Honestly, it's been quite the journey. I reached out to my internal medicine doc, explaining how my brain has been totally out of sync with my body again. Thankfully, he got us in with a TBI specialist right away—this is why I love Mayo! I've never had to wait more than two weeks for an appointment.

This was the first time we stayed overnight, so we arrived in the middle of the afternoon since my throat test was scheduled for 3 PM. It was nice to take our time leaving and driving. Those early mornings can be tough on my mom and me, but sometimes they're necessary.

Hey everyone!

So, we had our bags packed and snacks in tow, but let me tell you, my nerves were through the roof this time. I've been battling stomach issues for years now, and I am just over it. My GI doc in Des Moines didn't help much—he just kept saying I had a lot of gas in my stomach and that there was one procedure that worked, but he wouldn't tell me what it was and said insurance wouldn't cover it. His go-to advice? "Take this medicine; it'll help a little. Doesn't right—this is the same guy who made me toss my cookies for four straight days, forcing me to hit urgent care for IV treatment because I was so dehydrated.