Gut check

I must be living a boring life. The most interesting thing I can think of—outside my continuing adventures trying to get my solar water and PV systems—is the little adventure at the Digestive Health Center for an upper endoscopy I had last week.

I've got a persistent pain in my right abdomen, just under my rib cage. I've whined about it before, and it was truly the first non-traumatic thing that I ever went to the doctor for. That's going on 18 years ago.

At any rate, the upper endoscopy is the other end of the colonoscopy that I got when I turned 50.

What they do is knock you out, stick a scope down your throat, and take pictures. There was a tiny hiatal hernia, but no damage from the years of what's been diagnosed as acid reflux or GERD. It suggests that the original diagnosis of some gall bladder issue seems more likely than ever.

My doctor did give me some kind of cool advice. Before the procedure, I explained that I never take the Prilosec my doctors always prescribe because it seems to prevent me from digesting my food correctly, exchanging one sort of pain for another. His advice was, “Keep doing what you've been doing,” and since I was a bit zoned out from the sedation, he had to explain, “Yeah, don't take the Prilosec.” He then gave me the generic diet advice: No spicy foods, don't lie down for two-three hours after eating, raise the head of the bed, no caffeine or alcohol.

So, it seems likely my gall bladder needs some adjustment. The doctor specifically mentioned that he doesn't really buy into those olive oil gall bladder cleanses, but there was something going on behind his eyes that suggested maybe he wasn't quite convinced there's not something to them. On the other hand, since he's a guy who stares at assholes for a living, maybe he's less likely to engage with his eyes than most.

Here we go, this should be fun. If somebody has a gall bladder treatment they particularly like, drop me a line.