I got out of the hospital yesterday late afternoon, and spent from then until now sleeping–I never sleep that solidly (though I do sleep a lot) in the hospital. I had to drink barium again (bleck) yesterday, though in a much smaller dose than my first CT scan in January, accompanied by anti-nausea meds (magical!), and mixed with something specific to contrast my belly bits. Then they X-rayed me periodically for about 45 minutes. The results: swelling has gone down markedly and I’m back on the heal. I can eat, but am restricted to a low-fiber diet. This feels entirely non-intuitive: emphasis on processed ingredients, white grains, refined things.

A ray of good news comes through all of this: three experts–my surgeon, her partner surgeon, and my gastroenterologist–are skeptical of the Crohn’s disease diagnosis. My GI, especially, who sort of specializes in the condition. As he puts it, the tissue from my surgery that was “consistent” with Crohn’s disease was not actually “diagnostic” of it. Plus, they all add, it’s virtually impossible that I would have had a flareup of Crohn’s so soon after the removal of its source. So, yippee? More doctor’s appointments in the future, but I think I’m near the end of this fun.

Tags: appendix, Crohn's, health, medical

Yep, still in the hospital. The general consensus is that I have a bowel obstruction, but there’s some un-clarity about why. Some doctors are posing something to do with Crohn’s Disease, while others are almost certain I don’t even have Crohn’s.

So, it’s a lot of wait-and-see-ing. Blockages like this caused by complications to surgery are common enough and generally go away on their own. Tomorrow I’ll have another scan, more in-depth than my emergency CT yesterday, to get more details.

Until then, I can drink clear fluids but not eat, and the nurses are keeping me comfortable with morphine derivatives and anti-nausea meds. I’m awake, alert and aware and thus welcome visitors, if you’re so inclined.

And I do like the theory that the notion that I have Crohn’s disease at all might just be totally wrong.

Tags: appendix, complication, health, hospital, medical

This time it appears that I have a partial bowel obstruction. Woke up last night with what I would describe as the worst stomach cramps/ pain I’e ever had Ended up in the ER, another CT scan, now I’m checked in again after five hours in the ER. The prognosis looks like a few days? Apparently these things kind of “go away on their own” but until then I’m on morphine (it HURTS), bed rest, and no food or water until it heals. So they have to keep me here to feed me through tubes.

Yay, hospital living! Your good thoughts help me stay afloat!

Tags: appendix, health, medical

Just posted photos to Flickr of my surgery adventure.

Enjoy!

Tags: health, medical

Today is the first day I have dragged myself into the office, for a few hours. I wish I had more to update you on or discuss than my inner bits, but that’s how things have been rolling in my life.

Most of the previous posts I cannot recall writing. I spent the weekend resting, and I would say by Saturday afternoon the miasma of amnesia had lifted and things have mostly seemed clear since then. Things were indistinct enough during my stay in the hospital that I somehow missed the detail that I had actually been disemboweled (through a 2-inch slot above my belly button) and that I am actually now minus five inches of intestine. Didn’t realize it was that much! Sometimes it’s better not to find things out until later.

All in all, though, the tubes are working! I can eat almost normally, and, really, this whole thing just hasn’t been that bad. I’m still sleeping a lot and reliant on opiate painkillers to a degree, but I feel like normal is not that far away.

Tags: appendix, health, medical