Ohhhh Noooo ...

That's what this little face in the wall of my doctor's office seems to be saying. I read all the fashion magazines I could manage today while I waited to see him today and then, bored and looking around the room I spotted this little face. He reminds me of Mr. Bill from old Saturday Night Live fame. Mr. Bill was always saying, "Ohhhh noooooo .... ".

So, I learned a new word this weekend. Diverticulitis. That is my latest affliction. Oh yeah for me.

Earlier this week I had a couple of brief stabbing pains in my lower left abdomen. They didn't last long and I ignored them. Thurday night, I started to get a more persistant pain there but it wasn't too bad. By Saturday I was telling myself, "I hope it holds off getting much worse until at least Monday so I can see my own doctor about it". Not so. I called my doctor on Sunday and he wasn't on call. I ended up going to the medi clinic for a couple of hours, getting home just in time to hang out on the couch and watch the Rider game. The medi-clinic doctor diagnosed diverticulitis and prescribed me a couple of antibiotics that work together somehow ... one to take on an empty stomach and one to take with food ... as well as another medication to calm stomach spasms. I couldn't feel that I was having "spasms" but the doctor said I was very rumbly.

While I didn't disbelieve the doctor at the medi-clinic, I decided it would be best to talk with my own doctor who knows my medical history just to be sure. There are so many internal things in one's body ... especially in women ... that can cause lower abdominal pain so I just wanted to make sure it wasn't anything to do with my ovaries or uterus, or other girly parts. There's always that hovering cancer phantom and the knowledge that Tamoxifen can cause uterine cancer. And then there was that blood last Wednesday. My doctor said I did the right thing in following up with him to be sure. He agreed that it's likely diverticulitis ... a word that now trips off my tongue rather easily ... and that the antibiotics should take care of it. I see that not getting enough fibre or water in one's diet can result in diverticulitis but that can't be my case because I eat a substantial amount of fibre and, especially with hot flashes, I drink lots of water.

So that's what ruined much of my weekend. It's probably why I was feeling kind of generally crappy this past week, too. Nothing like a little brewing infection to take the wind out of one's sails.

I can feel the antibiotics kicking in, despite the fact that they're giving me an upset stomach.