Hey All,

I just wanted to get some opinions about my situation here. I was admitted to the hospital on Sunday when I went to the ER with difficulty with nausea, heaving and general weakness and lethargy. I was put on IV and given a ton of blood tests, a barium swallow and a scope.

The doctor who did my scope said there was a stricture (my wording) near the bottom of my stomach and that a GI doc would be seeing me in 3 weeks and to go home. It's now Saturday and I can almost feel myself fading hour by hour. I was told to drink a half a cup of fluids for each hour I am awake and be on a liquid diet. I have done ok with the fluids, but it also makes it difficult to eat when I have to not drink a half hour before and after. Anyway, I saw my family today and my father says that I look like I am getting dehydrated again, a gaunt look to my face. I am also very weak, on Thursday night I was going down our wooden basement stairs, slipped and wasn't able to catch myself so I skidded down a bit on my shin and bonked the back of my head. Nothing serious, but indeed painful. I feel like I have to psych myself up to stand for an entire shower even. I am supposed to go back to work on Monday, I don't know how I would make it through an entire day.

To top it all off, I called the GI docs office to make an appt for 3 weeks from now and he revised my surgeon's request and put me in for 6 weeks from now, June 17th. I really don't think that I have the ability to make it this long. I no longer have nausea as I am on heavy duty nausea meds, but eating is still tough and I am tired after not long at all.

My family believes that I should go back into the ER in order for them to see me right away. (Also, I had high blood pressure, never had it before, it went down while I was in the hospital, and it is back up to 150/107). Although I don't feel like I am on deaths door just yet, I wonder if my family is right and I really should go back in.

Any feedback from fellow sleevers would be greatly appreciated.

erin

So sorry you are going through this Erin. You are the second person recently whose stomach has healed in a L shape. I wonder how that happens?? We are all pulling for you and hoping this all works out!! ((HUGS))

Nina

I'm thinking it could be the way the scar tissue forms. Of course I have no facts at all to back that up, it just seems to make sense. Again, Erin wishing you well! (((hugs)))

Praying for you Erin! And for your family! Please continue to keep us updated!

In some medical charts, the top line of the stomach is an L shape naturally....

perhaps this is how it happens....

Ok,Update time, AGAIN!

I will explain my week from the start which goes from this past Friday when I went BACK to the ER for the 3rd and final time

I finally ended up getting moved up to a Ward with potassium burning into my veins. (very painful). This ward was a bit of a gong show, the nurses did not seem very knowledgable so I didn't ask many questions. My roomie was an older lady who was pretty quiet and we were able to just do our own thing. I didn't see a doctor after being in the ER until Saturday when I was told I would be getting ANOTHER scope by a different doctor. So, I was hopeful that this would provide answers, sadly, it only left me with more questions. She felt that there really wasn't really an L shape in my stomach, that she was able to get the scope through and that I may have to live like this forever or learn to live like this AND she wondered if my vagus nerve (not sure what it is exactly) might have been affected. She also kinda dissed the surgery in general so I was defentitely feeling like I was getting nowhere again. I sat with my mouth gaped open, totally speechless. I asked, did I just totally ruin my life here??!?!?! She was nice and said no but did not give me the answers I was looking for, or any solutions for that matter.

SOOOO, on Monday when my Aunt who works in the hospital for the Director for Critical Care came in we talked and then another GI doc. He came in and was explaining that the doctor that did my scope the day before didn't feel there was anything to be done. My aunt and I said we did not agree and that we wanted to talk to the origianl doctor I was scoped by who was a bariatric surgeon. This Dr. said that he would send in another GI doc who had more experience with my situation first and then we could go from there. We decided to go with this dude and if that didn't work out we were going to make a complaint and my aunt was going to talk to the Chief of Medicine whom we ran into and I told my story to including the issues with different answers from different doctors. He said I absolutely had a right to get answers and solutions no matter what. So, yesterday I was admitted to the GI ward where I was placed on a freakin ER stretcher to sleep (because I wasn't as sick as others and they didn't have enough beds). Whatev. So this Dr. comes in and I call my aunt to be in with me as my advocate. She comes in and we had a whole list of questions that we didn't even have to ask. He said that he understood my concerns, knew that I knew something wasn't right and that he was going in to do another scope make his own decisions and balloon it, period. He also said he would take a biopsy cause he was in there and check out the surgery in general. He said that it would be around 2 or 3. Well, 11:45 am they came to get me! I was waiting for a while down in endoscopy and was a bit nervous too! So, I told him before he konked me out that he should just balloon the whole damned thing! He kinda chuckled and said he would do what he could. I woke up with a bit of a sore throat and tummy (just to the touch) but otherwise no worse off than before. At least it told me he did something in there. I was taken back upstairs and fell asleep for a couple of hours as I had a terrible sleep on the cot the night before. I then got up and asked for a cup of tea for my raw throat. I drank an ENTIRE little styrofoam cup of tea! Total victory right there. He told me not to get my hopes up too high that it wouldn't be a miracle solution and we would still have to work with it, together, but I still took it as a good sign. My sister came and saw me (my first visitor as I didn't want to see anyone and my parents are in Mexico) and it was a good day for her to come, I was in much more positive spirits for sure.

Now it's Wednesday morning and I got awoken at 5 am for my nausea meds and then dozed off an on while my 4 other roomies began to get up. Then my new Dr comes in 15 minutes earlier than thought and than I told Derek (hubby) to be there. Anyway, I had some questions ready and he was just awesome to talk to again. He said that he used the largest balloon they have to dialate the top (entrance) and bottom (exit) of the stomach, the middle part didn't require it as it does stretch naturally. He said that is wasn't grossly narrowed, but that the stomach is an odd organ and could look ok one moment and not the next. No harm done to just do it. He also said that my surgery looked great. Nothing wrong with how it was done at all. Now it would be up to me for the next 4 weeks or so to see how it all holds. I follow up with him in 4 weeks and if I feel good, I will just meet him in his office, unless I still have concerns, in that case we will schedule another scope to be sure everything is still a-o-k. He said I should remain off of work for the next 2 to 4 weeks, I got a note for only 2 and have an appt with my Family Dr on June 1st to follow up with blook work etc as he will be sending her all of my information to keep an eye on me too. I just feel 2 weeks will be plenty to get me back on my feet, and if I feel I can go back sooner, I just have to call my Dr. to get an ok to go back to work. We will see, I don't want to get too far ahead of myself just yet.

My diet is starting back a bit, I am on soft liquids like Soups etc for this week and then next week I can start with eggs etc and add one extra food at a time and see how it goes. I got some boost juice not milky drinks that I am going to use to supplement my diet as well.

I prayed so much for an answer and for someone to help me and really feel optimistic that this Dr. really has by best interest at heart and he is truly my hero. He said we would get it figured out one step at a time, if this didn't work, we wouldn't stop until we found something. Just a super person.

As I am sure you can tell, I feel better mentally big time. Physically, I am still weak, but Derek and I walked together and I am just going to persist with what the nutritionists/dieticians suggest and make my life the best it can be. I feel like I have my life back again, just have to drink a lot and keep on eating, which I feel is doable now.

I have told my family that it will take time again, but now we just need to be thankful things are going in the right direction now and I can soon begin to enjoy my new life.

Thanks again for all the encouragement and support. Hopefully it's all uphill from here on out!

erin :amen:

Erin WOWWW!!! What an amazing turn around from the last post!!! I am so relieved to hear you got the help you needed (so far). The Dr. who treated you sounds like an Angel... bless him!!!

I pray you will continue to mend. Stay hydrated and keep up with your nutrients (yes I know you know... lol) I'm just worried about you.

I'm just SOOO happy for you right now!!! Thank you so much for checking in.

Erin that is awesome to hear! I am so glad you are now moving in the right direction! Good luck to you and I will keep praying for a speedy recovery!!

Wow! I have a good feeling about this... I think as your stomach naturally continues to heal, you will just feel better and better.

I can see the joy in your words Chica. I'm so happy that things are turning around. I hope you take the time to write a kickass letter to the doctor and the cheif to let them know you got a great doctor who cares. I'm over joyed girl that I'm welled up with tears. It has been a long road and you were pretty low there for a while. I pray things continue to go well.