One week ago I went downhill again.
Same old same old.
Dehydration, difficulty swallowing even liquids.
When I ended up back on IV I hit a pretty low point. I was starting to wonder if I would ever get back to being me again, and live outside of the hospital! Or was this the new normal???
Thankfully, I have one of the best surgeons in the Province. He saw me in his clinic right away last Wednesday.
Thursday I underwent a dilation. This procedure is done during an endoscope. In case you have lived life blissfully unaware of what an endoscope is, it is where they guide a camera and what feels like 100 yards of tubing down your throat.
I've been "scoped" before way back in the days of an ill gall-bladder. But let me tell you that being scoped when your body doesn't even want you to swallow water (let alone a tube that felt as though it was as wide as my thumb) is a tricky matter. It was less than pretty.
My surgeon, God bless his cotton socks, decided that it needed to be done. So Thursday I returned to the hospital, had another IV hooked up for dehydration again, and I got scoped and "stretched". While he was in there having a good look around he actually dilated my sleeve (which to this point had been behaving badly in terms of TOO much restriction).
He found what he calls a "stricture", meaning that I had a narrowing of some part or other of my sleeve. I have another name for it, but I think too much of you to type that here.
Anyhow.... yes, it was pretty bad, but guess what???
It worked!
I am totally excited at the new me that I feel that I now am. I can swallow no problem. I now am re-learning how to eat and drink, and I'm taking my time.
Even with these hiccups in the road, I am SO glad to have had this surgery. It has been a life-changing. Thankfully we have a wonderful support group that meets once a month at the hospital, and I have made so many friends there that completely understand these challenges in a way that is difficult for most others to "get".
I saw the surgeon at the hospital again today for a re-check, and he told me that I'm back to being "exceptional" with an excellent prognosis. I stepped on the scales again (which I only do at clinical appointments) and I was delighted that I've lost another 4 pounds since 5 days ago. My grand total now is 77 down. Wowzers!
Here's hoping that the coming days are as good as these past few have turned out to be.
