Add apples to the list of foods I can no longer eat. It is hard to fathom that I can eat a greasy burger and french fries from Burger King and feel absolutely fine, yet I eat a peeled and cut up apple with some caramel sauce as a semi-nutritious snack and I am in agony for over 24 hours. I spent all of yesterday-from the wee hours of the morning until late in the evening- curled up in a ball praying that the apple would just move out of my intestine. I didn’t think that apples would be a problem if I removed the skin, but I clearly thought wrong. I was able to deal with the pain, however, and didn’t have to make a trip to the ER.
In other Crohn’s News: I still do not have a colon. I received a letter from my previous gastroenterologist informing me that, according to their records, I was due for a follow-up colonoscopy. Dear Dr. John Doe, Tell your secretary Jane to check your records more carefully as I am no longer your patient and I know that you receive updates on my surgeries anyways via the University at Rochester system which states that I no longer have a colon for you to look at. I called them and, more politely, told them that I am no longer a patient that they need be concerned with.
While I do not like my current gastroenterologist, Dr. Smith, I was not fond of Dr. Doe either. After I came of age and could no longer see the pediatric gastro, I began seeing Dr. Smith who was very cutting-edge. While he did a lot of research and was on the forefront of disease management, he was not very personable and almost seemed afraid of my assertive nature. I became fed up with his awkwardness and told him I planned on switching to a different gastro. I asked my surgeon who he suggested. He didn’t have any specific suggestions (well, the one doctor he did suggest was too close to retirement to take on any new cases, especially as fun as mine) so I ended up with Dr. Doe. The deal breaker for Dr. Doe was when I suggested a new medication that was not yet FDA-approved, but could be ordered through some independent drug manufactures (I really wanted to avoid surgery at all costs). It had been shown to improve symptoms drastically and I was willing to try anything. He informed me that it was “illegal to prescribe.” Dr. Doe, It may not be in your best interest to prescribe such a drug, but it is certainly not legal. You are talking to a future lawyer. Thanks. Dr. Doe didn’t seem to know about any of the new treatments, FDA-approved or not. I couldn’t handle his lack of knowledge, so I asked my surgeon to contact Dr. Smith on my behalf to see if he would take me back as a patient. While Dr. Smith is still not personable (he only visited me once during my 46 day hospital stay) he will have to do. I see him Tuesday for a pointless visit. Who wants to make bets that he doesn’t realize that I no longer have a colon?
I would appreciate if my surgeon would just double as my gastroenterologist. I think I cause him enough stress as it is, however. During my last visit he attempted to dress my wound, but did it all wrong. I watched him patiently, not wanting to be rude. He suggested putting more tape over the gauze and I told him that, “I will probably just redress it once I leave…” He stopped and looked at me. He then handed me the scissors and watched as I explained how I dressed my wounds. Surgeons just like to use way too much gauze and tape. Never let a surgeon dress your wound: ask an experienced nurse to do it.
As I was leaving, I told him how I felt like a failure the other day at my brother’s basketball game because one of the boys cut his finger open and no one could find anything to bandage it with. I carry a whole medical pack with me full of ostomy and dressing supplies. I searched my medical back to find the poor boy a band-aid, but I didn’t have anything useful in my medical bag: just some ostomy bags and backs, a few pairs of scissors, and a couple feminine pads. I had no tape, no useful piece of gauze. I felt like a failure.
My surgeon looked at me with this look and told me, “Don’t ever feel like failure. You may be many things, but I failure is not one of them.” …I got home from my appointment and restocked my medical kit with everything you could imagine.
My surgeon also told me that as long as I keep gaining weight (no problem there—I am always hungry) and getting stronger, I will be able to have my next surgery in mid-July. I informed a friend that I will be having my extra intestine sewn back up and put back in. I guess that wasn’t a sufficient explanation as I was then asked where the extra intestine currently was? Perhaps in the freezer? I will have the one ostomy reversed. They will suture the piece of intestine that is currently protruding from my abdomen and then, as my sister suggested, “pop it back inside.” I will then start my fall classes with only one ostomy.
It is possible that after this surgery, I will be able to eat apples, as they will have longer to digest before being excreted. Until then, they certainly don’t keep the doctors at bay.
No comments:
Post a Comment