized I forgot my mandarin orange at home. 

Had a soft BM at 8:45. 

Panelled interviews from 9:00-11:00. Feeling sort of nauseous and lightheaded and flushed. 

Ate a cookie and drank some ginger tea and water. 

At noon I walked up to the naturopaths to get the other herbal tincture as I’ve decided not to purchase the expensive antibiotic that’s not covered. Feeling a lot of aching in right lower quadrant like this morning. Not quite internal enough to be ovary but about the same level. Right side aches up to and around kidney area. Feeling very hungry. 

I bought a turkey cranberry wrap at the market on my way back to work it contains cheese, mayo (very little) and and lettuce. I removed the cheese and ate it over the course of about an hour. 

The pain from my right groin area up into my right flank is worse. Especially when I move from sitting to standing. Standing it’s not as noticeable but it’s there and feels kind of heavy. Thinking about it makes me a bit anxious and sick feeling. 

I was off work at 2:00, feels better to stand. Got some money out for the craft fair I’m supposed to go to tonight and waited for my friend to pick me up at 2:30. Really hoping I feel better and don’t end up having to leave our girls night. 
Lab results from yesterday came back normal - I’m not celiac. 

Got picked up. Drove to pick up another friend. Then drove to the craft fair and stood in line. Standing feels better than sitting in the car where I had the same pains down my right side from rib into the hip. 

Stood in line from 3:30-5:00 then walked around the craft fair for about an hour. Drove a block down the road to the pub at 6:30. Drank water all night and ate chicken strips with plum sauce and a house salad with lemon oregano vinaigrette over the course of an hour or so. Felt the same pain down in my groin/pelvis/right hip and to a much lesser degree in my left but if I sort of stretched out my body so I wasn’t quite sitting but more leaning back it felt better and it passed eventually. Stayed at the pub playing music bingo until about 10:30. Drove a friend home. Got home myself at 11:15, took a spray of 1:1 THC/CBD oil and went to bed. Laid on back with minimal pain. Will start herbal tinctures tomorrow. 

Thursday, November 29th

Daughters alarm clock went off at 5:00am. Then at 6:00 another child got up having wet the bed. Getting up this early makes me feel more nauseous. I laid back down but have basically been semi awake since 5:00 and no longer feel comfortable laying back on my back. I feel like I want to lay on my side but am worried as I think moving positions increases the nausea. Got up at 7:15 for work. Drank a mug of warm water. Pretty nauseous, wasn’t sure I’d be able to finish brushing my teeth because the toothbrush was making me heave but I got through. Had a soft BM. 

Was driven to work. The outside air helps but the inside bumpy ride does not. 

There was a work breakfast on and I took some fruit, a lemon poppyseed muffin and a banana but did not eat any of it. 

Nausea came and went in waves but was mostly manageable. Better than Monday but worse than the last two days. Drank some ginger tea. Had a meeting at 9:00 so ate a digestive cookie beforehand. Walked to meeting, Meeting went fine, feeling a bit foggy but still got through. Went for a 15min walk at 9:45; felt like my ovaries were aching and discomfort up around my ribs/diaphragm on both sides. 

Ate a mandarin orange. Tried eating the muffin at 11:00 because I was feeling hunger pains. The muffin tasted good but the pains didn’t subside. Not sure if the muffin made it worse. Only ate about 1/4 of it. Poured myself another ginger tea. 

Left work at 11:25 to walk to naturopath appt 4 blocks away. 

Talked about a lot stuff. My stool culture was largely normal. I had a bit of yeast. And not a stellar amount of good bacteria but also no bad bacteria. We talked about Endometriosis and how it could be but it doesn’t fit the classic symptoms. We talked about the progesterone cream and how ordering it online was actually illegal in canada and I probably wasn’t using it on the correct/recommended days (he said he’d write a rx if I felt it was helpful but I think I’ll just stop using it instead). We talked about parasites but how rare they actually are. We talked about foods and what I’ve been eating or not eating. We talked about my GP offering antidepressants. We talked about possible celiac and how that can come on later in life but not usually so suddenly. And we talked about trying to treat for sibo as a hopeful maybe. The treatment would be an antibiotic called 
Zaxine which is targeted to the small intenstine (leaving the bacteria in the colon) and has less side effects than others, paired with a tincture that tastes awful. 

Walked to the lab to do the celiac blood test. Called Sun Life and had Andrew look into blue cross for the Zaxine. Unfortunately the antibiotic is not covered by mine or Andrews extended health plans and so would be $350 out of pocket. If what I have is even something treatable with an antibiotic. So I think I’ll just go the all herbal route and see what that does. 

Walked back to work around 1:30. 

I feel like yes I have more gas than my normal but it’s not excessive, and yes I have food aversions and nausea and dry heaves but I’m not actually vomiting. And yes I feel like sometimes my pain is worse after eating things that I can’t put any rhyme or reason to and yes cutting out things like dairy and caffeine have helped. And yes I do notice my symptoms are worse around or when I’m having my period. But very honestly, in my bones I don’t think it’s endometriosis and even less so do I think it’s something in my digestive system. I would love to rule either or both of those out. 

But my most uncomfortable and unignorable pains are
 across my diaphragm and on my right side from my ribs to my hips like gallbladder/kidney/ovary areas. And I know my colon goes along there but I still think the gallbladder is the main suspect even though the blood tests and ultrasound were normal. 

Anyways the rest of the work day went by fine. I ate the rest of my muffin. It caused some pain in my RUQ but maybe that’s just coincidence. I also started to get a headache but that may be from the sugar in the muffin. I ate some leftover potato hash-browns and had another ginger tea and some water. 

Went for a 15min walk at 2:45 and walked home at 4:20. 

When I got home my husband was asleep and one of my kids needed help with a school project so I got to work helping her with that, wrapped some Xmas gifts, ate a slice of toast with cheese whiz and later some salmon with the cucumber dill sauce. I still had a headache and the kids’ nail polish wasn’t helping. 

I had a bath around 7:45 then sat on the couch reading a book until going to bed at 10:00. Older daughters were coming home from my mums around 10:45 so I laid in bed until they came home and then I went to sleep around 11:00. 

Wednesday, November 28th

Woke up sometime before 6:30. Laid in bed tossing until alarm went off at 7. Got up at 7:15. Felt ok. Slightly nauseous but no heaving. Drank warm water. Walked to work at 7:40 slower than normal. Got to work. Morning went ok. My stomach feels like it’s tossing around I’m a bit nauseous and lightheaded but it’s manageable. Drank a cup of ginger tea. Had a loose BM. Went for a walk at 9:30. I ate half a mandarin orange and half a digestive cookie. Walked to a meeting offsite at 9:50 and back at 10:30. I feel hot and don’t want to wear a jacket. Had another cup of ginger tea and some water. Had some tightness in my chest and shoulders 11:00-11:30. Trying not to panic about that. Pains around my diaphragm, lower back, and RUQ. Better when I’m standing. 

Walked to lunch at 12:10. Ate a summer roll (rice wrap with sprouts, lettuce, pork and shrimp) with peanut sauce and half of a pho tai. 

Walked back to work at 12:40. RUQ pain still glaring up. Worked the rest of the afternoon with some abdo discomfort and intermittent chest/sternum/diaphragm pain. Ate the other half of the mandarin orange and digestive cookie from this morning and drank some peppermint tea. Googled “symptoms of a parasite”...could be. 

Walked home at 4:20 with sternum pain. 

Laid down for 45mins on the pullout. Got up around 6:00 to make the kids dinner (French toast and bacon) then made my own (salmon with the dairy free cucumber dill sauce).  

At 7:00 I had a shower. Noticed a faint yellow bruise just below my left ribs. Not sure where that came from. 

Sat at the computer for maybe 30-45 mins. Pretty uncomfortable sitting on the bench, couldn’t find a good way to sit that didn’t give me pain either up near my ribs or down in my hips/ovaries. 

Sat down on the couch with a heating pad at 8:00 and read a book. 

At 10:15 I put on progesterone cream and went to bed at 10:30. 

Laid on my back with a pillow on top of me (so I don’t get squished by kids in the bed) still have a bit of sternum pain. 

Tuesday, November 27th

Woke up at 6:30. As I begin to wake up I become more and more nauseous. As I had taken this morning off until after my appt I tossed around a bit and dry heaved in bed but eventually fell back asleep until getting up at 9:30. 

Went to my GP appt for 10:45. Not super helpful. I said I wanted more tests like an endoscopy or a colonoscopy. He says I've had scans (the CT and the gallbladder ultrasound in October) and the only other thing that may be useful would be the endoscopy so he will refer me to a gastroenterologist but that “may take some time” to get in. And so I’ll have to wait. Based on my crying and describing how I’m feeling about all this waiting and not knowing what's going on, he was concerned I was having situational depression, and I don't know, maybe, I am very quick to cry and sort of spiral down this "I'll never feel better" tunnel. So he’s prescribed me 30 days of Luvox antidepressants. On the one hand, I don’t want to take antidepressants, and on the other, I am feeling very depressed and am a bit afraid not to take them. I'm also concerned that some of the side effects are things I'm already experiencing like nausea, headaches, lightheadedness, stomach pains, which I don't want to make worse...

I think I will wait until Saturday night if I decide to take it since I shouldn’t be nauseous for work on Thursday nor for horseback riding on Saturday morning. 

I’m hopeful that the naturopath appt on Thursday will give me some answers and not just a completely normal panel result. 

And I see the acupuncturist again on Monday. 

But other than that, it’s just a waiting game to see the GIM on Dec 19 and the OB Jan 31 and the Gastro whenever that call may come... it all feels like forever. 

I left the GP's office and filled the prescription, bought some Icy Hot pads and Gas-X pills and then cried in the car for a while. 

On the drive home I cried but also tried to visualize my depression and get a hold on it, went between crying about being depressed to crying at the thought of a lot of what I'm feeling possibly being mental. 

I told my mum, sister, friends, and husband what happened at the GPs and got a lot of support and indignation at how long I've felt so awful with not a lot of investigation in the last month. 

I got home, set my stuff down and ate a digestive cookie 
(first food of the day) then walked to work for the afternoon. I feel sort of emotionally tired but physically I don't feel too bad. I feel an ache in my upper and lower right side, and I still get pangs of pain sort of everywhere in my abdomen including down into my rectum and vagina but it is very manageable this afternoon. I made it through the afternoon, ate a banana and another digestive cookie at 1:00, drank lots of water. 

One coworker suggested I try the private clinic in Vancouver, and I'm starting to think the cost would be worth it, but I'm not quite there yet. I think the Naturopath could request an MRI that I would then have to pay for (probably $1,000+) so I'd rather wait to see how Thursday goes first...

I had to direct a meeting at 2:00 and disclosed I was having unknown medical issues in the process of apologizing for canceling meetings in the past month or two and broke down crying in front of my team.

I drank water for the rest of the afternoon, felt a bit nauseous around 3:00, and walked home at 4:15.

Generally feeling pretty good. Made the kids Kraft dinner and re-heated the chicken and dumplings for myself, which has given me diarrhea the last couple times I ate it, but I think it's probably better than the Kraft dinner. 

Worked on the computer for a bit then ate the chicken & dumplings and drank ginger tea at 7:00.

Sat and watched tv with the heating pad until 9:00. Put on some progesterone cream and went to bed at 9:15. 
No BM

Monday, November 26th

Woke up just before my alarm went off at 7am for work. When I first woke up I felt good, I woke up on my right side which I’ve haven’t been sleeping on lately (but it is how I usually slept before all this). I quickly rolled back to my left worried I might make my RUQ pain worse. As I moved I felt nauseous. I didn’t know what time it was so I tried to go back to sleep and then my alarm went off. I got up at 7:15. Still felt nauseous. I got dressed in the same leggings and shirt I’d been wearing all weekend. I drank a mug of warm water and I tried to eat a slice of toast with margarine and jam but could only managed half of it. I dry heaved spontaneously while getting my things together and scared my husband. I took two ginger gravol (I don’t these are medicated, but also non-drowsy) I debated calling in but it was my coworkers flex days and I had things I needed to do so I finally shuffled out of the house at 7:50 (I start at 8). Walk to work was slow but fine. Got to work at ten after. 

Morning was quiet but the nausea continued. I’m in my own world trying to tell myself I don’t feel that bad and when people talk to me and expect engagement in return I realize how out of it and down and tired and sore I am. I can’t give them a normal response. My first instincts are to grunt or shake my head or cry. I shouldn’t be at work. 

I spoke with my boss (and cried) and he’s very supportive but I’m just at a loss of what to do or how long this will last. I called UMAC to get a follow up appointment but the first date Dr Walzack is available is Dec 19. This weekend I had booked weekly appts with the acupuncturist for December. And I see Dr Nero tomorrow. 

I decided even though I was physically feeling better around 10/10:30 that I should go home and rest. I stayed until noon, took the rest of the day as vacation and took vacation and appointment time for tomorrow morning so I only ha e to go in to work for the afternoon tomorrow. I cried a lot on the way home and that made my RUQ hurt. In the endometriosis group I joined on Facebook a couple of people had normal blood and ultrasound but then had a HIDA scan that showed their gallbladder wasn’t functioning. So that’s in the back of my mind. But if it’s not that, and if it’s not Endometriosis, then what is it? I am definitely physically better than last month, and now that my menstrual cycle has ended I feel better than a few days ago, but I am still nauseous every day to some degree and either uncomfortable or in pain everyday. 

I got home around 12:20. The naturopath office had emailed saying they got the test results from my stool sample to the US back and I should come in for follow up so I’ve made an appointment for Thursday the 29th. 

That day (Thursday) is a day I have two meetings with the ministry so if I don’t work any other day this week but Thursday, that is the day I really need to be there and be present for. 

I drank some water and laid down on the pull out couch for about half an hour when I got home. Laying down feels good but not having a task makes me that much more attune to all the aches and pains. My RUQ aches, and to a lesser degree my diaphragm and uterine areas as well. I have twinges in my rectum and sort of to the sides like to the left and right of my perineum but inside.  

Went to couch at 1:00 to finish movie that I started last night. At 1:30 I ate leftover chicken and dumplings and drank some water. At 2:45 I moved back to laying on the pull out to try and sleep. I read for a bit and fell asleep around 4/4:30 until 5:30. 

Got up at 6:15. Ate some popcorn and half a cucumber at 6:30. Sat on the couch and did a lice check on one child and brushed out the matted tangled of another I had been neglecting to brush for a while. 

At 8:00 I had diarrhea. 

8:20 drank ginger tea and ate some chicken breast with cucumber dill sauce (non dairy) and some more cucumber and a stone wheat thin cracker. I don’t think the cracker sat well. Maybe too dry. Had general pangs of pain from diaphragm to pelvis. Watched tv with a heating pad. 

put some progesterone cream on and Went to bed at 10:30

Sunday, November 25th

Woke up just before 7am pretty nauseous. Continued to sleep on and off until getting out of bed at 10:30 needing to pee. Overall I feel better. I can lay on either side and even on my stomach without a lot of nausea or pain. Sometimes laying on my right hurts my RUQ but not intensely. Very mild headache but that could be from over sleeping. Also slept with my ponytail in which I don’t usually do because it gives me headaches...

Felt sort of bruised in RUQ. Sitting at the kitchen table feels uncomfortable but standing I feel tired. I drank a warm/hot water with a bit of leftover ginger tea mixed in. Ate a slice of white toast with vegan margarine and jam. Around 12:15 ate a small banana chocolate chip pancake. Left at 12:30 to pick up daughter from sleepover and get groceries. Took a ginger tea with me and sipped as we were out. Generally feeling ok. Really tired but not very sore. Very nervous about anything (food, activities, lack of either) that will make me feel worse. It feels great to not feel awful but I’m very anxious about how long it will last and not to get my hopes up. 

 Got home at 2:00. Ate another pancake. Sat down on the couch and watched a show with the heating pad on my abdomen. Ate a mandarin orange. At 4 laid down on the pull out. At 5 I got up, ate a digestive cookie and drank some cold ginger tea and worked on the computer. Uncomfortable to sit at the computer. 

At 6:30 ate chicken and dumplings (some dairy in this, dough balls in a chicken and veggie soup). Before dinner I had hunger pains in my stomach. Afterwards I had lower abdominal aches/cramps. Played video games with family. Had different minor pains while sitting on the couch (back, rectum, abdo).  had a shower at 9pm. Felt a big (presumably) gas pain in upper abdo/RUQ. Shower didn’t really relieve. Feeling a bit nauseous. Put on some peppermint oil and Sat on couch after the shower. Could feel the gas moving along and passed some gas but didn’t relieve entirely. Ate some popcorn and drank some ginger tea. Lots of painful gas moving but at least I can tell it’s gas and not some unknown. Feel like I might have to have a BM.  Had diarrhea at 9:45. No pains or gas afterwards. 

Went to bed at 11:00. 
If I lay on my back, my stomach hurts like intense hunger pains but if I lay on either side, even with a body pillow which has been helpful lately, then my RUQ hurts. 

Have to work tomorrow and need to talk to my boss about all this sick time and what the next couple months are gonna look like if I don’t get better :( 

Saturday, November 24th

Up at 7:15. I said I’d let my mum know if I wasn’t feeling well enough to take my daughter to her horseback riding lesson so I got up before my usual 8am alarm just in case. 

I feel a bit nauseous and a bit tight in the stomach but otherwise ok. Having a lot of gas both ends. I drank a glass of water and then remembered the acupuncturist suggested warm/hot water first thing in the morning so I refilled the glass and had some more. Had a normal BM with minimal strain. I had menstrual and thigh cramps all night but bleeding is minimal. 

At 7:30 I ate half a banana and half a digestive cookie and a bit of rice milk. Had some more warm water and sat on the couch with a heating pad until 8:20. 

Left at 8:30. Stopped at Starbucks. Had a soft BM. Feeling very tight and nauseous. Thinking maybe I should’ve had my mum take Livvy. When the car warmed up I felt a bit better. Felt nauseous and crampy throughout the lesson but by 10:00 I began to feel a bit better. 

Got home at 10:40. Had a hot bath. Ate a mandarin orange and drank a glass of water in the bath. Laid down on the pull out couch afterwards. Feeling hungry. Husband made me some rice and I put some of the cucumber dill sauce (dairy free) on it to avoid soy. 

I laid back down and finished the book I was reading. Had a bit more rice and half a banana at 1:15. 

Laid back down for an hour. Walked six blocks round trip to get daughter from a day course. Laid down for another 45mins until 3:40. Got up and got ready to leave for the Santa parade. Drove to janes bay and walked about 6 blocks to the parade. Stood for approximately 2-2.5hrs (4-6:15 maybe) at times this was very uncomfortable and sore around my ribs and lower back but it was very crowded and I couldn’t move elsewhere. I debated going home and leaving the kids with Andrew either to bus home or to meet me at the car after. But we were meant to get dinner after so I stuck it out. Sometimes it wasn’t so bad. Other times I felt daily with exhaustion. We walked another 4 blocks to dinner at the James Bay Inn. Most of the time I felt rotten and I was very uncomfortable around my ribs and stomach to sit at the table. I was very quiet and tried not to think about how down I felt. I ate chicken strips with plum sauce and a green salad with nuts & seeds and a strawberry balsamic dressing. I felt a bit better afterward, or at least I didn’t feel so hungry. The walk back to the car was a bit better. We dropped one daughter off at a friends for a sleepover. Got home around 8pm. Had a hot shower then did a bit of work on the computer. Sat down on the couch with a heating pad and drank some ginger tea while watching tv. Used some progesterone cream again and Went to bed at 10:30

Friday, November 23rd

Nov 23

Got up at 7:00 and went to sleep on the pull out. Still have headache. Woke on and off until 10:00 with nausea and headache. At 10:30 I took a Tylenol and ate a slice of toast with cheese whiz and a stall of celery and drank water. Laid back down at 11:30. Up again at 12:30. Had a strained BM formed and normal sized. Feeling constipated. Took a generic excedrin for the headache. Drank a bit of rice milk and made a wrap with tuna and greens and sauce. 

By 1:10 (still lying down) my headache had faded, not fully gone, but the nausea remains and now my right flank hurts again but not intensely (yet). I think it’s definitely the generic excedrin that brings this on.

My mum called at 1:30 about our plans for the day and I just broke down about how awful I was feeling mentally trying to deal with my health. The crying brought the headache back. 

Got up and got ready for the day. Left around 2pm for uptown. Shopped a bit, did Santa photos at 3:00 and then got groceries. At 4:00 my mum met us to trade cars and take the girls with her while Andrew and I went back home and I went to the acupuncturist. I was feeling better being up and out of the house but you don’t notice how much you use your core until it hurts. Lifting things off shelves and pushing the shopping cart and just walking around for over an hour took it out of me. I feel 1,000x better than this morning but still tired and sore. I ate a banana on the drive home. 

Went to the acupuncturist appt for 4:45. She was lovely, did a 15-20min consult and asked me about my all symptoms past and current and what’s changed and what hasn’t. Said eliminating either dairy or wheat or both usually help most people having GI issues and also that eggs can be a common trigger and a food that people develop a sensitivity to. I was nervous because the one time I’d had acupuncture before it made me super nauseous so she said she’d do a “mild” treatment this time. On in my scalp, one between the brows (which felt great and super grounding) one on each wrist as a nausea pressure point, one near my thumb joint on each hand (I think these were for my headache) one on the inside of my leg near the knee on each leg, one on the inside of my ankle on each leg, and one between my big and index toe on each foot. I didn’t feel nauseous at all. I felt overall pretty relaxed. My stomach which had felt quite tight before starting was more relaxed and I could hear and feel
 fluids and air moving through my upper abdomen. I felt immensely hungry at this point too. My stomach and flank tightness came and went but everything else felt great. She said the effects would be cumulative and recommended a weekly visit until my symptoms stabilized. 

I left at 6:00, tried to get noodlebox take out but all locations had an hour wait even for take out. So I drove straight to my mums to get the girls. I felt flush in my face and had some lower back pain too. I ate two wraps with canned tuna and miracle whip about an hour apart. I drank a cup of black tea with milk and honey. My stomach was definitely tight after the drive but no intense or squeezing pain and no nausea or headache. 

Reading on the Endo group a lot of people have had success with progesterone cream (which I had ordered last month when I thought I just had a burst cyst) and cbd oil. 

Will start the cream tonight as it is day five of my cycle (and noticeably lighter) and I ordered a spray online from BCL (legal site) of a THC and CBD mix 1:1 (couldn’t find any CBD only)

Left my mums at 9:20. Sat on the couch with a heating pad. 

Drank a glass of water and went to bed at 11:00 feeling hungry and having some vaginal/rectal pangs and thigh cramps but overall not feeling too bad. 

Thursday, November 22nd

Woke up at 1:15 with nausea and passing gas. 

Got up at 1:50 with nausea. Dry heaved. Feels similar to Oct 27th ish where it’s like I’m coughing and that turns into dry heaving because I’m already nauseous. Refilled my hot water bottle. Had a glass of water and took a bucket with me to sleep On the couch at 2:00. 2:30 still awake. Having a hard time falling asleep. Keep cough/heaving. Awake at 3, 5 (emailed boss) and 6 (emailed coworkers). At 6:30 threw up water and bile with bits of blood. 

Throwing up has given me a headache. But I don’t want to take Tylenol in case it makes my side hurt. I have Ondansetron but that also is metabolized by the liver so I don’t know if that will hurt my side or not. The one time I took it in emerg it helped my nausea and left me with pains but at the time I didn’t put it together that it may have caused the pains...

Risked it and took the Ondansetron at 6:40. Drank a bit of rice milk which helped soothe my throat from the heaving. Went upstairs to try and go back to bed at 7:20 (kids were now downstairs getting ready for school). Not sure that I’m any less nauseous but I’ve stopped heaving. 

Woke on and off still with nausea. At 7:50 had strong need to urinate. Got up and went downstairs. Had a small BM, was a strain to pass and still don’t feel done. 

Had a bit more rice milk and went back to bed at 8:00

Cancelled my dentist appointment that I was supposed to have at 10:00 today. Woke again at 8:40 with nausea. Slept on and off tossed and turned. Called GP and booked appt for Tuesday morning. Called UMAC to find out about ultrasound, not yet been booked still waiting. Nausea seems to have subsided but I had hunger pains and a headache. Got out of bed at 10:30. 

Ate a slice of toast with peanut butter and three cheese flavoured rice crackers. Drank some rice milk and a white-berry tea with honey. Laid on the couch watch a movie with kid. Still have a headache and some vaginal and rectal pangs of pressure. I still feel hungry but the toast was a challenge to get down. Joined an Endo group online and lots of symptoms are similar to mine. 

Got up from laying down on the couch at 2:15. entire abdomen is right and sore but especially RUQ and center. Drank two glasses of water. Throat still sore from heaving this morning. Sat down at kitchen table to watch toddler nephew eat. Some pains inside my vagina/cervix area. Got a call to move up my acupuncture appointment which I though was today at 6:15p but is actually tomorrow, now earlier at 4:45... I feel like I’m making a lot of mistakes like that. Makes me wonder what I’m not catching on to. 

Had two more rice crackers at 3:30 and laid down on the pull out couch. Feeling a bit nauseous again and my headache is worse. 

Slept on and off. Got up at 5pm. Before getting up I felt awful like maybe I should take another Ondansetron and take a Tylenol for my headache. I did neither and as I started to move about I felt pretty decent. Some pain in upper abdomen and RUQ. Ate a salad of mixed greens, canned tuna, sliced almonds and cucumber dill sauce at 5:30. Made the kids some Kraft dinner then had a shower and drank a glass of water. Sat back down at 6:30

Wednesday, November 21st

I woke up with intense menstrual cramps from navel to thighs at 6:40. I got out of bed at 7:15. 
My menstrual cycle is in full flow. I had a long BM - stool was soft but took some effort to pass it all. I took a generic Excedrin for the menstrual pain, and ate half a banana. 
I walked to work at 7:45. 
I felt mostly OK, just slightly nauseous, but not bad compared to other days and only mild pains in my right flank. The office feels very warm, I turned on my fan. 
At 9:45 coffee break I walked to Starbucks and got an almond milk chai tea latte and walked around the block. 
By 11:15 I had much more intense squeezing pains in right flank while sitting. Made me feel light headed and nauseous. Stopped drinking my latte in case that was contributing. I got up went to the bathroom then went outside for some fresh air. Standing and cool air helps. 
I'm having a moderate amount of pain in various places in my abdomen and pelvis, making my feel lightheaded and nauseous. I ate a digestive cookie. Took another generic Excedrin around 11:45. The squeezing pain in my right flank makes me feel like I might pass out. I can't be 100% sure, but I think the OTC painkillers make my RUQ pain worse. 
I made an appointment at Pure Body Health to see an acupuncturist tomorrow evening. 
At 12:00 I walked down to Chinatown on my lunch break. My abdomen feels like I have a belt on too tight just above my navel all the way around. Picked up some buns and was back at work around 12:40. 
Feeling quite nauseous and pains in RUQ and muscles in my abdomen are very tight. 
I only ate half of a Chinese pork bun and drank a lot of water. 
I left work at 2:40 as I was having a hard time not crying for the pain. I tried eating another digestive cookie on the walk home. The fresh air helps, and the movement relieves the pain slightly but it is still quite intense. The pain is mostly in my RUQ and a bit of chest tightness on the right side above the pain site. Sometimes I get milder pains on my left flank and my pelvis still aches but it’s not overly painful in comparison. 
I got home by 3:00 and I laid down on the couch with a heating pad. I can feel painful gas bubbles moving around. No more squeezing on right side while laying down but my entire abdomen is very sore and tight. And I feel very hungry. I got up to use the bathroom and ate half a banana at 3:30, then sat propped up on the couch with my knees up with a heating pad on my abdomen. Paid comes and goes and is sometimes intense. Nausea persists. 
Husband and kids got home at 4:00. Husband went to bed for his night shift, I had a bath and cried a lot. The squeezing right flank pain is intense and unpredictable. It's unlike any other feeling I've ever experienced and very frightening and I can't help but be overwhelmed with it and wondering what's happening to me. 
After the shower, I at a wrap with some ground beef and sour cream and sat down at the computer for about an hour inputting this diary/blog. Had milder but still intense squeezing pains in my RUQ while sitting at the computer.

Made myself a cup of white & berry tea with honey at 6:30. Drank a glass of water. Sat back down on the couch with kids and the heating pad. Having normal menstrual pains in my pelvis as well as a tight, hard pain across my diaphragm area. Ate one digestive cookie at 7:30. Drank more water. 

Had another cry to myself after the kids went upstairs to bed and my husband left for work around 9:00. 

Sitting here on the couch I have some backache and the need to urinate. While looking up “can endometriosis make you nauseous?” I found this link https://www.lagyndr.com/endometriosis/endometriosis-and-gastrointestinal-symptoms/ that yes it can. But this site also mentions interstitial cystitis. I don’t know if I have that since I wouldn’t say my bladder hurts...but I have noticed a change. In October, I noticed that I urinated when I felt generally uncomfortable or when I thought I should (when waking up or leaving the house) but I didn’t really feel the need to go. Recently, that has changed to having to go urgently. Not urgently like I’m incontinent but there’s just no lead up to the full heavy sensation of “oh I have to go soon” I have also been going more frequently but I assumed and still assume that’s because I’m drinking much more water and liquids in general. 

Currently, while I have mild pangs of pain on my right flank that frightens me to tears, my more uncomfortable pain is across the top of my abdomen. And I can quite tell whether it’s more similar to a very full feeling and the food has not passed through to the intestines yet or a very hungry feeling where your stomach feels tight and small and immobile until you eat. 

Finally got myself off the couch and went to bed at 10:15. All four kids are in my bed and I don’t have the heart to kick them out but I don’t think it’ll be a comfortable sleep. 

Couldn't help to continue googling while in bed. Wondering if this pain is actually liver pain. definitely being right and also central makes it seem like maybe. And when I have this intense squeezy pain, it hurts intensely to be bent, like to raise a leg if I'm laying on my side in bed or to try and sit with a knee up near my armpit... Also would explain why OTC painkillers make the pain worse and not better... Got up at 11:00 to pee and check my last blood test to see if liver enzymes were checked. 

Healthline tells me:

Commonly used tests to check liver abnormalities are tests checking:

• alanine transaminase (ALT)
• aspartate aminotransferase (AST)
• alkaline phosphatase (ALP)
• albumin
• bilirubin

and my last blood test did test ALT, ALP, and bilirubin which were all normal. So that's good I guess...

Also while sitting at the computer a bit under my left ribs is hurting as well, which would not be my liver, so I guess I'm coming down from this panic a bit now...

I'm really feeling mentally unwell and exhausted and scared and... I just don't know what to do anymore. I think I will call my GP in the morning and see about a follow-up appointment to explore gastro issues while I wait for the Jan 31st appointment with the OB. 

Went back to bed at 11:20

Tuesday, November 20th

I woke up at 6:45 still with a headache and now also nauseous. I got out of bed at 7:00. 
I had three bowel movements between 7:00 and 7:30, all soft and loose. Also had some light vaginal bleeding, I might be beginning my menstrual cycle. 
I was driven to work at 7:30, and had another soft BM at 8:30. 
I had meetings all morning until 11:00. I began to feel slightly better around 10:00 or at least not as sick feeling. I took a Tylenol for my headache at 10:30. 
I drank rooibos tea and water and ate digestive cookies and a mandarin orange. At 12:00 I still felt slightly nauseous so I did not go to Zambri's for lunch with my mom as planned. I ordered a chicken teriyaki bento box (takeout from Azuma) instead and just stopped in to say hello to my mum. I ate the bento box entirely without issue. The nausea had almost entirely gone but my headache had now become much worse. 
I took another Tylenol at 1:00. 
I went for a walk at 2:45. My stomach feels ok but my head is pounding and my face feels and looks flushed. 
At 4:15 my GP called to say my OB appointment had been booked for Jan 31st 2019 with Dr. Cooper. 
I was driven home at 4:20. 
I ate popcorn (coconut oil, nutritional yeast, garlic salt, and dill) and drank water. I read a book on the couch for about an hour. Still have the headache. I tried taking a hot shower at 6:00 and took a generic Excedrin. 
I felt a bit nauseous after the hot shower. I ate a wrap filled with some taco meat and sour cream. 
I laid back down on the couch with my eyes shut until it was bedtime for the kids (about 8:15). They got ready and went to bed. I went to bed at 8:45. 
My headache was still there when i went to bed and feel like my face is quite flushed in the cheeks but my forehead is normal, I don't think I have a fever.... I also feel slightly nauseous. 
Headache passed around 9:30, so I lay in bed half asleep, half awake until finally falling asleep around 11:30

Monday, November 19th

I slept ok. I felt pain in my RUQ when sleeping on my right side. I'm having menstrual-like cramps in my pelvis and upper thighs. My alarm went off at 7:00 and I got out of bed at 7:20. I had a glass of water, then had a loose BM. 
I was driven to work at 7:35 in my mother’s bumpy car, which made me feeling less well. I'm feeling achey on my left flank and a bit of pain in my RUQ under ribs. Also feeling slightly nauseous but not too bad. 
By 9:00 I was feeling pretty good/normal. I walked to Starbucks on my coffee break and had an almond milk chai latte at 9:45. I had a very slight ache in my right lower flank and I'm feeling a lot of hunger pangs in my stomach but otherwise feel pretty good. I ate two digestive cookies and drank some water. 
Experiencing some slight tightness in my upper and right abdomen before lunch. I walked about three blocks at 12:00, ate one fish and one pork taco at the Hudson/Victoria Public Market, then walked back to work. While walking back, I was feeling tight and sore but not extremely bad. I sipped on rooibos tea when I got back arouns 12:30.
I was feeling largely OK but somewhat stressed about work by around 1:30. I went for a walk on my afternoon coffee break at 2:45. 
I walked home at 4:20, and had some squeezing pain in my right flank where my kidney might be but otherwise felt fine. 
I ate four pieces of leftover cavoletti pizza at 5:15 and played video games with the kids. 
I had a headache, so I drank a glass of water and took a shower around 6:30. Then I drank a cup of black tea with milk and honey. 
I laid on the couch reading a book, my headache not fully gone. 
I ate a poached egg on toast with vegan margarine and S+P at 10:00. 
I went to bed at 10:30 with a mild aching on length of my right side. I slept on my back. 
I was up at 12:30 and 01:45 with kids needing to go to the bathroom. Still had a headache, so I took one Tylenol when iw as up the second time at 1:45am. 

Sunday, November 18th

I had to pee all night but I didn’t want to get up. Finally got out of bed at 6:30 and went to the bathroom. I drank some water and went back to bed. I woke up again at 8:00. Laid in bed, had a lot of gas. It felt quite painful until it passed. I feel like I need to have a BM. 
I got up for the day at 9:00. I ate a digestive cookie and half a banana. I left at 9:15 for a photography group meeting and picked up snacks on the way. I stayed at the meeting from 9:45-12:15. While there, I ate a bagel with cream cheese and jam, and another half bagel with cream cheese and a lot of smoked salmon. I drank black tea with sugar. 
Afterwards, I drove to grocery store for a few things and then drove home. Carrying one heavy bag of groceries even a short distance makes my abdominal muscles ache. 
I got home at 12:45, unloaded the groceries, and sat on the couch to read a book. 
At 2:30 I got up and ate leftover popcorn, the other half of the banana and drank a large glass of water. 
At 6:00 I ate dinner (five slices of homemade cavoletti pizza - white sauce, brussels, bacon, pecans, dates, blue cheese) and two glasses of water. 
I decorated stockings with the kids after dinner. At 8:00 I watched a movie on the couch and drank more water 
I went to bed for the night at 10:30.

Saturday, November 17th

I slept well, though I woke on an off from around 6:00 until getting out of bed at 8:15. I felt pretty OK. 
I drove my daughter to her horseback riding lessons near Elk Lake. I drank anoter half sweet chestnut praline latte on the way. I had a formed BM of multiple small pieces around 9:45. Afterwards, I had pain in my upper abdomen above my navel. I also had some aching in my ovaries but it passed while the upper abdominal pain continued. 
We left horseback riding at 10:30. I ate a digestive cookie in the carr. We stopped at Uptown Shopping Centre. I had some RUQ pain and the upper abdominal pain continued. We got home by 11:30 and I rested on the couch. 
I was really not in a great place emotionally. I was feeling very anxious that I might have some kind of stomach or bowel cancer that no one is looking for because I’m youngish and otherwise healthy. I cried a lot and thought about the impact of me having a serious illness or dying would have on my family and their lives. I'm thinking about seeing my GP again to request more tests or an additional referral to a Gastroenterologist. 
At 1:45 I ate a porchetta sandwich (pork loin, bun, mayo and green salsa) and some cheese flavoured rice crackers.
I drove the family to Costco at 3:40. Later we arrived at mum's house for dinner around 5:00/5:30. I was still feeling very uncomfortable. I  had some burping and was passing gas. Having some intermittent pain in my RUQ and pelvis but mostly like a constant pressure/strained muscle feeling above navel. I can’t cross my arms as the pressure of resting them on my abdomen hurts too much and makes me feeling nauseous from the pain. Even the waistband on my leggings is an uncomfortable pressure. 
I ate chicken breast with ketchup and a cheese quesadilla. We left at 7:30ish and got home by 8:00. 
I took a shower, then watched a movie on the couch with the heating pad on. I ate popcorn (coconut oil, garlic salt, dill, nutritional yeast) and drank black tea with milk and honey and a glass of water. 
By 10:00 my upper abdominal pain had subsided and turned into intermittent squeezing pain on bother flanks but never at the same time. I Googled "intestinal squeeze" which seems only common in pilots and divers that experience great pressure changes, though it does make me feel less anxious about it potentially being cancer. Perhaps something is causing a painful build up of gasses... I think I will either call the UMAC doctor again or ask my GP to refer me to a gastroenterologist...
I wonder if drinking a daily Starbucks latte this past Tue-Sat is exacerbating things? I will try no coffee and reducing dairy maybe. 
Went to bed at 11:00

Friday, November 16th

All night I was restless. I had weird vivid dreams and woke up several times feeling nauseous. 
When it was time to get up for work at 7:00 I wasn’t feeling very well at all. I had pains along my diaphragm area mostly in my RUQ and the center. I did not eat breakfast, I left for work in a hurry because I got out of bed late and I was walking to work today. 

I had an unrelated appointment on my way to work today and texted this to a friend when they asked how I was doing:
**I always wake up feeling pretty rotten and it’s usually a lot better by 9 or 10 (mostly the nausea fades away and I just have abdo discomfort)
But I’m not sold that its endometriosis because most of my pain is between my ribs and hip on my right side or straight across the top just below where your ribs come together.**

My nausea faded by 9:00. The rest of the day passed by without issue, with only mild abdominal discomfort. I ate some digestive cookies, drank some water, and another half sweet chestnut praline latte. For lunch I ate a poke bowl from Island Poke (tuna, shrimp, veggies, ponzu sauce, and white rice)
I walked home at 4:30. My abdomen is feeling quite tight like all the muscles are engaged. 
I ate a small amount of lasagne for dinner and a mandarin orange and later ate a honey sandwich. 
I had a bath and drank a glass of water. 
I laid on the couch watching tv with a heating pad, alternating the heat on my stomach and my back. My lower back hurts on both sides. My pelvis and right side is tender to touch/push on (left side no issue) as well as my navel & directly above navel hurts (upper centre of abdomen).
Went to bed at 11:00. No BM today. 

Thursday, November 15th

I got out of bed at 7:20 feeling fairly nauseous and still sore. I ate a piece of toast with vegan margarine and jam. 
I was driven to work at 7:40. I felt nauseous until just after 9:00. Walking outside in the cold without a jacket helped a lot. I forgot my usual snacks at home and felt a bit empty. I had a half sweet chestnut praline latte at 9:30. 
I had meetings all morning, and sitting was quite uncomfortable but I managed OK. I felt largely OK by lunchtime.
I ate a chicken teriyaki bento box from Azuma at 12:00. 
The rest of the day passed by without issue. I walked home at 4:20. 
I ate a basic lasagne (noodles, meat and cheese) that a coworker made me for dinner, as well as some chopped veggies and ranch dip. I drank two glasses of water, then worked on the computer for a bit. 
I showered and went to bed at 10:30. Felt some lower back pain on my right side while laying on my back in bed. 

Wednesday, November 14th

Woke up at 7:00. I ate a piece of multigrain toast with vegan margarine and jam. The multi-grain of the toast didn’t taste good in my mouth and made me feel nauseous (previous toast breakfasts have been white bread). I drank some water and got ready for work.
I was driven to work and got there just before 8:00. All morning I was feeling a bit off. I felt slightly nauseous until around 9:00/9:30. I ate some digestive cookies, and walked a block to Starbucks and got a half sweet chestnut praline latte at 11:00. 
At lunch around 12:15 I walked to Tacofino and ate one fish taco. By now I was generally feeling well, just slight aches in my upper abdomen on both sides. I was in a meeting from 2:00-3:00. Drank some water and ate a mandarin orange. I really had to pee and I felt uncomfortable and slightly sick. 
I walked to London Drugs from 3:00-3:30 and was feeling sore and had a sort of annoying pain in right lower quadrant. 
Had another meeting, this time with my boss, and felt really uncomfortable sitting in an office chair for 20 mins, I was constantly shifting positions trying to alleviate the discomfort. 
I was driven home at 4:20. I ate Knorr Sidekicks (sour cream and chives) for dinner at 5:00. 
I played video games with the kids and then ate some cake my daughter had made (vanilla cake with vanilla icing). 
I was still feeling quite sore in the abdomen. Tried having a bath, then watched TV with a how water bottle on my belly.  I ate a mandarin orange and drank peppermint tea around 9:30. 
I went to bed with the hot water bottle around 11:00. 

Tuesday, November 13th

Got up at 7:00 for work. I don’t feel all that great. At 7:30 I passed a formed stool - collected for sample to U.S.. 
I got to work 7:50. Feeling slightly nauseous, sort of a low blood sugar feeling. 
At 8:20 I had some cervical pain. My RUQ and abdo in general feels tight and sore. Mild nausea all morning. 
I ate a digestive cookie and a mandarin orange around 10:00. At 11:00 I got a half sweet chestnut praline latte at Starbucks (walked four blocks round trip), didn't seem to affect symptoms at all... I ate lunch at 1:00 (chicken teriyaki bento box from Azuma). I ate two digestive cookies and drank some water at 2:00
I was driven home at 4:30. I played video games with the kids and had a bath at 6:30, then ate leftover risotto and trout with dill sauce at 7:00. I was still feeling slightly nauseous and tight in the upper quadrants on both sides, It feels like I need to pass gas or move my bowels but neither occurs. I passed a bit of gas while watching tv. 
Went to bed at 11:00.

Monday, November 12th

Woke at 9:00 but didn't get up  until 10:30. 
Had a BM (formed, but many small pieces). 
I ate toast with vegan margarine and jam and drank black tea with milk and honey. 
I drove the family to Uptown Shopping Centre for errands at 11:00. Home at 1:00. No issues while shopping. 
I ate leftover risotto with the trout and cucumber dill sauce. I played video games with family from 2:00-3:30. Then I worked on the computer from 3:30-5:30 and snacked on leftover popcorn and drank another tea. 
I ate dinner (chicken and waffles and cilantro lime dip) at 5:30. After dinner I checked all four kids' hair for lice (supposed to do this weekly, involves sitting on the couch crouched over their heads for over an hour). Then I watched tv, ate a digestive cookie and drank another black tea. 
I had a shower just before 10:00. Had some discomfort in right ovary while in shower and diaphragm discomfort upon getting out of the shower. 
I went to bed at 10:30. While laying down I had mild discomfort on left side (laying on) as well as in my RUQ.