Ha! You know I couldn’t stay away that long. Fortunately, my testing this morning was minimal.

I will say this though, seeing the right doctor at the right hospital makes all the difference. I’m not sure I’ll ever waste my time again on private practice doctors where I live again. Any more, I’m headed straight for the well funded, research hospital docs who have the brains to figure out what is wrong with people.

For the first time in 3 years, I saw a doctor today who 1) reviewed my entire history with me sitting right there 2) talked to me as though I were a human being worthy of time, attention, dignity and respect, 3) gave me all my options with her opinion as to which was best but, 4) ultimately left the choice up to ME.

Why is that last one so important? Because every doctor I have seen in this nightmare has never tried to discovered what was actually wrong with me and if I questioned what they were doing or how they were going about it, they suddenly came down with the biggest God complex ever. They would pat my hand as I got frustrated with their circular arguments, then say “I’m the doctor, I know what’s best” and send me on my way. Heaven forbid I would actually use logic to stand up for myself. None of them liked that at all. That was the worst in their minds. A patient with a brain who can think for herself. Especially a female patient. Us silly little women are supposed to stay at home, cook, clean, take care of the kids…and when we have pain, we’re just tense. We just need to relax.

In a twisted way I got my vindication. Today, I was diagnosed with Sphincter of Oddi Dysfunction.(S.O.D.)

The abridged version from the John’s Hopkins Disease Library: “Up to 20% of patients with continued pain after cholecystectomy and 10–20% of patients with idiopathic recurrent pancreatitis may suffer from sphincter of Oddi dysfunction. The major presenting symptom in patients with sphincter of Oddi dysfunction is abdominal pain. The pain is characteristically sharp, postprandial, and located in the right upper quadrant or epigastrium. The pain may be associated with nausea and/or vomiting, may last for several hours, and may radiate to the back or shoulder blades. Fever, chills, and jaundice are uncommon symptoms. Patients may also present with acute recurrent pancreatitis.”

Apparently, this is becoming much more common after laproscopic cholecystectomy. Now you can conveniently have your gallbladder removed, but you have a greater risk of ending up with years (possibly a lifetime? nobody knows yet!) of constant pain and nausea, with excruciating pain and vomiting episodes after a good meal. Sound like fun to you?

This condition has ruined my life…the last 6 months in particular. Who knows what it will do over the course of the next few years. My dreams of more children, a Master’s degree, a future career may all be dust or extremely far off rather than just “next year sometime.” This isn’t going to be solved quickly, but now it has a name.

Names are powerful. Good doctors are worth any inconvenience. All the quacks who told me to get over myself, it was all in my head, I needed to relax, or to be happy I didn’t have cancer can stick it where the sun doesn’t shine. S.O.D. is serious. It can lead to life-threatening complications. But I’m on top of it now and I’m not going to let anyone hold me back anymore.