So Tues morning at 7:45 am I get an endoscopy and a colonoscopy at the same time, whee! I've been on a low fiber diet all week and now I'm power-drinking a lovely mix of electrolytes and "make sure you have a bathroom reserved for your private use" stuff from the pharmacy (that's literally what the specialist told me to do, heh). I haven't had solid food today, per the instructions, so pardon me if I sound a little loopy. And pardon me tomorrow if I say anything really weird after coming home given that I'll be knocked out for the procedure and so will get to experience my first ever "coming out of anesthetic" period. They're hoping to find some sort of bleed that will explain my constantly low hemoglobin. Wish me luck that they do. I'd really like to be rid of this fatigue!

We're pulling for you, CW! Hope that everything goes well and let us know how it goes when you're feeling up to it!

I hope they find the problem (and that it's a quick-fix)!

They found nothing but a perfectly fine stomach and colon. I'm grateful for this, mind you, but c'mon already!!! *gnashes teeth* They did a biopsy for Celiac (please, please, please not Celiac, though they don't think so, he said they can often tell just from looking in there) and after some other test results come in he'll have this or that suggestion of what to try next. For my iron-deficient anemia that goes with this lovely clusterfuck, he's suggesting perhaps IV iron. I've been taking Palafer (mega behind the counter supplement) for over a year and it hasn't helped. Relieved and grumpy at the same time.

*sigh* I feel for ya, CW! I've been through similar situations...hope they get the answer soon (and without any more grief!)

Ditto, what EW, said. Hope they get the answer soon!

Too many of us are playing medical BINGO right now!

I'd rather play Bingo than playing darts while everyone's blindfolded!

I so feel for you. I had the same proceedure done back in February only mine included an esophageal dilation to remove a stricture. At least for me they said I would not need another scope for at least ten years since everything came back clear. Hopefully they'll tell you the same thing and they'll figure out what is causing your anemia soon.

EW: Where everyone gets spun first before they start throwing? Pin the shuriken in the Gatchamaniac? That could hurt. Kritter: Youch. Since they found no polyps or anything abnormal that should mean that they don't have to do those scopes again for a long, long time. Glad to hear you don't have to either!!!

Originally posted by ChrisW EW: Where everyone gets spun first before they start throwing? Pin the shuriken in the Gatchamaniac?

Hey, you've played it before!

It's hell getting older. I spent months in the spring of 2013 thinking I had a gastric related problem (severe abdominal pain lasting for days, other lovely problems), went through all kinds of tests involving things I was allergic to, so I had to deal with those reactions, too. One of my older brothers had been diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer with no history of it in the family the year before, so the worry was there. The end result was actually female troubles. I was relieved but that created other problems I'm still dealing with. Have they looked in that avenue, CW? I won't go into detail here, but it could explain your anemia.

I'm sorry to hear about your brother and your own problems ... In my case I've had the discussion with my primary physician, the specialist, and even my psychiatrist, on whether it could be "Female problems" and how you, uh, quantify that. (I'm a very literal person and it occurred to me to ask what they mean by "heavy.") They independently concluded that in my case that shouldn't be enough of a cause in and of itself -- man it's hard to have "delicate" discussion about this stuff, hehe. I knew a woman who had Cron's disease and so everything was always blamed on that. It turned out that she also had 2 or 3 severe additional issues in and around the abdomen area (like a softball-sized tumor on an ovary!!!!!!) that were slowly hunted down and dealt with. Finally saved her from severe, constant, chronic pain. I'm not nearly at this depth of trouble. Phew. Just fatigue that makes it hard to really work up a head of steam and keep it going. (ETA my father keeps telling me not to get old ... while I don't FEEL old, really, I keep telling him it's too late. )

Glad everything went well for you Chris, and hope they find the cause of the problems without any more invasive testing soon.

My problem ended up being rupturing ovarian cysts that were causing internal bleeding, but not dangerously so. I made the mistake of starting with my general practitioner. If I had started with my OBGYN, the problem would have been identified and dealt with in a week instead of 4 months.

Originally posted by Becky Rock My problem ended up being rupturing ovarian cysts that were causing internal bleeding, but not dangerously so.

Please forgive me for stating the obvious, but...*ouch! ouch! ow! ow!*

Yikes Becky!

Yeah, it was ouch, ouch, ouch. The fact it felt like labor should have keyed me in to going to the OBGYN first, but I wasn't listening to my body. So, CW, you might want to visit your OBGYN just to make sure all those parts are working right.

My GP did send me to have an ultrasound done and confirmed that I have fibroids on the right ovary but he said they don't look serious or problematic. Did you have any extra bleeding because of yours?