Celebratory Update?

It's February 15. I can't count how many times I've uttered this date within the last year. I've marked the 15th with a celebratory tone for the last 12 months...all because of the above photo. These are the 400mg pills that I took daily for almost 2½ years. 8 of them every day. 3,200mg. Every. Single. Day. $350. Every. Single. Month. (well, not after I discovered a great Canadian pharmacy, and the patent ran out for the drug, so they finally started producing a generic form)

I started cutting back on the number of pills I was taking, and one year ago today was the last day one of these touched my lips, and I couldn't wait until today to shout it from the rooftops!! And here I am. SHOUTING!!!

But with some reserve.

It seems that I'm back on this frustrating roller coaster of searching for answers. A couple of months ago, I started noticing some minor troubling symptoms, and I contacted my gastroenterologist, who scheduled an endoscopy for last Friday (2/11).

Side note: I was sedated with propofol, and for the record, I'm shamefully admitting that I understand Michael Jackson. I totally get it! That stuff is GOOD! Apparently, I asked for more as I was waking up. ☺ Anesthesia usually makes me really sick after waking up. Not this stuff!

At this point, I still have no answers. I was NOT a pleasant person leaving the hospital on Friday. In short, I was pissed. I am beyond grateful that my doctor found no ulcers (which is what she suspected), bleeding, or cancer. But I'm also very frustrated that I went through all of that to come up empty-handed when I know something isn't right. She did recommend some next steps, which I'm still contemplating. I'm not sure what's next, but the bright side is that I'm still in the position of not needing those pills, and for that, I am very grateful. Looks like shopping primarily at Whole Paycheck (also known as Whole Foods) is worth it!

Admitting that my doctor suggested a diet change right after diagnosing me deserves its own post. Maybe later...