How to lose weight quickly

One evening in early September I ate a few too many starchy foods and was uncomfortably full. That feeling eased somewhat and much later I had a snack. Within half an hour I was in serious pain and felt nauseous. I could’t get comfortable and continually changed positions for the next two hours while wishing I could throw up to ease the nausea. After two hours I got my wish and the pain subsided. I had another episode three weeks ago that started in late afternoon, got worse quickly but subsided enough that I decided to proceed with the usual Wednesday evening activity that took me away from home. I was okay for most of the time I was out but the pain returned and by the time I got home I was in unbearable pain. I then spent the next hour or two in pretty much the same way as the episode in September. At the time I fully intended to see my doctor at the earliest convenience. That never happened but when I was finished with my final assignment last week, I had full intentions (for this week) of making that appointment and organising a mammogram.

So Sunday afternoon I had gone out with the Scientist to our local markets so he could get a Greek yoghurt. I’d eaten a store bought, fancy yoghurt a bit earlier and he craved one too. I think I was fine when we left but by the time we got there (just a few minutes alter), I was getting a somewhat familiar feeling and by the time he’d ordered I was in a lot of pain. He rushed me back home and I was in enough pain that he asked if I wanted to go to the hospital or call an ambulance. I couldn’t imagine sitting in the car for the twenty minute ride and I debated for a short while before agreeing to the ambulance. I’d gone really pale and clammy by this point. We waited and waited while I kept moving around. I did find one position that seemed to work for a bit longer than anything else so kept trying that. I started to feel a bit better. The ambulance didn’t come and I finally decided I could sit in the car. So the Scientist cancelled the ambulance and drove me to the emergency department.

Ironically the pain eased quite a bit by the time we arrived at the ED. I had to wait a bit over an hour once I’d seen the triage nurse. By that time the nausea was a lot worse and the pain had increased again. I was alot more comfortable in the hospital gown. The next few hours were mostly spent lying on the bed and waiting. I managed to by-pass the nurse interview and was seen directly by the doctor instead. After questioning and examining me, he reported that I almost certainly had gallstones and I fit the profile almost perfectly. I needed some blood tests and I was due to get pain medication, etc. The doctor had trouble with the first canula but got a blood sample. The second one went in fine. Both times it was quite painful but I guess it did distract from the nausea. I was taken away for a chest x-ray and then waited a long while. Eventually I was given reflux medication and then anti-nause meds through the drip. Fluids were added at some point and I did eventually get paracetamol (Tylenol) too. I was supposed to get morphine but that never quite happened. By that point I was feeling much better so that wasn’t really a problem. At some point the doctor returned to get more blood because the first sample had clotted too much. The ultrasound department wasn’t available so I was given a referral to return to have that done when they were open. I eventually got a letter and instructions to take paracetamol and ibuprofen for a couple of days to reduce inflammation. Both the doctor and the nurse advised that the best treatment was to have surgery to get rid of the gallbladder. While I knew this is the standard treatment,  it still seemed to come as a bit of shock when I heard it.

The Scientist had been sitting in the waiting area for most of the several hours I was being treated. At one point I was about to ask if he could come back but then the doctor and a couple of nurses seemed to be crowded around me so I decided to wait until everything was quiet. I later did ask the new shift nurse about it and she promptly got him back there. I still had to wait for the last blood test results to come through but it wasn’t too much longer before I was able to come home.

I went to sleep earlier than usual and woke up early on Monday morning. I phoned the ultrasound department for a late morning appointment. Then I called my doctor’s office to make an appointment for that afternoon. The abdominal ultrasound was a lot more involved than I realised it would be. The sonographer did 85 images and had me moving into all sorts of positions. I had to take a lot of deep breaths, then hold it. Also surprising was how much it hurt in some of the areas being checked. I’d never had an ultrasound that hurt before. I was finally done half an hour later and she sent me back to the ED to get results…I returned there and the waiting room was packed. I finally got to see the triage nurse and asked if it was possible to get the results sent to my doctor instead and received a very positive response. I’d have been waiting hours if I’d stayed there because I was sore but not really in pain so I’d be a low priority. Also I’d not eaten anything since the afternoon before and was getting kind of hungry.

Late in the afternoon I saw my doctor, who said she’d been receiving faxes about me all day. Funnily she hadn’t gotten the one for the ultrasound report yet but it was available at the front desk when she checked. So I had one definite stone, possibly two or three,  show up on the ultrasound. The bile duct was dilated but a stone couldn’t be seen. Apparently this means either there was a stone that had moved out of the duct or the stone was still there but wasn’t visible. She looked at the results of my blood tests and I’m pretty sure she misread the numbers on one because she seemed to think a couple of the liver function tests were mildly elevated. But the GGT was over 200 and the top of normal range is 40 which is five times normal. She wrote a referral to a specialist and sent me home with a copy of the ultrasound report and request for a couple of blood tests.

When I got home I had a closer look at the report and what she covered with regard to the gall bladder was fine. But there was an extra bit about my bladder that said there were abnormal contents and it should be reassessed at a later time. I don’t think my doctor ever saw this part. She is quite good most of the time but it was the end of the day and I think I was her last appointment. So it’s a good thing she gave me a copy of the report or that might have been missed completely. I have another blood test to check my thyroid and liver function, which I will do tomorrow. Hopefully I can see her early next week and discuss this further.

So in the few days since this happened, I’ve been eating very small meals and sticking to very low-fat foods because I’m nervous about a repeat. Unlike the previous attacks, I’m still sore in the gallbladder area several days later. It might be partly psychological but I am getting twinges of pain a little while after eating most of the time. On a positive note, though, I’ve lost at least one kilogram this week. Update: I’ve now lost 1.5 kilograms this week.