Mom called me after work because she was feeling so terrible and had been very bloated in her abdomen for quite a few days…I knew she was still having problems and really had been not feeling well for about the last three months. She had a colonoscopy done on Feb. 26 to rule out some lower bowel issues, so I was at least hoping that the bloating was related some sort of infection that needed clearing up.
Earlier that day she went in to see her doctor to determine the bloating problem. The x-ray and CAT scan showed that the bloating was caused by the buildup of fluid (medical term: acetis). She needed to check into the hospital that night so they could monitor her and remove the fluid in the morning.
The fluid buildup had decreased her appetite so much that when she weighed in, she was 106 pounds (after the fluid, she dropped down to 99 pounds).
After seeing her big belly (I joked that she looked pregnant and if she needed to tell me something she’d better tell me NOW) I was very glad that she was in the hospital where if something happened, there were people there who knew what to do about it. My medical knowledge consists of CPR, Bactine spray (still the best) and a box of band aids. I never had an inclination to follow in my mom’s footsteps and go into a career in the medical field, however wished I knew more than layman’s view about diagnostic terms.
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