First, thank you for reading and caring. I do appreciate it and can feel people's concern and love. It does help me through it and to not feel more alone. Family, friends, friends I've yet to meet "THANK YOU!"
So on Tuesday I saw a general surgeon who quickly realized my case was too complex for her. She then referred me to surgeon who specializes in the bowel and ordered a few tests to be completed before my consult with him. Her final words to me were that it was her opinion I would benefit from a surgical resolution.
Waiting from Tuesday until today I have only been able to sleep about 6 hours. So after a 3.5 mile run this morning I was off NPO to get some radiology studies done. Let me tell you if you don't already know, Gastrografin is disgusting! Fortunately my GI test only lasted 90 minutes rather than the possible 4 hours they primed me for.
Then I relaxed for a bit and avoided any real lunch as I didn't feel totally well. Then off to my afternoon appointment with the specialty surgeon. After a bit of discussion we started to build a report and he offered me a soda out of his personal fridge. Now I realize this was just to get my defenses down before he took me to the "special" room and next thing I know my pants are around my ankles and I'm bent over getting the "treatment" up the you know where. Thankfully I have a beautiful backside and now I have proof.
What did I learn today? That I have two areas my surgeon is concerned about. Evidently I have a huge stomach for my size and it doesn't empty right at all. Most likely due to a Crohn's disease problem in my duodenum down stream from my stomach. But with all my imaging tests so far they are unable to find out exactly what is going wrong there. To them though, there has to be something wrong there or else my stomach wouldn't be doing what it is doing.
This surgeon feels I have 10-12 surgeries left in me before I am a nutritional cripple and on TPN. This is dramatically different than the last surgeon's opinion and is at odds with my GI doctor. The told me I had two left in me. So it would be nice to really have that much leeway in the planning and treatment of me surgically. Less scare and concern of short bowel syndrome.
What is the plan? This is where I am still frustrated. It is more tests, more talking, more waiting and then a decision. Due to the complexity of my history, my disease, multiple parts of my bowel involved and the number of my previous surgeries everyone is really trying to make sure things are totally figured out before anything happens. Which to me seems to make the process last far too long when I have been fairly sick since February.
My surgeon and GI doctor are going to talk. Then they will get more tests done on me. Then we will all talk about what we think is best for my treatment. Then with 85% surety we will schedule a surgery. This process is going to take weeks.
The types of surgery planned is two-fold, a resection of the 10cm section of small bowel that is partially obstructed. Then the big surprise today, connecting my jejunum in a bypass to my stomach to facilitate its emptying. Basically gastric bypass surgery like they do for weight loss!! This would still equal a big scar on my abdomen, a week in the hospital for sure and months of recovery. But with initially the impression that all will be right with me once it is completed.
I am somewhat frustrated because I want it to be clearer, easier, simpler and faster than this. But I am not dying and they want to get it right. So it is going to take weeks, not days to figure out. But now you know as much as I do. If you got a question email me or leave a comment and I'll try to answer it.
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