well... hurray, at least i know FINALLY what is wrong. the clinic that Cam forced me into... literally with bribes and my kicking & screaming. but as i sat there in the cold chair waiting for my name to be called i realized that i really needed to be told what it was that i was going to be told.

so... after i had to lie down, after i was poked a dozen times and told to breathe deeply "in and out, in and out" i sat up to discover that yes, indeed stress is my enemy!

so here is the deal:
i have an imbalanced sympathetic/parasympathetic nervous system.

The Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS) is a branch of the autonomic nervous system along with the enteric nervous system and parasympathetic nervous system. It is always active at a basal level (called sympathetic tone) and becomes more active during times of stress. Its actions during the stress response comprise the fight-or-flight response. (http://en.wikipedia.org).

The parasympathetic nervous system (PSNS) is a division of the autonomic nervous system (ANS), along with the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) and enteric nervous system (ENS or "bowels NS"). The ANS is a subdivision of the peripheral nervous system (PNS). ANS sends fibers to three tissues: cardiac muscle, smooth muscle, or glandular tissue. This stimulation, sympathetic or parasympathetic, is to control smooth muscle contraction, regulate cardiac muscle, or stimulate or inhibit glandular secretion. The actions of the parasympathetic nervous system can be summarized as "rest and digest" (as opposed to the "fight-or-flight" effects of the sympathetic nervous system). (http://en.wikipedia.org).

Apparently because of this imbalance, one of my nervous systems is compensating for the other and dominating. Therefore, some of my organs aren't exactly "happy", they aren't functioning the way they are supposed to. So my stomach is pumping out more stomach acid than it needs, which is backing up into my esophagus and causing extreme heartburn/pressure/pain. The doctor said that the treatment is some pills and its fairly straight forward but the duration of the pill taking is tricky. i have to go see him next week this time, and he is forcing the second visit by only giving me a weeks worth of pills! Also, he figures that the last time i had an "ulcer" was not an ulcer at all but an inflammation like what im going through now, another "attack" as he called it.

After I got home and swallowed the monster pill, i did some research and am honestly a little freaked out but also very happy and excited with my findings. It turns out that this imbalance could be the result of the trauma I had when I was born (I almost died, I had the umbilical cord wrapped around my head three times), and could be responsible for my digestion issues and hormonal imbalances. crazy huh!? Well.... Im just taking it easy now, and trying to de-stress... Im going to research tactics on how to de-stress, does anyone have any pointers?

But Im not allowed coffee anymore, and no advil. O, and my headaches are connected to this all too apparently! So once my chest pain starts to go away with the meds the doctor gave me, my headaches should too.

love and hugs!