Jesus. Saw my shrink this a.m. Cool. No new meds yet, though they remain in the offing. Decided to go around the corner (well, actually a couple of miles, but still on the opposite side of town from me) to my new GP, because I knew from my first visit that they make a point of accommodating walk-ins, as it were, & I was still concerned about the last 2 days of abdominal pain ... especially since it was becoming more & more obvious that this was too high up in the GI tract for Crohn's.

Six hours later, I was scheduled for surgery tomorrow a.m. for an incarcerated umbilical hernia. The surgeon will insert basically a mesh screen at the hernia. Luckily, it's outpatient, because in all honesty my main concern was my cats, both inside & outside.

For all my nearly 4 decades of digestive issues, this will be the first time I've had any sort of procedure done in the abdominal area (not counting colonoscopies & the like). First surgery ever, really, other than the removal of an abscessed half of the lymph node &/or salivary gland (can't quite recall the details some 30 years later) back in 2/85. They were concerned it might be cancerous; turned out to be, of all damned things, the TB bacillus.

Best thing about the above, I'll be off work something like 7-10 days. I needed that so badly that I can hardly express it. I don't care how much pain I'm in ... I won't be having to endure the agony of the workplace.

I mean ... this is how bad it is. I've forgotten #s 3 through 4,326 of Brother Power the Geek. It's as if they never existed.

My wife had a mesh screen put in for an umbilical hernia about 10 years ago. It was easy, no complications then or since. I hope yours goes just as well.

I feel your pain, Dan. I have chronic stomach issues of my own that I've been trying to figure out for years. I went one time to a specialist and they couldn't find anything wrong with me. Since then, I've been very skeptical of doctors in the gastrointestinal field and decided to try to figure out the problem on my own. I suppose I'm going to have to get over my disgust and fork over some cash. The research I have done tells me that it's still very hard to diagnose certain stomach issues.

I don't have chronic pain like you do, but I'm basically bloated 95% of the time. Most of the time it's slight bloating, but when it flairs up...ugh. Since it's not technically "painful" I get by, but the feeling of being bloated most of the time can be incredibly, frustratingly, irritating. When it gets really bad I basically don't feel like going outside or doing much more than laying around the house on my off days or sleep. What's doubly irritating is that it's gotten worse over the last few years, yet I eat healthier than ever and exercise regularly. I don't seem to be allergic to anything, though dairy can be bothersome if I eat a lot of it in concentrated form. It's also possible that I eat too fast (This was pointed out to me in a health food store.) so I've been trying as hard as I can to eat as slowly as possible.

I must admit that I battle giving up diet soda, so that very well could be the culprit. I did go a month without recently, but wasn't convinced it was the problem. I will say that I started to feel better after a week off the stuff.

Well my son decided to ride his new bike we got him about a month ago since he got the ok from his doc Monday for physical activity such as that and swimming. And right Pfc our front porch, hidden behind the huge holly bush that grows on the side of the house, that wall of the house and a privacy bamboo blind that covers half the porch some shithead stole his bike and helmet. Just got back home from making the rounds in the neighborhood hoping the the theif is not all the bright. Between two surgeries since Memorial Day and my wife due to her surgery trying to quit smoking with a vapor deal, and not being on the porch a lot smoking someone stole it. And neither of us noticed or can pinpoint when it went missing other than that Memorial Day was the last day he rode it. I'm thinking about looking at the local pawn shops tomorrow after work to see if it ended up in there over some random punk kid stealing it.

What I was getting at is, you need to talk to someone by yourself, without her. You need to be able to express yourself freely somewhere, and it's clear that that can't be anyplace where she is.

I hope this counselor isn't spouting the old "be open and honest about everything with your spouse" nonsense. That way lies madness.