Fistula plug procedure - update (longish)

For the first time in a long time I actually feel good. No tenderness or soreness. Well I do have a little irritation on my stomach from the constant pulling and putting on/off of the adhesive tape, but that is about it. I'm hoping that this stays way.

Great to hear your news, Maddie!  Sounds like you have good reason to be cautiously optimistic.  Hope things continue to improve for you.
Lisa

Maddie!

It's so good to see a post from you! 

Is faire season over?  It was pretty amazing when I read that you were participating in Ren Faire activities, but I so enjoyed seeing you in your face paint and with all the other ladies from the faire.  I'm sure it made the summer much more enjoyable than just sitting home fretting over your complication(s).

I sure do hope that this issue is finally going to clear up for you.  You have been a real trooper through all of this.  Keep us up to date on what happens at your upcoming appointment.


Charrie

Yes, faire season is over for us pretty much. It started in August and ended the last weekend of September. We will go to a couple more faires, but those will be day or weekend trips. Pretty much by November we are done going to faires. Going to faire was great for me because it pushed me and helped increase my stamina even more. I had a great time this year. First time in a long time that has happened. My husband said that I found my smile again. A lot of it was that I simply felt better about how I looked, plus I got a couple of really amazing outfits after I was able to sell some of my old garb. I'll have some pictures taken when I go to faire in November of my new stuff and post some photos.

Every week for the 8 weeks of faire I would bake bunches of stuff like dozens and dozens of cookies, quick breads, pounds and pounds of fudge (like 5 pounds at a time) and then I would make some kind of lunch like chicken and dumpling soup, chili, meatballs in sauce for meatball sandwiches, sausage/peppers and onions and so on. Hubby and I would feed some of the vendors, performers and friends.  It was a lot of work and I would been in the kitchen from 7 in the morning until 8 in the evening. It felt nice to have the stamina to do it all. Though it is a lot a work I get so much satisfaction out of watching others enjoy my cooking and my treats.
 

Geez-o-petes my dear one....see....you shoulda had me come down and talk some sense into these folks.   There had to have been a better way to manage your pain.    I hope, hope, hope that this is the end of it all for you.

Eventually I figured out that if I crushed the percoset they seemed to work better. I asked Dr. Greenbaum if we malabsorb pain meds and he said he didn't think so, but one never knows. Quite honestly I really needed something stronger like Roxacet or even Dilaudid. The problem is that I had been on such strong pain meds for such a long time and so frequently after surgery that I really think I might have developed a tolerance to them. I personally found that the liquid pain meds, though nasty tasting, worked better for me. Crushing percoset and vicodin even when eaten with pudding or applesauce was horrible tasting, but I was desperate.

I too hope that this is the end of this part of the journey and that I can start eating. I'd like to get back to the business of losing weight again. I'm so close to my goal weight and would really like to reach it soon.

I bet you've developed quite a tolerance.  A friend of mine has had multiple surgeries over the years and has done the same.  I always do much better with liquid Lortab nowadays, but also find I get SERIOUSLY constipated with liquid meds.  

Oh yeah the constipation thing. I couldn't really push because my stomach hurt so bad and though I didn't get really constipated it sure did slow things down a LOT. I think it was like 3 days before I actually felt like I needed to go to the bathroom. I was beginning to get worried about it because I am a two to three time a day pooper.  That is the one thing I don't really like about pain meds. When I was on Roxacet liquid I was pushing it through my J tube so the absorption was pretty fast. I would have loved for the doctor to have given me some sort of liquid to push through my central line, but I seriously doubt that he would have done that or even if it was allowed.  

 I hope and pray this will be IT!  Thanks for the update!

Oh Maddie,

I pray this is the Golden Ticket for you. May this finally bring an end to your long leak. Way to go on the weight loss that's fantastic
Ciao Leslie