All's Well That End(oscopy)s Well

After a routine checkup with the GI doc a few months ago, he said he needed to have a look around. As in, put N.,my Gift, under and stick a tube with a camera on it down his throat. Oh, I said. Yes, that was his “gut feeling”, and what was mine? (Since he did not seem the type to be into puns, I did not chuckle or point it out. Do all GI docs express “gut feelings”?) More evidence of our different senses of humor to follow.

Since the unexplained stomach pain that comes and goes has become less frequent, I was hoping this would not be necessary. The doctor was concerned, though, that some pain had become normal and acceptable to N. The doctor thought that N. was minimizing it, while it could be causing him some harm, plus, he would like to take a few biopsies. So I consented. Because there are so many doctors in the clinic, I figured that some may do the testing in the hospital, while some only do clinic visits. Also, because I have been surprised before, I asked this doctor as he was leaving if he would be the one to do the procedure. He burst out laughing and could barely get his words out. What he said before he left the room was, “Well, I sure don’t want YOU to do it!!” – and he was gone without waiting for my reply!

The stomach and reflux issues have been his areas of struggle since birth. Even so, I am grateful for the excellent medical treatment he has received all of his life. I remember when “failure to thrive” was circled on his sheet at the pediatric gastroenterologist’s office, and I felt like it said “failure to feed your baby, Mom”. We’ve come a long way since then; he routinely puts away massive, teenager amounts of food (and somehow this makes me feel better about my nurturing abilities). Thankfully, he has surpassed me in height and does not seem like he is failing to thrive at all! Whew. Thank God.

So, we are glad to have that procedure over and done with. More glad to have the biopsy report back and for the Dr. to call and tell me that “everything looks pretty good on the cellular level.” ? I had to have him repeat that, as in, ”NORMAL results, ma’am”. If the whole introductory phase of our conversation had not been so long, and if I had not broken out in a sweat when I heard his voice, and if my heart had not been beating so fast, I probably would have gotten it the first time. I guess these professionals have no way of knowing that we have a nagging until we hear from them, and when we do, we want them to get right to it and not beat around the bush for a few minutes! I was about to scream, JUST TELL ME, when he finally did. I guess you gathered that. : )

So now we keep a food diary to see if we can find what is plaguing him from time to time.
Meanwhile, it is my “gut feeling” that it is good it is over and that I was not the one to do the procedure.