karentx
07/05/06: I had another scope of my ulcer today. The biopsy says 'I
have a healing ulcer' (duh!!) lol. He said I don't have to have any more
scopes. 4 more weeks and I go back to see him, AND I can go back on
the celebrex then (YEAH!!!!)
05/04/06: I had another scope today. The ulcer is healing but it's not
completely healed yet so I can't go back on the celebrex yet (so I
guess I go on being a bitch for another 2 months...lol) The scope was at
7am, I left there at 8am went home, took a 2 hr nap and then met a friend
for lunch at 12. I took a copy of the results by my pcp's office, I
thought she might want it for my file. She saw the pics of the ulcer &
said 'that's an ulcer' I said, no that's healing, you should have seen it
6 wks ago. She couldn't believe I was up and around already after just
having been under anesthesia that morning AND driving myself....lol.
I've tried to tell her about my high tollerance to meds. My body just
shakes off anesthesia.
04/27/06: I had a sonogram today. The cyst that was on my ovary is
gone. WOO HOO!!!! That means that they don't have to open me back up to
remove it. It was there 6 wks ago and was about 3 cm. The gyn was a
little concerned about it because it was still there from the CT scan 3 wks
before so she scheduled another sonogram for me and then we'd go from
there. But it's gone so...no worries :)
I go for another scope next Thurs to see if my ulcer has healed. I'm
really hoping it has because I want to get back on the celebrex so my
headache will go away. 4 weeks now with a headache is really a BITCH!!!!
The good news is I'm down another 2#.
03/24/06: I just got home from the hospital. Tuesday morning I started
throwing up blood. I went to the ER and found out that I have an ulcer
caused from stress and the meds I'm on for my headaches. I lost 3 pints
of blood and almost needed a transfusion(it went from a 12 down to 8.7,
if it had gotten below 8.5 they would have done a transfusion) I am now
on meds for the acid and on soft diet to let it heal but I'm back at
work again.
02/28/06: Well, I finally heard back from the new surgeon. She had sent
me for a CT scan and wanted to compare the new one with the one that
I'd had back in Nov. She says that it's not a hernia but just a bulge
from a weakness in the muscle. They are so thin they are almost
non-existant. She wouldn't open me up with my history for anything. AND in a
year or two it will probably deteriorate into a hernia and need surgery
at that time.(oh joy!!!)
02/03/06: This is getting a little old. I go see a new surgeon next
Wed. to try and set up surgery to get rid of this hernia for the 5th
time. I did find out today that the surgeon I picked specializes in
bariatric and abdominal surgery so maybe she can get it done right for me this
time. The results of the CT scan were I have 2 hernias. One in the
abdominal area and one in the pelvic area. It also said that my "6-pack ab"
muscles have atrophied (go figure, as many times as they have been cut
on and moved around)
11/09/05: Well, I went for a CT scan of my stomach last Saturday.
I called the dr's office today and the results were faxed to him last
night but he hasn't had a chance to look at them yet. I know it says
that the hernia is back, I just don't know to what degree. Also, it is
pretty big so far and it's only been a month.(hmmm, how big is "joey"
going to get this time?)
11/02/05: Ok, what's going on here. I just went to my PCP. After 11
surgeries in 2 years, I'm back to square one!!! My dr says that my
hernia is back (I knew that but I didn't have medical confermation until
now) She sent me to a different plastic surgeon this time. He recommends
that I don't have surgery right now since it's not bothering me. That
sounds good to me. I really don't want to tell my boss that I have to
have another surgery!!!
05/23/05: I had an appt with the infectious disease doctor today. He
took me off IV antibiotics and put me on oral ones. I get the IV out on
Thursday so I can go back to work(finally!!) next week. YEAH!!
05/04/05: Just got home from 15 days in the hospital this time. They
had me in the OR 3 different times. The first time, Wednesday, they
couldn't close me up because I still had a pocket of infection; they had to
take out the alloderm and do a debridment. Thursday, they took me to
the OR just to do a dressing change in a sterile environment and so they
could put me to sleep for it.(sterile, ha! that's where I got the staph
in the first place) Then Saturday they were able to close me up. He
said I had enough muscle that he was able to reconstruct the abdominal
muscle wall, no more mesh. He sent me home on bed rest and with IV
antibiotics.
04/11/05: Well, here we go again. I had another dr appt today. The vac
isn't doing what its supposed to do for some reason. It's not
granulating up thru the alloderm. He's taken me off it for a week and has me
changing wet-to-dry dressings every 2 hrs. He also wants to put me back in
the hospital to close this up instead of waiting for it to granulate in
and then doing a skin graft. I will be in there (on bed rest) for about
2 weeks until it heals up. Damn!! I'm going to be bored!
03/30/05: I got the results of the culture back today. It's another
staph infection. But a different kind this time.(different hospital,
different infection, lol) It's not one of the more resistant strains so they
should be able to knock it out with antibiotics fairly easily. I just
want to know why this keeps happening. I can take care of it at home
just fine, but I go to the hospital and get an infection!!!
03/28/05: I was discharged from the hospital today. I was so bored!!!
There was nothing to do in there. I walked the floors so much my calves
hurt!! lol. They are talking about putting me back on the wound vac to
close up this hole in my stomach again. That means I can't go back to
work yet because it "causes a hostile work environment". Ugh!!! When
will this end?!?!?
03/26/05: Well, not only was it still draining alot, but the incision
opened back up. I now have a hole in my stomach again. The wound care
specialist saw it and admitted me to the hospital for IV antibiotics and
dressing changes 3x a day.
03/25/05: I was getting ready to go out tonight and I sprung a leak in
my stomach. It has been hurting for 2 days and now a lot of fluid is
coming out of it. My surgeon is out of town for Easter weekend so I
called the wound care specialist I know. He said if it's still draining
alot tomorrow, go to the ER at ST.Paul and he will meet me there.
03/22/05: I went back to the dr today. I have a little red spot on my
incision but he doesn't think it's an infection. I think it may be
irritation from the stitches. He has released me to go back to work. I go
back starting next Monday.
03/14/05: Well, I had the surgery today. I was only in the hospital for
5 hrs. He implanted the alloderm and closed me up. As soon as I was
awake, able to eat, drink & go to the bathroom, they released me. I'm not
in a lot of pain and I should be back at work in 2 weeks.
02/02/05: I had an appt with the plastic surgeon today. He looks after
me. He keeps asking the other surgeons about my progress & how I'm
healing, etc. He has an idea that could help me heal up faster. He wants to
implant human dermis into my wound & cover it up with a flap & close it
up. There would be no need for a skin graft, he would be closing over
with the tissue that is already there. He doesn't think that this wound
will grow up completely and I'll have a hole in my stomach even when it
grows over. I'm not sure about it, though. He told me to think about it
and give him a call in a couple of weeks to see him & talk about it
some more & answer more questions. It would also mean going back into the
hospital again but he seems to think he could do it as outpatient on a
friday and I could be back at work on monday. With my history I don't
see that happening, but it would be great, because I had to use all my
vacation & sick days for the year on this last surgery & I'm not
elligable for short-term disability again until November.
01/24/04: I went back to the doctor today. He took me off the wound
vac; so I can go back to work tomorrow. My wound is still 3 1/2" x 2" x
1" so I have to do wet to dry dressings until it heals. No telling how
long that will be but at least I can go back to work. I added it up last
night and I have only worked 6 weeks since Aug 3rd because of these 3
surgeries. That is absurd!!! I'm surprised I still have a job.
01/12/04: Just got home from the hospital again. They had to take out
all of the mesh. They said when they went in, the mesh was swimming in
infection. He is hoping that there is enough scar tissue built up from
the last 8 operations that the hernia won't come back this time.(Boy
have I heard that before!!!) What a way to spend my vacation. I'm using up
my 2 wks vacation & my 3 sick days with this operation because I don't
have any short-term disability available until Nov. He's talking about
needing a skin graft when this is over but I hope I don't because I
can't afford 2 wks off without pay.
01/03/04: I had an appt with the wound care specialist last Thurs. He
said that my staff infection was back and it had infected my mesh. Here
we go again!!! I go back in the hospital tomorrow for another
debreedment and for him to take out part (if not all) of the mesh. I told him if
he takes out the mesh and my hernia comes back, I'm coming after him.
This is way past getting old. I am so tired of going in the hospital, I
can't stand it. When he told me I had to go back in again, I didn't
know whether to cry, scream or go postal on someone.
12/08/04: They sent me home from work today. They said that my wearing
the wound vac is causing a hostile work environment with my co-workers
and since they can't send all of them home, they have to send me home.
So I am home without pay until the vac comes off.(possibly next monday)
They just don't like seeing the tubing and thinking about what is going
thru it. Hell, I work at a desk and 7 of the 8 1/2 hrs I'm there, it's
under the desk. The only time I'm up is if I'm going to the restroom,
moving something or doing my filing. I've been told that may not be
legal. Any comments?
11/22/04: I went back to work today even though I'm still on the wound
vac. I have a very good battery on this one. I can leave it off charge
24 hrs and it still shows 2 of the 4 bars. If I had to be plugged in to
the wall while working, I wouldn't have gone back to work yet. I don't
know how much longer I'm going to be on this thing. I'm hoping I get it
off by the end of the year. It gets to be a pain lugging this thing
around with me everywhere and having to watch to make sure I don't catch
it on anything.
11/12/04: I just got home from the hospital. 11 days in there will
drive you crazy!!! I had a staff infection. They had to do a debreedment
again, but it's not nearly as big as last year. I'm on the wound vac
again. I was on a different one in the hospital. It was a new kind that
instills antibiotic directly into the wound. That's why I was in for so
long. I was supposed to come home on monday but they decided to keep me
on this new vac for longer. They don't have a home version of it yet.
I'm still off work and I have home nursing set up to come out 3x a week
to change the sponge.
11/02/04: I got home from Shreveport last night. I went for the weekend
for my birthday. I should have come home yesterday when I was $1100
ahead but...them's the breaks. lolol.
I had my regular appt with my pcp today. There has been a red spot on
my stomach about 8" wide. I showed it to her and she said I have an
infection and sent me to the surgeon(it is at my incision area from the
hernia. The surgeon took one look at it and put me in the hospital
today!!! I go in for surgery in the morning.
10/12/04: I went back to work today. I got to stay this time.
Everything seems to be going ok but man!!! was I tired when I got home.
09/20/04: I went back to work today. They sent me back home. The dr's
release had some restrictions that made it impossible to do the
complete job so they put me back on disability until the restrictions are
lifted. So I'm off work again until at least 10/12 when I go back to the
dr.
09/17/04: I went back to the dr today. He released me to go back to
work on monday but with a lifting restriction of 5# & no bending or
stooping for at least 2 months. My boss loved that one. He asked how I am
going to file if I can't bend over...lol. I guess I'll have to file the
top drawers & my co-worker file the bottom drawers. :)
08/30/04: I just got back from the dr again. I wasn't supposed to get
my stitches out until next week but my incisions are very red &
irritated, so I called the dr to see if I could get them out this week
instead. He said to come on in today and he would take them out. A couple of
them were really long & deep and hurt coming out. I am glad they are
out. The nurse said the numbness may last as long as 6 months (ugh!!)
08/20/04: I went back to dr today. I got my drain out but he is
leaving the stitches in for another 3 wks!! I will be off work until then
because of the dusty environment I work in. I am already so bored. He did
release me to drive, thank goodness.
08/11/04: Well I just got home from the hospital from having the
TT/hernia. I was in there 8 days.(I was soooo bored I was roaming the halls
like a caged tiger!) It didn't hurt as much this time as it did the
last time. I think because the hernia was much smaller, so they didn't
have to move the muscles over so much. The dr kept me in for that long
because he doesn't send anyone home with more than 1 JP drain and I had 3
right out of surgery. He took 12 pounds out of my stomach.(WOW!!) I'm
down about 20 from that 8 days (including the 12 he took out)
07/20/04: OK, I just got back from the PS. My hernia/TT is scheduled
for 2 wks from tomorrow.(8/4) I don't know what time of day yet, but it
will be happening on that day. I already have ins. approval & approval
for short term disability while I am off. He said that I'll be in the
hospital for about a week.
:( Also that I'll be off work about 3 wks.(depending on how well &
fast I heal)
06/03/04: I had another appt with the PS today. We got the results of
the CT scan. It says that I have "a large hernia". WELL, DUH!!! Go
figure!! I didn't need a CT scan to tell me that! I have to see the general
surgeon that will be working with him, then we will be setting the date
for surgery, but it will be sometime in July. He said that he can also
do a TT at the same time but my ins won't pay for it so I will have to
pay him out of pocket. So I have about 6 weeks to come up with 3K.
05/28/04: I just got back from the PS today. Apparently the repair on
my hernia won't be able to wait. He is sending me for a CT Scan on Tues
then I go back to him on Thurs to plan how we are going to proceed from
there. So it looks like I'll be back in the hospital(again) before the
summer is out. :(
03/07/04: Ok, Ann says I have to update this thing, so here goes.
Nothing new is happening here. No weight loss. I'm down 60 lbs since the
first surgery.(I was down 99# but then I had the 4-wheeler accident and
gained back 80 of it before the repair) 'Joey' continues to get bigger
each day, yadda, yadda, yadda...(lol)I haven't seen the plastic surgeon
about it yet. I'm trying to put off getting the hernia repaired this
time as long as possible because it's going to be a major thing. They
are going to have to take muscle from my thigh to make a flap to cover
it, so this time it will affect my leg and my stomach.
I have started back to school. I want to become an interpreter. At 1-2
classes a semester though, even a 2 year degree is going to take a very
long time. I just got a letter from the college in the mail about my
degree plan. They are going to accept the transfer of some of my hours
from 15 yrs ago so that is some hours that I don't have to take over :)
I was told a couple of years ago, when I checked into it, that it had
been so long ago that I would have to start all over again at the
beginning. It's good to know that I don't have to.
09/19/03: THE RETURN OF "JOEY"!!! (UGH!) I went back to the dr a couple
of days ago. He had to trim my mesh again. It still hasn't completely
healed from the last skin graft. There is one place where the mesh is
poking thru the skin, so he trimmed it up. But, just in the couple of
days since he did that, it seems to be healing.(I hope so) But the bad
new is..where they cut out the mesh that had surfaced, my
hernia("joey")is back. I knew there was a risk of it happening but we hoped that
there was enough scar tissue built up that it wouldn't happen. I'm not sure
what is going to happen now. It's only as big as the hole they cut out
of the mesh. I swear if it wasn't for bad luck I wouldn't have any
luck at all! I know that God doesn't give us anything He knows we can't
handle. I just wish He didn't have so much confidence in my ability to
cope :)
07/18/03: Just got back from the dr. He said that I could go back to
work now if I wanted to but it's only been 4 days since the skin graft.
I'm going to take another week off just to be sure and go back on 7/28.
06/27/03: The dr. just called with my next surgery date. I will be
going back in on 7/14 to remove part of my mesh and do another skin
graft. I will have to be off work 2-3 weeks this time (I hope!) All I can
say is this had better be the last time I have to go in for this
thing!!!!
06/08/03: I haven't updated this in a while. It's been kinda
depressing. My skin graft hasn't ever healed over. My mesh has surfaced and
the skin won't grow to a foreign substance. I go back to the Dr on Tues
and we will be scheduling my next 2 surgeries. They will have to go in
and remove part of my mesh then I will have to go back in and have
another skin graft done. (this really sucks!!!) If it wasn't for bad luck,
I probably would have no luck at all!
03/26/03: I just got home from the dr. He has released me to go back
to work (yeah!!!) I will start back on Monday. I also lost another 3#
:)
03/13/03: I just got home from having the skin graft. It was just an
overnight stay, that wasn't too bad. BUT, I've gotten to really hate
going into the hospital!!! It's not too bad, the donor site feels like a
bad sunburn. The bad thing is, I can't shower until after I go back to
the hospital because I can't get the dressing wet on my wound site; I
can't change that dressing because it is sutured in. Hopefully I can
wash my hair in the sink without too much trouble.
03/04/02: I just came back from the dr again. He has scheduled my skin
graft for next Wed at 2pm. He said there should be a 3 week recovery
period and then I will be able to go back to work(finally!!!)
02/21/03: I just got home from the dr. He took me off the wound-vac.
Now I just have a wet/dry dressing on the wound. I go back a week from
Tues. and we should be scheduling the skin graft then. Another 4-5
weeks and I should be able to go back to work (yeah!!!)
01/30/03: Well I just got home from the hospital. The dr. had to open
me back up and clean out the infection in my incision. I now have a
hole that is 5" wide, 7" long and about 2" deep on my stomach. They sent
me home with a wound-vac to try to help it heal. He said I may be on
this thing as long as 2 months more; then there is a chance I will need
a skin graph, depending on how well it heals. (have I said how tired I
am of hospitals?...lol). The good news is, I lost another 13# while I
was in the hospital.
01/23/03: I just came from an appt with a wound care specialist. I
have a major infection in my incision. He is putting me back into the
hospital on Monday to clean it out. I should only be in there overnight,
I hope so. Boy, am I tired of going into hospitals. This had better be
the last time!!
12/31/02: I just got home from the hospital from having my hernia
repaired last Friday. Damn did that hurt!!! It hurts more than the surgery
did. It took a little longer than they thought because it was bigger
than they thought. They also found a mass that they had to do a biopsy
on, but it was benign.(thank goodness!!) So now, I'm just home,
recovering from all that. I'm already bored.
12/12/02: I finally got approval for the hernia repair!!!! It's only
15 days away! I can't wait to get rid of this thing.
11/29/02: I had the Upper GI today. It showed no leaks in my
pouch!!!! But my pouch is funny shaped and it's larger than I remember it
being right after surgery. I'm going to check out the x-rays and report
next week to have them in hand for when I go for the 2nd opinion.
11/26/02: I got a call from my pcp today. She has set me up for an
Upper GI this Friday. Then I can take the results to the new dr to make
sure nothing is wrong with my bypass before I have my hernia repaired.
11/21/02: FINALLY!!! After going thru a list of 8 doctors, I found
one for a 2nd opinion on my bypass. I have an appt. on 12/17. I've
talked to my pcp and she is trying to send me for an Upper GI before that
so I can take the results to the new dr for him to look at and see if
anything is wrong.
11/17/02: I'm having alot of trouble finding a dr for a 2nd opinion on
my bypass. I want to make sure everything is ok before I have the
hernia repair. I was told that once the permanent mesh is put in, going
thru the front to make any repairs would be impossible. I've called 4
different doctors. 2 aren't on my plan. The other 2, it seems, aren't
wanting to give an opinion on someone else's work. WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO
GET SENT FOR A LOUSY UPPER GI!?!?!?!?
10/31/02: Ok, I talked to my boss today. Everyting is set into motion.
The dr's office is contacting insurance for approval and I'm filling
out the paperwork for short-term disability to kick in for the month I
will have to be off(don't you know they just love me having to take off
twice in the same year for surgeries?)
10/30/02: I just got home from the dr. for a 2nd opinion. He wanted
to put me in next week to repair it. He definately says it is
"medically necessary" to repair it right now; it will only get bigger.
I am going to talk to my boss tomorrow. The repair is tentatively set
up for 12/27. I may even see another surgeon about a 2nd opinion to
make sure everything is ok with the bypass.
10/17/02: Ok, I'm tired of this hernia business. I called another dr
today and set up an appointment for a second opinion. I go to see him
on 10/30. Keep your fingers crossed that it's good news.
09/27/02: I went by my PCP's office to weigh in today. WOOHOO!!! I've
lost 3#!!! It's about time! I had a tooth pulled last week so I
haven't even wanted to think about eating. (lol) That pain is going away so
I'm trying really hard to not start snacking between meals again.
That's the problem. I eat my little bit (but it is more than after the
first surgery, I don't care what the dr says...something is different this
time) but I get hungry again about an hr later so I graze. UGH!!!
09/18/02: I went back to the surgeon today. I still haven't lost any
weight. We don't know why I'm getting hungry this time. I didn't get
hungry the first time.
He's getting disgusted with me because I'm his only patient that isn't
losing weight. He says there's no way I could have stretched my pouch
in that amount of time, the opening to my intestines is only 2
centimeters, and there is no stomach attached to the pouch so if there was a
disruption, I would be in a world of hurt. It's VERY frustrating!!!!!
My hernia would fit in a 1 quart mixing bowl. When I eat, you can
actually see the skin move as it goes thru the intestines. He says unless
it's breaking thru the skin, there is no problem with waiting to repair
it....so we wait.
08/31/02: I'm not your average WLS patient. I had the open rny on
3/22/01, no complications..I lost 99# in 7 months and was feeling great!!!
I had an accident on a 4-wheeler while on vacation. I lost control and
jumped off before the thing could flip over on top of me. The impact
of my landing disrupted my staple line, so I had to have the surgery all
over again.
I had the repair on 5/1/02. This time he transected the stomach. I had
a hernia at the time of the surgery but it was so large, there was a
great risk of infection so he just put a temp. mesh in to hold it.
Now here I am, 4 1/2 months out and I haven't lost any weight in the
last 2 months and I have a hernia that is bigger than a cantalope. He
thinks that the hernia is causing me to not lose weight (somehow, I don't
understand how) and he's talking about me going in for repair this
year.
I go back to see him on 9/18 and may find out then if I have to go
ahead and go in for the repair now.
