Friday, March 7, 2014

a GI appointment...



I went to see my GI the other week. The appointment was very beneficial and productive. During the appointment, we discussed the success of the Botox injections that I received back in December to help  reduce my stomach spasms. Last fall I started experiencing these painful yet nauseating colon spasms. When this first started happening, I could not figure out what was going on. Is it even possible to have pain in the remaining eight inches of colon that I have when it isn't even hooked up to my digestive tract. Very, very strange. After speaking with my surgeon and GI doctor several times since then, the colon spasms haven't stopped. It is just something patients sometimes experience after having the type of colon surgery that I had. However they are so random. I never know when they are going to happen or where. I was once in the grocery store and it was so bad I honestly thought that I was going to have to just leave my cart in the middle of the store and walk out. At this last appointment, my GI gave me something to help with the spasms. Hopefully the is new medication will help during those unpleasant times.

Another thing we talked about during my appointment was my weight. Fully clothed, I weighed in at 85lbs. My GI expressed his concerns and dislike about my weight which I fully understand. This brought us to my clean out routine and "future plans". He explained that he did not want to remove any of my small intestines. We discussed my current routine and my small intestines decline in motility just like with my colon. As for now, I am to continue clean out as is doing it three times a week. As time progresses, we will up the medications as we see fit. If my Linzess stops being as effective as it is now, we will substitute it for another medication in hopes to buy me some time. The whole overall goal for me is to not max myself out medication. He did explain to me that when the time comes, we can do a feeding tube which would be placed into my small intestines for additional nutrition and possible weight stability. I am sure my facial expression was not the best when I heard that but I'm a determined and stubborn person. I am not interested in having a feeding tube. I have enough going on below my rib cage. I do however know from experience, that once you get to a certain point and you're so sick, you'll do just about anything to feel better.


This is taken almost a week after my colectomy. It was bad.


These were taken the morning and afternoon of my ileostomy surgery. I made Jacob take these pictures so I could look back and visually see how bad it was. Over time, you sometimes lose perspective and forget how an experience actually was. The morning of my ileostomy surgery, I couldn't move without vomiting. I couldn't move my hands and feet. I have never been so sick in my life than what is depicted in these two pictures. During those hospital stays and just being so sick, my fears and perspectives changed. You could have pretty much done whatever to me medically because I was so sick. Situations like these are what my GI and I are trying to avoid. If that time does come, I want to already have somewhat of a plan in place so I am not sick as a dog and having to make a life altering decision.

Since Jacob and I have been married, I have done really well during my clean outs at night. I have only blacked out, no passing out. Our bathroom is separate from our bedroom so I have always wondered if he would hear me if I was to pass out in the bathroom. I have to sleep with the fan going so I don't get hot and I am honestly not waking him up every time I get up during the night. To me, it's ridiculous. Well Wednesday night during my clean out, I got up to go to the bathroom and I had to sit in the floor to finish cleaning my bag. Looking back now because hind sight is always twenty-twenty, I should have known I was in trouble. I got up to wash my hands and I just got that feeling. I thought to myself that I'd better get back to the bedroom. I made it about two steps into our bedroom and I passed out cold. I think my head hit the door before hitting the hardwood floors because it was throbbing. My left side took the blunt of it. It took me a few minutes to get my bearings back. Needless to say, Jacob had no problem hearing me and I'm pretty sore from all of it.